TheSamba.com :: View topic - Hard to open/close sliding door, cracked mount

Fri May 18, 2012 7:24 am

I have searched theSamba and found only a few topics related to the latch pin and spring on sliding door. I'm having latching problems too, but I think it's a symptom of a different problem.

This is for an 1980. It seems like the springs in the door mechanisms are too strong. Too hard to turn the outside handle, and too hard to close the door (and therefore, the door also pops open aggressively). I feel that I am using excessive force to close the dorr (either by pushing on the back) and also turning the handle to open it. So hard, in fact, that the door metal near the 2 rear hinge bolts is cracked.

So I took the door mechanisms apart, and apart from a lot of old grease and degraded gasket, I couldn't determine anything out of place. Does this look reasonable? It looks like there might be small set screw missing in the upper right?

Here is the hinge spring. The rest of it is fine. I feel it is this spring that is too strong, since it takes a herculian effort to close the door.

This is not related to either the rear or lower roller assembly/tracks, since the door moves smoothly. It is just the closing/opening action that is very aggressive.