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Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:04 am

The ‘door open’ catch, and the lower track cleaned of dirt and grease. Also, the hinge and roller hardware once removed:

Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:10 am

Once cleaned and lubricated, the lower roller assembly (marked with ‘U’) and the upper roller assembly ‘O’. Then the hinge from various angles and the impact surfaces where the hinge contacts the ‘door open catch’ as the door closes:

Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:35 am

I’m going to end with a question about lubrication for the opening and closing movement of the door!
To my mind, the weight of the door is almost completely carried by a) the grooved roller on the hinge assembly and b) the vertical roller at the bottom front of the door. These are a) sealed and b) partly sealed bearings that can be a) replaced and b) repacked with bearing grease.
The horizontal rollers, top and bottom front of the door (marked ‘U’ and ‘O’) can be greased internally, and have a felt washer that can be oiled at service time. I think these two rollers just keep the door corners in the top and bottom tracks (and navigate the curves as the door is almost closed). The nylon block does the same, keeping the grooved roller in line on the rear track.

Assuming the rollers are all lubed and rolling, do the tracks actually need any lubrication, or should they just be, for instance, waxed? Maybe the curves just before closure would benefit from grease? The rail the nylon washer rides on probably needs lubrication but is wax, light grease or silicone better?
I don’t really see the need for any significant greasing of the tracks, and we all know that just risks attracting dirt and grit and encouraging wear.

It would be interesting to hear what people’s practice is for lubrication and any comments.

Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:19 am

Hello Scotland :) Another great thread, in addition to your "'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia"

I use a "Grease Crayon" on all "sliding surfaces". I clean the sliding door tracks of any debris before applying the white lithium grease

There are also two "ports" on the aft side of the sliding door hinge.

Hope you can use the "sliding door sill cover" and protect the great work you did on that project !!
PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:04 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!'
Great thread that I have read from top to bottom!

Regarding the sliding door sill, I installed a "Sliding Door Sill Cover" ordered from BusOk out of the Netherlands

They offer two models:

Westfalia sliding door sill cover 231070051
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1728661

Sliding door sill cover 255070050D
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2124414

Wed Aug 25, 2021 1:03 pm

vwmerckx wrote: Hello Scotland :) Another great thread, in addition to your "'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia"

I use a "Grease Crayon" on all "sliding surfaces". I clean the sliding door tracks of any debris before applying the white lithium grease

There are also two "ports" on the aft side of the sliding door hinge.

Hope you can use the "sliding door sill cover" and protect the great work you did on that project !!

Thanks vwmerckx, I can’t claim credit for this thread, but hopefully the pictures will help anyone taking this on.
The grease crayon looks good and shouldn’t attract as much dirt as soft grease. I’ve ignored the lubrication of the mechanism, but you’re right to include the motor oil ports on the hinge. Mine were hidden by grime.

I’m still considering the sliding door sill cover but I’m not certain the profile will match where my flooring starts. Thanks for the link.

Tue May 02, 2023 4:15 am

Does anyone know the part number for the 4 x black plastic caps, can't seem to find anywhere. Thanks

Amskeptic wrote:
and put the decorative black plastic caps on the front two bolts for you later buses with no plastic cover.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 10:44 am

Is there any info on the central lock?

Mine hits with a dull thud, but the C doesnt close on the post.
Have to either push down on the handle to relax/latch it, or push w a good burst of pressure to latch it.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 2:01 pm

75 Westy FI noob wrote: Mine hits with a dull thud, but the C doesnt close on the post.
Have to either push down on the handle to relax/latch it, or push w a good burst of pressure to latch it.
And that was after removing it for a deep cleaning and lube up?, have you carefully adjusted it and the cables/rods as laid out in your Bentley manual?

Tue Jul 01, 2025 2:50 pm

Bently doesnt go very deep into how the center lock works on late bay.
Colins fine article focused on the hinge assembly.

My cable is tightened to the end of the adjustment range. No slop in the handle, but travels a long way before unlatching. Considering a rod bend but..

Just wondering if this seems like a lock problem or an ‘door adjustment’ problem. My striker plate doesn’t seem to strike anything..

How is that C latch relaxed to fasten in the closing process . Some threads imply that its just made to slam after ‘74

Tue Jul 01, 2025 3:34 pm

Perhaps this should move a bit to the outside…
Hoping to avoid trial and error.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 4:02 pm

Looking at your photo, it looks like the beak is hitting. Look at Richard's photo to see how it should work.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 4:03 pm

75 Westy FI noob wrote: My cable is tightened to the end of the adjustment range. No slop in the handle, but travels a long way before unlatching.
Great, is that what the book says to do?

Trying striker adjustments could improve things, or make them worse, make a mark around it first so you can go back to where you began if it's worse. And if you have a bad memory keep a log of what direction and how much you moved it as well as if it made it better or worse, that way you can go back, or plot your next move.

Tue Jul 01, 2025 6:40 pm

SGKent wrote: Looking at your photo, it looks like the beak is hitting. Look at Richard's photo to see how it should work.

Verified that the beak clears the post, and the base of the C hits the post but does not readily ’trip’ . maybe disassemble and clean/oil will help. Bently says where to adjust the cable, but not what transpires within the central lock although there is a photo.

Wed Jul 02, 2025 3:37 am

the lock should work smoothly without binding.

Wed Jul 02, 2025 3:40 am

early bay the handle pulled the back in after the front latch grabbed the front. One rotated the handle. On a late bay the momentum and spring pull it in. Make sure that the nylon block is not worn all the way to drag on the rivet. That is common, It has to be nylon on the rail not worn to the pin on the rail.