Sliding screen door sticking

Tommy

The sliding screen door in our 2016 Tab is getting stuck at the bottom and requires a careful two-handed operation to get it to open and close. We are considering using grease or oil or something else (baby powder?) in the track to ease it up. Has anyone had to do this on theirs and what did you use? 

Thanks in advance.
Tommy

Nomad

Hmmmm - Haven't had that problem. Have had minor sticking if the track's dirty. Clears up after I vac the track out.
Not sure I'd use a liquid lube - Would attract dirt.

jkjenn

I wonder if it is an alignment issue? You might be able to get the factory to email you installation instructions and you could check the alignment.

Tommy

@PXLated yes I was thinking the same thing about the wetness - will give it a good vacuum and see if it gets any better.

@jkjenn after seeing a multitude of other factory misalignments it wouldn't surprise me a bit - I'm not knocking T@b - we love it to death - but I could make a list of workmanship issues. Not nit-picky stuff - big stuff like the LP/Battery box was badly off center and crooked. I've already taken it off and fixed it and also fixed the position of the plastic battery box - they plunked it down right in the middle and badly crooked. The next thing I have to fix is the water pump hatch in the bathroom absolutely will not latch no matter how hard we press on it. It hinges at the top and latches at the bottom and with the rubber seals as fresh as they are the resting position of the hatch is 1.5 inches open - which causes the toilet lid and seat to not stay in the open position. It feels like we got the one from the very end of a production run when everyone was tired and rushing to get through with it haha. Anyway, joys of owning a trailer I guess.

Nomad

All the things associated with the Battery/Propane would be dealer error - They install all that.

Verna

I do not recommend this method for helping the sliding door slide ever so smooth......I spilled a cup or so of hot chicken stock on the door and track. It still slides easily 4 months later

Because it pretty much thoroughly soaked the track, I would bet that you have dust or sand that has accumulated in the track. I used folded paper towels and Q-tips to clean the track out (lots of sand and dirt after camping for 3 months in AZ). 

jkjenn

Tommy said:

  The next thing I have to fix is the water pump hatch in the bathroom absolutely will not latch no matter how hard we press on it. It hinges at the top and latches at the bottom and with the rubber seals as fresh as they are the resting position of the hatch is 1.5 inches open - which causes the toilet lid and seat to not stay in the open position.

I had the same issue. I had it fixed under warranty.

PXLated said:

All the things associated with the Battery/Propane would be dealer error - They install all that.

This is 100% correct. The propane box is shipped inside of the T@b and the dealer installs.

Tommy

@PXLated thanks for the insight, I didn't know that. I will scratch that one off the (long) list of assembly issues.


 jkjenn said:

I had the same issue. I had it fixed under warranty.

Good to know @jkjenn thanks. We bought a new/used unit without a warranty. Someone had bought it new and traded it back in apparently without using it. I took the entire hatch out this morning and have repaired it. Part of the problem was whoever installed it misaligned the metal tab that the latch clicks on to. It was installed about a half of an inch off center to the latch.

Verna said:

I do not recommend this method for helping the sliding door slide ever so smooth......I spilled a cup or so of hot chicken stock on the door and track. It still slides easily 4 months later

Because it pretty much thoroughly soaked the track, I would bet that you have dust or sand that has accumulated in the track. I used folded paper towels and Q-tips to clean the track out (lots of sand and dirt after camping for 3 months in AZ). 

Thank you @Verna we will definitely not "accidentally" spill soup on it  Ours has been very tight from the very first trip out - we tried vacuuming it just now and it didn't get any better. I can't see anything else that can be adjusted  so I tried gently prying the bottom track apart with a screwdriver - making more room for the door to slide in - and it seemed to help a little bit but not much. Maybe it will get better over time <shrug>

Nomad

Besides vacuming, You might want to see if you can get a rag with cleaner down in the groove. Might not just be loose stuff but crud stuck to the bottom.

Verna

PXLated said:

Besides vacuming, You might want to see if you can get a rag with cleaner down in the groove. Might not just be loose stuff but crud stuck to the bottom.

I agree with PXLated. So much crud and dirt came up with liquid cleaner that I knew that was part of the problem. Plus, the door became hard to slide right after a terrific wind and sand storm. Lots of sand got in so many places. 

Tommy

Thanks @Verna and everyone. We are talking about a brand new/used rig that had not been taken out before. It was spotless clean when we picked it up from the dealer and first time out we immediately noticed the door was bad which leads me to agree with earlier ideas that something is out of adjustment. I took off the top corner caps and looked at everything carefully but can't see anything that looks like it can be used as an adjustment. 

abenteurer

Our new T@B was delivered with the battery/propane box not bolted to the frame at all. The dealer was supposed to do this but all they did was sit it on the frame with no bolts. We discovered this about 900 miles from home when one side was touching the trailer and the other was about 10 inches away. Fixed it in the rain, sand, and mosquitoes with SS bolts/wingnuts/washers from a Home Depot. That local dealer no longer sells Little Guy products thank goodness but another, much better dealer has started and is doing well.

Mouseketab

There is a string in that track, if the string is impinged by one of the screws in the bottom track, it can cause problems. Take a flashlight and see if the string is free from the screws. When installing mine I accidentally got the string under one of the screw heads. You need to hold the string out of the way with a flathead screwdriver while installing the screws in the bottom track.

source3

Clean then apply silicon spray to track.  Re-apply silicon spray every few months.