Habitation Door Central Locking Contacts

by Peter Brown Mon May 19, 2014 4:51 pm

I think this only applies to Coachbuilts - I'll stand corrected if I'm wrong.

I suffered regular problems with dirt and corrosion on the frame and door contacts that electrically operate the lock on the habitation door. A couple of months ago I thought "I wonder if it will still work if I lubricate the contacts with some of the 30 year old tube of Granvilles Copper Grease lying in my workshop" - it did and still does with nice clean contacts.

Before posting I did some investigation. Some manufactures claim their copper grease has excellent conductivity whilst others (including Granvilles) say it does not conduct. I poked my meter probes into a blob of grease and it does not conduct however just touch the probes together lightly and a low resistance path is established. So whether it is slightly conductive or whether the grease is so light that it physically moves out of the way I don't know but in any event the lock works.

Peter

by nevergiveup Mon May 19, 2014 5:13 pm

And no sell by date on your 30 year old grease!!

Peter, we have a Devon now and the habitation door retainer( a strut) seems almost useless, in fact dangerous. It doesnt appear to be a gas type but has increased resistance at fully open, but not enough. Do you know of a problem, don`t want to order an AS replacement if they " all do it"

Any ideas??

David

by Peter Brown Mon May 19, 2014 5:46 pm

A tricky one this.

Getting the correct strength of gas strut has proved a problem. AS started making the struts stronger but then when the wind caught the door the door and the frame twisted or the strut fixing broke so now they fit a strut that will normally hold the door but in the event of an incident it is the strut that will fail as its a lot easier and cheaper to replace.

Personally I would go for the one AS recommend.

Peter

by Billy Ruffian Mon May 19, 2014 6:45 pm

Hello Peter

I have the same problem with the habitation door on my Nuevo and so I'm very interested in your solution. Can you advise:

Are the contacts you greased the moving 3 hexagonal pieces attached to the door frame that line up with the 3 fixed hexagonal pieces on the door?
And
Did you clean or abrade the contacts prior to greasing?

Regards

by Peter Brown Mon May 19, 2014 8:51 pm

Yes its them and yes I cleaned then gently with very fine wire wool. The contacts can move out of alignment and the door hinges can work loose all giving the same symptom.

Peter

by Billy Ruffian Mon May 19, 2014 10:02 pm

Thanks Peter I'll try the clean and grease first.

Regards

by modelman Mon May 19, 2014 10:14 pm

Don't know if you've heard of this stuff: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

But its amazing, expensive, but its almost unnatural the way it works, & I believe it was military/aerospace developed, & it works wonders on vehicle electronics, multi-connectors & fusebox spades.

by Billy Ruffian Tue May 20, 2014 6:19 am

Thanks Modelman

Certainly not cheap as you say but maybe it goes a long way...

Regards

by steve00136 Mon May 26, 2014 1:00 pm

I put some oil on the door and frame contacts and the closed the door with a piece of paper between the contacts. The oil marked the paper where the contact positions are to show that they were very mis aligned and hardly touching. On some slightly sloping pitches there was probably just enough twist in the body to make the contacts not meet. I repositioned the contact holder on the door and not had a problem since.

by inspiredron Mon May 26, 2014 8:47 pm

steve00136 wrote:I put some oil on the door and frame contacts and the closed the door with a piece of paper between the contacts. The oil marked the paper where the contact positions are to show that they were very mis aligned and hardly touching. On some slightly sloping pitches there was probably just enough twist in the body to make the contacts not meet. I repositioned the contact holder on the door and not had a problem since.

Good thinking! My 2012 Lancashire does not have contacts but a wire that goes from frame to door. I guess that A/S have discovered that the contacts do cause problems, though Peter's solution sounds good.

by Billy Ruffian Fri Jun 27, 2014 12:15 pm

I've tried the copper grease and the stabilant but it still doesn't work. I'm pretty sure the contacts are not touching when the door is closed.

Looking at the contacts it's not obvious how to adjust them - any ideas (2012 Nuevo)?

If I connect a wire from one of the moving contacts to one on the door - even with the door open - will this form a circuit and should I then be able to activate the lock? Or are wires to all 3 required?

by steve00136 Fri Jun 27, 2014 12:37 pm

Hi had same problem - see my solution above. Had to drill some small holes for the screws to grip just a few mm above original location.

by modelman Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:02 pm

Billy Ruffian wrote:I've tried the copper grease and the stabilant but it still doesn't work. I'm pretty sure the contacts are not touching when the door is closed.

Looking at the contacts it's not obvious how to adjust them - any ideas (2012 Nuevo)?

