Scamp 19, play increasing in door handle

[Stretcher]

The outside door handle on our Scamp 19 is increasingly developing play, but works okay. I'd like to try to tighten it, but I'm reluctant to disassemble it in case I discover a broken part and am unable to get it back together in working order. If I was at home, I'd order a new assembly from Scamp first, but were in CA, a long way from MA. My current plan is to leave it as is and hope it holds for another 5-6 weeks.

Has anyone else had it apart or dealt with this problem?

Thanks,

David

[C&G in FL]

David,
Can you provide a little more detail as to what you mean by "play?"
The factory door handle is a simple device. If you remove the two outside screws the whole assembly slides out of the inner assembly. I seriously doubt that you will find broken parts that would keep you from being able to reassemble it.

[Stretcher]

Where the handle used to be horizontal, it now angles down about 30 degrees and seems loose. The external housing and the screws are still snug.

[C&G in FL]

The external handle is held on the shaft with a pin. The shaft DOES NOT move independently of the handle. You can see this square shaft where it passes through the internal door handle, which contains the springs which return the handle to the horizontal position. I would suggest two things. When the door is closed, push on it near the handle. It could be that the door seal is putting outward pressure so that the internal latch is not moving freely. Or, and I would suggest that you get some pure silicon spray in an aerosol can with a thin nozzle that fits into the spray button and spray some silicon into the inside mechanism around the piece (the striker) that moves when the handle is operated. Once lubed, with the door open work the inside handle up and down a few times to distribute the silicon. Check to see if the outer handle returns to the horizontal position. I think this will solve your problem and the latching mechanism will function more smoothly if lubed occasionally.

[mary and bob]

If you need a new part, and if you know where you will be in the near future, have Scamp send parts by mail (USPS) to General Delivery in your name to a Post Office near where you will be. This is how we get our mail while we are away. Like Carl says, you can see the square shaft on the inside, see if it moves with the outside handle to determine if the handle is loose on the shaft. The Scamps I've seen have the same universal inside latch as many use on teardrop campers. We have one on ours and I bought it from a supplier in CA. Another similar latch I used on our teardrop had a internal piece that was spot welded and broke so that is a possibility. Another problem I have encountered is the square shaft wears and starts to round off.

[Paul O.]

When the latch does not engage fully with the strike plate, the handle will have more play. Careful with the lubrication - sometimes friction is to your advantage. When I brought my 2004 19D home a year ago, the lock was bone dry. Probably no lube in nine years. The door needed a little (maybe not that little) push to latch it properly, as explained by the PO. I towed it home 500 miles and the door was fine. After I did my cleaning and fixing I also lubed the door latch, to be a good boy. On our first trip the door flew open to my great dismay. I tied a string to the strike plate, took it outside through the gasket and tied it to the piece that engages the hook when you prop the door open. Not wanting to completely reconstruct the strike plate, I refined the string solution somewhat - see my post with pictures here:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...g-57750-3.html
The problem with mine is that the strike plate surface is not parallel to the direction of travel of the latch. You can see it well from inside to check for this condition.

[AJB]

I've had the same issue on my 97 scamp. The problem is that the door handle is screwed to a piece of wood. When that wood rots, which was the issue in my case, I don't know if the wood can be replaced. I've looked at from all different angles. Aside fr really tearing the door apart to install new wood or just buying a new door I only came up with one solution. Through-bolt and toggle bolt. The bottom screw on the outside door handle can be through bolted to the inside however the latch on the inside won't allow this for the top screw. In which case I inserted a toggle bolt to hold it in place. It still a bit loose but it's MUCH better than what it was. Unfortunately a new door lever isn't the solution. It's just a matter of coming up with a strong connection to the flimsy door. Good luck.

[Steven F]

I had similar problem this past year with 2002 Scamp 16. Turned out to be a broken return spring. Ordered new inside latch from Scamp, and that cured the problem.

[Stretcher]

Thanks for all of your feedback.

I tried the silicone spray, which greatly improved the ease of closing the door, but if anything, made the play in the handle greater. It also quieted the hinges.

The wooden block on the inside is still in good shape any all parts are snug to the door. I suspect a weakened or broken return spring may be the problem, so I'll try to get one from Scamp and have it sent as Bob suggested. We're not desperate at this point as it works and the door is snug.

David

[mary and bob]

Ask Scamp how they will send the part. They may want to ship it UPS rather than the Postal Service. It may have to go to a UPS store. I think UPS will also deliver to a Post Office.

[Borrego Dave]

In the small desert town I live in UPS about two years ago started leaving small items at our PO instead of coming to the house. Talking with the PO it's a win win.

[Jared J]

I had the inside of mine bend. I drilled it apart, straightened it, and welded it all solid, then welded the latch box back together. Works like a champ.

[David B.]

I didn't care for the original Scamp latch/lock, where one must insert a pin into a small hole to lock the door from the inside. I also had read about doors opening during transit, so my solution was to install a "paddle" style RV door handle with a built in deadbolt. Works like a charm and I feel is more pleasing to the eye.
Dave & Paula

[peterh]

We've had a couple problems with our door latch, too. The first was the door was too snug; we ficed that by putting a slightly thicker piece of plywood between the door and latch mechanism, going from a 1/4" thick piece of plywood to a 3/8" thick one.

The second problem we ran into may relate to your concern. Our door started opening in transit. A few uses of a bungie cord insurance policy later I dis-assembled the latch mechanism and found the little spring (you can see it in Jared's post, #12 above where he disassembled the latch) had broken 1/4 of the way down the spring, and wasn't exerting as much force as it used to, and, yes, the handle was kind wiggly. I probably could have sourced and ordered a replacement spring, but decided to replace the whole latch instead.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by David B.

I didn't care for the original Scamp latch/lock, where one must insert a pin into a small hole to lock the door from the inside. I also had read about doors opening during transit, so my solution was to install a "paddle" style RV door handle with a built in deadbolt. Works like a charm and I feel is more pleasing to the eye.
Dave & Paula

Looks good!
Could you share with us what make/model of latch yours is?