Door hard to open from outside

[Monaramblee]

Holiday rambler monaco. The door opens easily from the inside but from the outside i have to pull hard on the handle. Ive lubricated everything, its not the door sticking as it opens easily from the inside.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

[PastorCharlie]

http://www.visualsc.com/monaco_door_adjust.pdf

The exterior door handle may fail and prevent entry to the coach. In this case, when you pull the outside handle,
it will move very easily and the door will not unlatch.
This will lock you out of your coach. The inside handle will still function so if you
have an alternate access such as described later in the document, you will be able
to open the door.
To open the door from the outside, you can drill the door handle.
? Using a ¾” to 1” hole saw (1” shown), carefully drill a hole in the top
left hand side of the handle. Be careful not to cut into the inside latch.
The top of the hole should be level with the bottom of the lock.
? You can then use a large flat bladed screw driver to push down the
inside latch as shown by the yellow arrow.

Picture illustration available on website.

[Monaramblee]

I removed the two screws from the little black plate on the inside handle but i cant get it off. Do i have to remove the 8 screws from the larger plate to remove the small black plate?

[Monaramblee]

dougrainer wrote:

skipsor wrote:
Why don't you take it to a locksmith and have them replace it? It would seem to be much easier than long distance Q&A and maybe destroying part of your door.

Easy answer. Locksmith's do not have RV door lock assemblies or their parts. They have key tumblers only. Doug

Good to know

Thankyou

[Monaramblee]

bjbear wrote:

Monaramblee wrote:
Holiday rambler monaco. The door opens easily from the inside but from the outside i have to pull hard on the handle. Ive lubricated everything, its not the door sticking as it opens easily from the inside.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

Take a look at: http://www.visualsc.com/monaco_door_adjust.pdf. It has a lot of info about the door handles on Monaco Family Coaches.

Usually, if the handle has to be pulled farther than normal, it is either the bushing or the rod adjustment. The bushing is the first place to look. If left as is, so that you have to pull real hard on the door handle to open, it will result in a broken handle and you will have to replace it. Will also leave you locked out of your coach. Happened to me!!!

That linc was quite informative
Thankyou....

[dougrainer]

skipsor wrote:
Why don't you take it to a locksmith and have them replace it? It would seem to be much easier than long distance Q&A and maybe destroying part of your door.

Easy answer. Locksmith's do not have RV door lock assemblies or their parts. They have key tumblers only. Doug

[Monaramblee]

skipsor wrote:
Why don't you take it to a locksmith and have them replace it? It would seem to be much easier than long distance Q&A and maybe destroying part of your door.

Im not sure what you mean about long distance q@a but taking it to a locksmith will be a considered option.

Thankyou

[skipsor]

Why don't you take it to a locksmith and have them replace it? It would seem to be much easier than long distance Q&A and maybe destroying part of your door.

[Monaramblee]

Yes i have a window open and a stepladder handy. Thankyou

[Johno02]

duplicate, deleted. sorry.

[Johno02]

With what you are saying, it would be a VERY good idea to leave at least one of your windows unlocked so that someone can get into the rig from outside when the door latch fails, which it will. The lock can be taken apart from inside and the door opened, but not from the outside. If you are locked out, it is a real problem. Ask me how I know. I always have one unlocked so someone can get inside to get things open.

[Monaramblee]

larry_scv wrote:
All good ideas. The most important one is to leave a window unlocked with easy access. A lock out is very expensive. I had the same lock problem a couple of times.

My fix which has been good for 8 yrs now was: (1) open the small door panel access and adjust the latch catch length (need a crow foot wrench). (2) strike adjustment, the one opposite the door handle. Mine floats a bit so it makes proper contact with the latch on the door. (3) lube the latch regularly two or three times a year. Use silicone or Boeshield T9.

Thankyou for the tip i will absolutely look into doing that.....i just need to research it a bit more so i dont end up messing the inside handle as well.

[larry_scv]

All good ideas. The most important one is to leave a window unlocked with easy access. A lock out is very expensive. I had the same lock problem a couple of times.

My fix which has been good for 8 yrs now was: (1) open the small door panel access and adjust the latch catch length (need a crow foot wrench). (2) strike adjustment, the one opposite the door handle. Mine floats a bit so it makes proper contact with the latch on the door. (3) lube the latch regularly two or three times a year. Use silicone or Boeshield T9.

[Monaramblee]

Gjac wrote:

Monaramblee wrote:

Gjac wrote:
The Trimark door latch is problematic and can fail in a number of ways, the worst is when the latch it self just breaks, it is made from a cast zinc alloy which is not very strong. The cam is just plastic and can break also. I have replaced mine twice before I understood these two problems. You can adjust the door latch, lube the cam and latch itself, and press in on the outside door to remove some stress on the latch to make it easier to open before pulling on the handle. Eventually the latch itself will break. When mine broke for the second time I made a backing plate from steel to join the broken pieces together and so for after two years is working fine. The real solution is to have a machine shop make a one out of steel. Some one posted that Trimark now makes one with a steel latch at twice the price.

Question......if it eventually breaks is it separate from the inside handle? The inside handle works perfectly. Also there is a small panel about 10 x 10 inches on the inside of the door...its a bit higher then the outside handle but im wondering if i could access the problem from that point. Im just throwing questions out before tackling it ...

I guess it depends on what model door latch you have, I have the Trimark 060-650 that has a dead bolt when mine broke twice once I was locked outside and once inside so neither door handle would open the door.

Ok well for now im leaving a window open just in case. Next time im at the coach i will see if i can get in the panel for a peak.
Thanks for the reply

[Gjac]

Monaramblee wrote:

Gjac wrote:
The Trimark door latch is problematic and can fail in a number of ways, the worst is when the latch it self just breaks, it is made from a cast zinc alloy which is not very strong. The cam is just plastic and can break also. I have replaced mine twice before I understood these two problems. You can adjust the door latch, lube the cam and latch itself, and press in on the outside door to remove some stress on the latch to make it easier to open before pulling on the handle. Eventually the latch itself will break. When mine broke for the second time I made a backing plate from steel to join the broken pieces together and so for after two years is working fine. The real solution is to have a machine shop make a one out of steel. Some one posted that Trimark now makes one with a steel latch at twice the price.

Question......if it eventually breaks is it separate from the inside handle? The inside handle works perfectly. Also there is a small panel about 10 x 10 inches on the inside of the door...its a bit higher then the outside handle but im wondering if i could access the problem from that point. Im just throwing questions out before tackling it ...

I guess it depends on what model door latch you have, I have the Trimark 060-650 that has a dead bolt when mine broke twice once I was locked outside and once inside so neither door handle would open the door.

[Monaramblee]

dougrainer wrote:
There are 2 linkages that operate the Entry Door mechanism. The OUTSIDE has both a threaded adjustable linkage that can be shortened when the years of use cause lack of operation. Tri Marks also have a metal teardrop looking cam that does wear and after years of use the door cam cannot engage as new. The INSIDE Handle plate is separate from the exterior and can be reinstalled when and if you replace the outside. You have to remove the Inside handle plate to do any adjustment or replacement. You don't state age, but if over 10 years old, I would replace the exterior latch assbly as when the completely fail you cannot get inside and this always happens when it is the most inconvienent. Doug

PS, the BJBEAR door lock link is perfect for what and how your lock is fixed. You have to remove that Black handle bezel(2 screws) and then the Padded vinyl larger plate to get access

Thankyou for the information.
Our coach is 12 years old.