'03 coleman Niagara door problems

[chinacat]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and to PU camping.  I have a 2003 Coleman Niagara that I bought used about 2 months ago and I am generally very happy with it.  So far the worst part is finding the time to take it out.

One problem I am having is with the door.  The clips that hold it to the top frame seem to pop off 37 times a day and I can't seem to make it stay. I come back from  outside and it is kind of hanging on by the velcro.   Also the &%#*@$* storm window thing keeps sliding down 38 times a day and I can't get it to stay up.  

Have others had to deal with this problem. Any tips?

[SpeakEasy]

If your door is designed the way I think it is, there are two "L"-shaped brackets that those top-of-the-door-frame clips latch onto. It sounds like there is a very loose fit between the door frame and those brackets. There should be no extra space between the sides of the door frame and those brackets when you put the door up.

You might be able to use a pair of pliers to bend the brackets closer to the door. However, they are made of very sturdy metal, and are hard to bend. There is a possibility that you would rip them off their attachment rather than accomplish your goal. Try this with a somewhat gentle approach.

If that doesn't work, another alternative might be to attach some shims to the sides of your door frame, up at the top where the door frame fits between the brackets. Depending on how professional you want it to look, you might use thin strips of aluminum that you attach with small sheet metal screws. Your goal is to make the door frame just wide enough to fill the space between those two brackets. Then when you lock those little levers down they'll more likely stay put.

Concerning the storm window - are the locks for that engaging in the notches in the track? If not, maybe a little WD-40 or other spray lubricant will solve the problem.

Putting on my detective hat I have to wonder why you are having these two particular problems. I wonder if they could be related. Is this the original door, as far as you know? Has it been bent or damaged in some way? Does it happen every time you camp - and are you careful to level the camper front to back? I'm just curious about the coincidence of two seemingly unrelated door problems happening at the same time.

-Speak

[dcampbell1969]

I had the same problem once with the panel.  It ended up that the panel was out of the track, it had forward from the track so the clips would not clip into place.  I just pulled the spring clips in and pushed the panel back in place.  No problems since.

[vjm1639]

We had the exact same issue with our 03 Coleman Mesa a couple of years ago. We took it to the dealer and he tightend up the cables and all of a sudden the problem was fixed forever. As for the storm door falling...put a little WD 40 on the little clippy things that hold it in place so that they slide back out toward the door frame easier...that should help. If they don't clip into the little slot that is cut for them they will fall.

[fourgonefishn]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and to PU camping.  I have a 2003 Coleman Niagara that I bought used about 2 months ago and I am generally very happy with it.  So far the worst part is finding the time to take it out.

One problem I am having is with the door.  The clips that hold it to the top frame seem to pop off 37 times a day and I can't seem to make it stay. I come back from  outside and it is kind of hanging on by the velcro.   Also the &%#*@$* storm window thing keeps sliding down 38 times a day and I can't get it to stay up.  

Have others had to deal with this problem. Any tips?

HAd same problem with our 02 Laramie, went back to dealer and they installed some larger wing turner thingys. If I'm right what you have is small like 1/2" turner thingys? metal?.....Go to local coleman fleetwood dealer and tell them whats going on and they should get you the right parts. As for the window drop: We still have it in our 06 Bayside just not as bad. When you pull the window up you almost have to insist that the little points go into where they belong. I think what happens is they are not held in there very well and have a tendency to twist.

[chinacat]

All of these are excellent ideas.  I will try lubricating the springs and checking the track of the storm window.  

I Think that the comment about the door clips being too small is the main problem.  They may also be installed 3/4 inch too high so they don't get a good bite on the door.  

I will check all of these when I get a chance to pop it up.  I love this forum . . . I post a question and get 4 responses in day one.  You guys are great!

[chinacat]

Thought I would post a follow-up to let anyone reading this know that I was able to fix my door!

After close inspection it appears that this was not the original door.  The previous owner must have replaced the door for some reason and got one that was about 2-3 inches taller than it should have been. It fit well but the clips that you rotate to hold the door closed missed the brackets and he had attached some  homemade extensions that were worthless.  

I went to Home Depot and got 2 slider locks (like a barrel bolt, only flat) like you might find on a bathroom stall door.  I attached these with pop rivets to the door so that they hit the original brackets correctly and . . . it is solid as a rock.  

Maybe now when my DD lets the door slam for the 37th time in any given camping day, the door at least will stay in place.  

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

PS.  I was able to get the storm window to stay up by just getting after it with a screwdriver and bending the catches a little.

Going camping this weekend. DS is turning 8 and wanted to go camping for his birthday.  All is groovy.