Door striker wear?

[jspringator]

The entry door on my 2002 Winnebago Sightseer is making some noise when traveling down the interstate at 65 mph.  I'm gradually fixing the squeaks and rattles on this thing and the door noise is the next big one. I'm guessing the groove in the striker is caused by wear.  If I use JB weld to fill the groove, I'm guessing my noise will go away.  I wanted to check with the experts before I filed it in.


Untitled by jspringator, on Flickr

[CapnDirk]

No need to.  It's likely just like a cars and they are somewhat floating.  If you loosen it up you should be able to rotate and adjust as needed.

[jspringator]

But is the groove from wear or is it supposed to be like that?

[TerryH]

Generally the strike does not have a groove. It would - generally - serve no purpose. However from your photo it appears to belong. If it were caused by wear I suspect your latch would have worn out first.
However, the strike is adjustable to either pull the door in or allow it less contact.
Take a 'sharpy' and mark around the washer at the door frame as a reference point. Loosen the strike and you will see it is eccentric. Move the strike in the desired direction and tighten well. If the groove is required you will be able to tighten the strike so that the groove remains in the correct orientation.

[jspringator]

Thanks.  I'm in Florida for a Bowl Game.  I'll give it a try when I'm home.  If I screwed it up and couldn't get the door to shut I couldn't drive home!  I thought Capn' was saying to rotate the strike by tightening it so the groove would be in a different place.  I tried to tighten it and it wouldn't budge.  It may loosen though. 

Looking at the photo there appears to be a yellow paint alignment mark at the bottom.  It may be from initial assembly, or it could have been adjusted before. 

I've had kind of a rough start with this thing.  Although there is no delam or staining, it leaked like a sieve on the first trip.  A roll and 1/2 of Eternabond fixed that. It took a while (and lots of parts) to get the handling straightened out.  I think I bought and installed every internet handling add on that would fit!  After the last directional adjustment of the Steer Safe, I think I have it.  I can steer it with one hand. I pulled up the blinds, put towels over the stove, and tightened my new articulating TV mount and it made a huge noise difference.  I guess it made the door noise stand out.

Next is removal and painting of the stripes, then a good buff out.

[TerryH]

In order to shift the strike for adjustment you have to loosen it. Orientation and alignment marks are very important. As is adequate tightening when adjustment is satisfactory to you.

[CapnDirk]

You are correct almost  .  They are usually 2-3 pieces.  Bolt, sleeve, washer.  Or bolt washer.  Almost always the hole it passes through and the threaded washer on the inside of the door frame are floating to allow some up and down in and out movement to get the door fit correct.


If you loosen the bolt with a wrench you will be able to adjust.  Use the suggestion of marking the perimeter to know where to go back to if needed.  If it is the two piece type (bolt and washer)  get a thin fender washer or two from the hardware store and place them under the big washer.  This will cause the bolt to lock down in a different position moving your wear spot. 


Important!  close the door gently the first time to verify the added length did not cause the assembly to be too long and it still goes into the pocket on the door itself.


Generally I adjust sitting inside so the bolt goes right into the middle of the door latch then bring it in about an 1/8 inch (toward the steps) to provide a snug fit to the door seal.  How is your door seal?

[jspringator]

I ended up tightening it one full turn, and the noise stopped!  Looks like the latch is starting to wear the new spot on the striker, but I still have a few good miles left.