Hab door hinges

Nabsim

Nabsim

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Can anyone explain in simple terms, or point me to a dummies guide, how to adjust habitation door hinges?

Mine has developed a squeal that I think is being caused at least partly by the hinges fighting each other. The door is a little of square in the frame when shut as if the bottom is too far over away from the hinge
 
mariesnowgoose said:
WD40? 😜 😂

I know, I know, it's not that simple... 🤷‍♀️ :cool:
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I have tried about every type of stuff Marie, my hinges don’t have the nylon insert so started with mineral oil, then silicone, then ptfe, then wd40 and can’t remember what else. Only thing I haven’t tried it lock graphite, may lift caps and drop some in but unlikely it will do it I think.

This is why I am not starting to think it make be because it’s out of adjustment but that may be a red herring
 
I guess a question is does it make the noise when you are using the door - in which case probably hinges; Or is it when driving or moving around the motorhome when the door is closed - in which case rubbing between door and frame.
If the latter, put some masking tape around the edge of the door and then after a time see where there are rub marks?

One thing to watch maybe .... your van is a similar age to mine I think? I adjusted my door strikers a few days ago as it happens. They were very tight and one of the three bolts I adjusted now has a bit of a mangled head as it was so tight an took so much force to move, so be prepared to replace some bolts after adjusting them.
 
My door is a bit different to most I think. It has an aluminium framed fly screen that can open and shut with the door or you can open the door and leave the fly screen shut.

It’s the fly screen making the noise. While the door itself has 3 hinges, the screen only attaches to an extra plate on top and bottom hinges.

Can never understand why they insist on using ali hinges with steel pins
 
Looking at my autosleeper , answer is no ,damp or warping ?, Looks like door and frame comes as pre assembled unit , just some adjustment on latch strikers
 
Are the hinge holes slotted? If so I would remove the middle hinge or just slacken off then adjust the top and bottom to get the door square within the frame again. Then retighten or replace the centre hinge.
 
Nabsim said:
My door is a bit different to most I think. It has an aluminium framed fly screen that can open and shut with the door or you can open the door and leave the fly screen shut.

It’s the fly screen making the noise. While the door itself has 3 hinges, the screen only attaches to an extra plate on top and bottom hinges.

Can never understand why they insist on using ali hinges with steel pins
Click to expand...
I had exactly the same arrangement on my previous Autosleeper Mirage, with the same issues.

Tried all sorts of lubrication but in the end removed each hinge in turn, drove out the pins and cleaned up with a Dremel.

No problems then in the following 3 years until I sold it.

Definitely an issue with steel pins in the Ali hinges.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Found a picture of the door as attached. Guessing this is similar to yours? Screenshot_20231029-073027.png
 
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Nabsim said:
Can anyone explain in simple terms, or point me to a dummies guide, how to adjust habitation door hinges?

Mine has developed a squeal that I think is being caused at least partly by the hinges fighting each other. The door is a little of square in the frame when shut as if the bottom is too far over away from the hinge
Click to expand...
It's probably that mixture of ali and steel that's the issue and causing the pivot to get so tight that the actual hinge then bends out of shape or distort the fixing point. How or why ali and steel manage to seize while being constantly used I cant understand but they do, I had the same issue on my omnistep motor bearing, no matter how much or type of lubricant I tried it wouldn't free up and simply had to coax the moving parts apart (a bit of heat helped), clean the crud off and then re-lubricate. It now it works a treat but I guess it'll only last a few years.
 
clarkpeacock said:
I had exactly the same arrangement on my previous Autosleeper Mirage, with the same issues.

Tried all sorts of lubrication but in the end removed each hinge in turn, drove out the pins and cleaned up with a Dremel.

No problems then in the following 3 years until I sold it.

Definitely an issue with steel pins in the Ali hinges.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Found a picture of the door as attached. Guessing this is similar to yours?View attachment 124433
Click to expand...
While it is different to you pic the idea is exactly the same. Looks like I will have to take each hing off in turn and fettle them up. Did it need the pins driving out as one part will be fixed in one part of the hinge won’t it, (one fixed and the other free)?

There are no slots in the hinges so no visible adjustment, hence my posting. When I have removed a hinge I will see if there is up and down movement for future reference but that isn’t my problem at the moment.
 
Nabsim said:
Did it need the pins driving out as one part will be fixed in one part of the hinge won’t it, (one fixed and the other free)?
Click to expand...
Exactly that. Once the hinge was off and in a vice, the pin drove out fairly easily with a punch and light hammer. (lump hammer not required 😁) You might get away with it in situ, but I was worried about damaging the frame. Combination of screws and drilling out some pop rivets to remove.

The Ali hinge was quite 'crusty', which was causing it to bind and twist as Merl suggests above, but a Dremel soon sorted it.
 
Just as an additional bit of info.I've got 3 hinges.Removing the bottom hinge one can then lift the door off completely,with a bit of back and forth swivelling .I used a strip of emery on the pins and some lubricant and thin rag poked down the pinholes.Moves freely now.
 
My van hinges were causing a real problem. Even on a hill in the wind, our door stayed put wherever I put it. Same with locker hinges. So I sprayed them with GT85. The results were almost instant, after moving the hinges a few times. I now spray them once a month to keep them mobile.
 
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