If I connect a wire from one of the moving contacts to one on the door - even with the door open - will this form a circuit and should I then be able to activate the lock? Or are wires to all 3 required?

Yeh, not much will work without contact, except maybe..........LIGHTNING. hugegrins

by PennyandDerek Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:05 pm

Billy,
Have you checked that the wires to the two sprung contacts on the frame are still in place?
Their coming loose was one of the issues with slightly earlier models and led to the complete failure that you are describing.
There are previous threads on this subject.

Derek

by Billy Ruffian Fri Jun 27, 2014 7:15 pm

Bingo. Removed the handle cover and there are the two broken connections.

The connections to the pins had been designed to hit the handle cover when the pins are depressed and cause the connection to break! When I get the replacement connectors I'll buy right angled ones (not straight ones) and that will stop them from hitting the cover and breaking.

Autosleepers or Seitz to blame for this design error? Whichever it is they've clearly caused many of their customers a problem!

Many thanks for the guidance.

Does anyone know if there is a fuse somewhere in the wires?

by nevergiveup Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:36 pm

Thanks you guys for the info. We have restored central locking to hab door. It was one broken lead unsoldered from the moving contacts on the door frame .

I was taught at apprenticeship level not to solder any joint subjected to physical tension. With these contacts flying in and out every time you slam the door its really not surprising they break.................

Long live this forum

David

PS: earlier in this thread, I asked about strut type door retainer as ours is useless. Alan at AS says they have to order from Germany and cost £49+ vat!! I will stick to a bungee twixt door and wheel rim!! Alan is very helpful tho

by landrovereditor Sat Jul 12, 2014 10:03 pm

I have a 2008 EATON with the same problem.

Cleaned and greased the contacts it still will not lock.

If I press on the door from the outside (or pull it from the inside) it the locks works.

There is no adjustment on the door or contacts.

The only thing I haven't done it to put a spacer behind the contacts on the door I Will try this next.

Unless someone has any other ideas.

by inspiredron Sat Jul 12, 2014 10:44 pm

nevergiveup wrote:And no sell by date on your 30 year old grease!!

Peter, we have a Devon now and the habitation door retainer( a strut) seems almost useless, in fact dangerous. It doesnt appear to be a gas type but has increased resistance at fully open, but not enough. Do you know of a problem, don`t want to order an AS replacement if they " all do it"

Any ideas??

David

I would not bother buying anothef strut. My Lancashire has the same strut and, while it does stop the door from opening too far, it is useless at holding it open. It does have increased resistance at the end of its travel but not sufficient to combat wind.
Also, as I have posted elsewhere, I have had the screw which attaches the strut to the door frame fall out twice. Now secured with a blob of Araldite on the threads.

by Peter Brown Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:12 pm

landrovereditor wrote:I have a 2008 EATON with the same problem.

Cleaned and greased the contacts it still will not lock.

If I press on the door from the outside (or pull it from the inside) it the locks works.

There is no adjustment on the door or contacts.

The only thing I haven't done it to put a spacer behind the contacts on the door I Will try this next.

Unless someone has any other ideas.

Check the bolts that hold the hinges to the door frame have not loosened. You can get at the top two by opening the window in the door.

Peter

by landrovereditor Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:56 am

landrovereditor wrote:I have a 2008 EATON with the same problem.

Cleaned and greased the contacts it still will not lock.

If I press on the door from the outside (or pull it from the inside) it the locks works.

There is no adjustment on the door or contacts.

The only thing I haven't done it to put a spacer behind the contacts on the door I Will try this next.

Unless someone has any other ideas.

I have put a spacer behind the contacts on the door and it works. It originally had a piece of rubber behind the contact – poorly cut to shape. So I wonder if this was a "factory fitting"

Seems the door doesn't close fully about 5mm movement when closed. Could be worn hinge pins or just wear in the fittings.

But the spacer works.

by Peter Brown Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:10 am

Do still check your hinge bolts as they often loosen. I had to put thread lock on mine.

Peter

by landrovereditor Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:35 pm

landrovereditor wrote:I have a 2008 EATON with the same problem.

Cleaned and greased the contacts it still will not lock.

If I press on the door from the outside (or pull it from the inside) it the locks works.

There is no adjustment on the door or contacts.

The only thing I haven't done it to put a spacer behind the contacts on the door I Will try this next.

Unless someone has any other ideas.

I put a spacer behind the contacts on the door and it works!

What if I bypassed the contacts and joined the wires together. It would then appear that the door is closed and just lock in the normal way.

What do you think?

Habitation Door Central Locking Contacts

Habitation Door Central Locking Contacts

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Spacer works!

Re: Habitation Door Central Locking Contacts

Re: Habitation Door Central Locking Contacts