Help! My Exterior Door Latch Broke This Morning

[wdk450]

Gang:
I had the door to my rig replaced years ago due to side damage, I used a reputable RV repairer and a Progressive insurance adjuster, so I think I have an OEM Lippert door, although I cannot find any markings on it. Anyways, my exterior access door has been getting harder and harder to get to latch, and this morning it won't latch. I examined the inside the door frame mounted striker plate to maybe adjust it, and found that the outfacing lip of the plate assembly had broken off at its top and bottom corners. I removed the striker plate mounting screws, but can't seem to get the larger striker plate out from the smaller cutout hole in the steel door frame.

Here is a picture of the stiker plate in the frame with its top and bottom ears with holes for the sheet metal screws in the ears. How do i get it out of the door to replace it????

 

[cookie]

With all that silicon caulk it's probably just glued in. Maybe a razor knife and patients.

Peace
Dave

 

[danemayer]

Have you found a replacement? Maybe examining the replacement will give you a clue how to both install the new one and to remove the old one.

 

[cookie]

Another thought is if you have an inspection mirror you might be able to see the backside. It may have been crimped in place when manufactured.
Dremel tool might also be off some help.

Peace
Dave

 

[wdk450]

The silicone (RVers Goop) was mine over the years to try to keep the striker plate in adjustment.

The plate is bigger than the hole both horizontally and vertically. I can only guess that it was installed during door fabrication, and can only be normally replaced by removing the entire door frame. The good news is that the door will latch loosely against the steel frame cutout with the outside facing lip of the striker plate removed for a temporary fix. I am thinking about cutting out a 1/8 wide section of the steel door frame to remove the old striker; or cutting the external lips of the striker off so that I can just stuff the old striker inside section down in the door gap cavity and get a new thin external striker plate which i can secure with inside blind nuts.

I did find a label on the outside door assembly from Heartland /Lippert and took a photo of that. I have found lots of listings on the internet for RV access door striker plates, made measurements of all the dimensions, and will look around for a final solution.

On edit: looking at my picture hard, I think that the RV installers installed this striker plate upside down with the tapered door latch lifting edge to the rear.

 

[wdk450]

I got a new striker plate from San Diego Trailer Parts in El Cajon, only about $5.

I removed the remains of the old plate from the cutout in the steel door frame by carefully snipping the wider side of the plate with metal shears and pulling the parts out of the door frame latch hole. The new plate had the screw holes about 1/2 inch farther apart, so I used the old striker plate bottom hole and drilled a new hole to the correct dimension to make the new striker plate fit. The old plate WAS in there upside down (backwards) with the stronger edge of the plate to the rear and away from where the door latch mates. I tried to mount the plate to the door mating surface of the metal door frame with blind nuts, but couldn't make that work, Then I looked hard inside the striker plate hole and saw outside siding composite wood directly behind the screw holes. So I mounted the striker plate to the metal frame running long deck screws deep into the composite siding wood.

Everything seems OK with the door latch and striker plate now.