Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hilby
Y'know, it looks like a cheap automotive door switch for a dome light.
|
After much searching with the suggestion to check with McMaster-Carr, I found out what these things are. They are a real thing (not some strange re-purpose of some other thing) called "spring-loaded captive sliding door plungers." Or just "spring-loaded plungers," depending on who you're dealing with.
The problem in the
Trillium is that the plungers are "press-in" style plungers, meaning you need to use a press to install them. I can't figure out how to get the old ones out. I should have mentioned: the three that are missing aren't entirely missing. The "husk" which used to contain the spring and the pin is still there, pressed into place. Somehow the pin and the springs came out (and got lost).
So, to fix these, first I'd need to "un-press" these old ones. That's not a big deal; I'd probably just cut them out. The big deal is, I can't just find a direct replacement. I don't have a press. I need a "thread-in" style plunger that will go into the existing hole. Not impossible, but it has slowed me down considerably. Especially considering that there are other, easy ways to hold the sliding doors closed while traveling.
I've got my eyes open for fixing these some day, but I'm not actively looking anymore.