August 7th - 8th, 2023 Access Panel Revision - Passenger Door Lock Fix - Next Trip

ACCESS PANEL REVISION:

When we purchased Homer he had his original 12-volt charger/converter from 1993. It was a beast with a transformer in it larger than my fist. While it worked properly, it hummed quite loudly all the time when plugged up. I knew I was not going to be able to tolerate the loud humming. I also knew that this charger/converter was a "dumb" charger, meaning it charged all the time. These old chargers were known for overcharging the batteries causing them to boil out battery acid on occasion. Homer's batteries are in a really difficult location to service, so I was not interested in having that problem. I decided to upgrade and purchased a new "smart" charger. A smart charger charges the batteries at various voltages as needed and then goes into a "float" mode. The batteries do not get overcharged and the charger does not hum! 

The converter was located in a space under the wardrobe next to the refrigerator. I could not access it but I could see it through a 10-inch by 10-inch door under the refrigerator, which opened for access to the 12-volt fuse panel. There was no way I could reach the screws holding the charger/converter down to remove it.  On the wall as you enter there was a screen vent which allowed ventilation for the charger/converter. Here is a picture. 

The wooden frame and wire mesh were stapled in place at the factory. Upon removing it the opening still was not large enough to pull the charger/converter out. I guess they assumed it would never need to be replaced. To get it out and replace it I had to make an access panel where the screen vent was located. After pulling off the factory vent frame I carefully cut the paneling so I could use the piece I cut-out to make an access panel door that would match the wall paneling. I made a new frame with some molding I had on hand. This is what it looked like when finished.

I didn't want to staple the panel back on and I didn't want any screws holding it on showing. I used some old cabinet catches I had on hand to hold the access panel in place. 

While the catches worked, whenever the panel was removed it was quite challenging to blindly line up each catch with the accompanying screws on each side of the access panel. If the screws did not fit in the catch properly the door would fall off. This last trip the panel fell off. It was time for an improved access panel mounting system.

I decided to use magnetic catches. The magnetic catches, however, required more mounting surface so I had to add a block of wood on each side. Here is a picture of each block being glued on and held in place with clamps.

After letting the glue set overnight and installing the magnetic catches, I put the access panel in place and it is holding nicely. Mission accomplished.

PASSENGER DOOR LOCK FIX:

Next, I moved to addressing the issue of the passenger side door not unlocking with the fob. It would unlock with the key but not with the fob. This is what the interior door lock knob looks like when locked.

This is what the door lock knob looked like after I pushed the unlock button on the fob. 

The knob moved up considerably as you can see. I could hear the electric actuator working as the lock knob went up. It just did not raise the door lock knob high enough to unlock the door. A quick turn of the key and the door lock knob would go up another 1/4 inch and the door would unlock. 

I took the door panel off to investigate.  I worked the locking mechanism a number of times while looking for any areas where the rods may have been binding or for another cause of this problem. I initially thought the electric actuator may be weak and need to be replaced, but it seemed to push the rod its maximum length with no trouble. Sticking my head in the door best I could, I decided to just soak the entire lock mechanism inside the door with PB Blaster, which is a rust remover and lubricant. After about ten good squirts from various angles, and twenty locking and unlocking sequences, it appeared to me all was working as it should with the fob. The door unlocked each time. I put everything back together and crossed my fingers. If it didn't work any further fix was probably beyond my limited capacity to diagnose and repair. Once the door panel was reinstalled, I tried the fob several times and it unlocked and locked each time. Another mission accomplished. It will be interesting to seek how long this lubrication fix lasts.

NEXT TRIP:

We head out Monday for three separate trips:  

The first is a four-day RV club campout at Lincoln Trails State Park in Illinois. 

The second is a weekend of mooch camping in our friends' driveway in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

The third is a trip to Clear Water Campground in Ortonville, MI, to spend a week camping with our Michigan friends. 

Wi-Fi access will be limited so there will no blog until we return home.