entry door sticks

[Myles]

I think I have read something about the entry door sticking, but my search is not finding anything...
Sometimes the door works flawlessly and I can open it from inside, and other times I feel like I'm locked in. Today I had to climb into the cab and exit through the driver's door.
What have people done to help the situation - I don't want to push too hard on the screen and possible damage the screen door or screen.
(Going Aug 23 for 1st service, but leaving for trip today)
2022 Seneca Prestige 37K

[Cornpop]

Make sure the door catch is tight

[Shodan01]

Mine did this when it wasnt perfectly level. I had to re-set my zero point on the equalizer because it was a bit off when I purchased the rig.

[travelingjw]

I fixed my by adjusting the strike plate. First, I marked the outline with a pencil. I then put pencil on the latch bolt. When I closed the door, then opened it I could see where the latch hit the strike plate. I found that the strike plate was no vertical. I then moved the strike plate more than necessary just to assure that this was the issue. It was. I then repositioned the strike plate, moving it 1/16 of an inch at a time. My door now works fine. The strike plate is now also vertical.

[TWP723]

If it's intermittent, it could be a level issue. Seems like there is some kind of torque on the frame every so often that causes a sticky door. Like it's racked a bit. You can check the opening with a carpenters square to see if it is indeed racked when you experience the sticking. Even if the frame is off just a little, it'll cause the sticking. The doors fit so well in these openings that if it's off even by an 1/8", it'll stick. Humidity can do it as well, especially if the frame or door contain wood. Sometimes steps can interfere with the entry door but I'm sure you have power steps, so I wouldn't think that would do it. Maybe try leveling manually to as close to perfect as you can and see if it sticks. Then do the same with landing gear up (unlevel). When I bought my fifth wheel, they said it was "ready to go". First trip, I checked the "AutoLevel" then checked with my carpenters level. It was off one inch right to left and almost two and a half inches front to back. Don't trust the system to be correct, check it yourself. I had to reset level manually and now she comes level every time. An off level RV can be the problem with a lot of window and door issues. Just a couple things I'd check if I was experiencing this.

[Forester2]

I find it is temperature relayed too

[GABob]

The door on my C had been a real “stickler” as well when we first brought her home, has gotten much better over time.

[Onyrlef]

Originally Posted by TWP723

If it's intermittent, it could be a level issue. Seems like there is some kind of torque on the frame every so often that causes a sticky door. Like it's racked a bit. You can check the opening with a carpenters square to see if it is indeed racked when you experience the sticking. Even if the frame is off just a little, it'll cause the sticking. The doors fit so well in these openings that if it's off even by an 1/8", it'll stick. Humidity can do it as well, especially if the frame or door contain wood. Sometimes steps can interfere with the entry door but I'm sure you have power steps, so I wouldn't think that would do it. Maybe try leveling manually to as close to perfect as you can and see if it sticks. Then do the same with landing gear up (unlevel). When I bought my fifth wheel, they said it was "ready to go". First trip, I checked the "AutoLevel" then checked with my carpenters level. It was off one inch right to left and almost two and a half inches front to back. Don't trust the system to be correct, check it yourself. I had to reset level manually and now she comes level every time. An off level RV can be the problem with a lot of window and door issues. Just a couple things I'd check if I was experiencing this.

X2, if a door is racked it will stick or strike on the top or bottom corner opposite the hinges ( indicating the floor is out of level front to back).

[lovecars]

I had a similar issue and did many of the previous suggestion. I finally lubricated the strike plate and it worked more consistently. Level the rv is helps more.

[Rustynuts]

Lock plate to striker adjust meant can help and 3in1 dry lock lube helps a lot, I spray mine monthly.

[DustyGeek]

After typing this up, I realized it was from a post in July with no follow-up from the OP. I'm hitting "Submit" anyway since the thread was already necro'd and hopefully the pics and discussion with help others.

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My previous SOB Class A and our current Accolade had the same door issues (more of a closing issue, but the pics I have might help you diagnose yours), despite having different doors and being made in two different factories. In both cases, I think they were installed in an opening that was slightly too wide.

I suspect you'll find your problem is one of the following:

• The lock is getting triggered (our kids always managed to hit ours somehow)
• Your pin is a little better than mine was from the factory, but rubbing so tightly against that inner plate that your door is hard to pull/push open
• The latch itself is sticking when separately/manually tested (possibly bad latch or just needing lubrication)
• The door or door frame is racked and it's rubbing elsewhere (as others have already pointed out).

In the photo below, the screwdriver is pointing out the wear on ours where the pin wasn't sitting into the latch properly (more on that in a minute). I would verify that the latch properly opens and closes when not wrapped around the pin. You can use a screwdriver to close it (should click twice) and pop fully back open when the inner and outer door handles are used. If that doesn't work as expected, you may want to verify nothing is rubbing, things are lubed properly as suggested by others, or it could just be a bad latch assembly.



I removed the brush from the screen door to better observe how the pin was interacting and aligning with the latch. In our case (both of them), the head of the pin was hitting some internal latch parts (where the screwdriver is pointing in the photo above), interfering with the latch closing properly.

I shimmed out the pin with some washers so that the head of the pin would clear those parts.



It should look like this when closed and fully seated in the V-notch on the outer part of the latch assembly. Note that the head of the pin is clearing the area it was previously hitting. It was hard to get a decent photo of it closed without removing the grab bar inside the door, but this should be good enough to get the point across.



Lastly, I also had to move the pin outward so the door would properly double-latch (works like a car's door - two clicks). Otherwise, we'd only get one click out of it, which means the door isn't fully secure, and the deadbolt wouldn't engage properly.

Now, I can close the door with one finger from the outside. When it gets super cold, it can still require a little more force to close it, most likely just because of the cold weatherstripping around the door. We moved to FL to solve that problem.