Best Way To Replace or Repair Locks

[Marylyn]

My second new old Sunny, the 2653 has some lock problems. The rear door won't open from outside and will not open from inside unless unlocked from outside (or something like that...it's at the RV place for other stuff since November so I've only visited it once). Also, the outside compartment lock keys don't all match or work (not sure).

My ideal would be to change all the locks so I only have to use two keys. I've found some door locks on ebay and elsewhere on line, but don't know how to go about getting the correct ones. I'm going to guess that all the flush rectangular locks are the same, the ones that have two locks with a deadbolt, right? So I was thinking I could buy any brand...my outside shower lock is different from the compartment and electric door lock, so I might think about those, but mostly I want to be able to use the actual door locks properly...

Any suggestions? Anything to stay away from? How hard will this be to do myself? Are these generally direct replacements?

Thanks in advance, the ice is finally melting and I want to get on the road!

[Sunline Fan]

Hi Marylyn,

Your outside compartment locks, assuming they haven't been changed by a previous owner, should all be the same 751.

Wrt the door latches, take out the four screws inside that hold it on, as well as the two on the side of the door. Pull it off and lube it. It doesn't matter what you use, but I'd recommend a spray lube like WD-40. It is best to lube after Step 4 when it's out of the door. It will penetrate the latch more this way. One of the first things I do to a new Sunny is take the door latches out to lube them, because I find the doors never slam shut if you push them when not lubed. They have to be shut by opening the latch. Otherwise, they'll bounce back and not move.

While you don't have to remove the compartment door latches, you will be surprised at how much easier they'll work if they get a few sprays too. You may also find the same key will work most, if not all locks. However, if you do upgrade locks, it is quite simple. One recommendation I have is if you do upgrade, upgrade to those special round key type locks. I hear these are a lot harder to pick / break into.

TO REMOVE A TRI-MARK RV DOOR LATCH:



Step 1: Remove 4 screws on inside of door:


Step 2: Slowly pull at the inside part of the latch to remove. Set on the side:



Step 3: Remove the 2 screws on the side of the door:



Step 4: Carefully pull out the latch assembly. It most likely will stick on the edge of the opening, so be careful not to crack the bubbled panel:



Here are some pics of what the latch looks like on the inside. It appears that the whole assembly is riveted together, so taking it apart wasn't an option for me:



Step 5: Reinstall the main part of the latch, from the outside:


Step 6: Reinstall the 2 screws on the side of the door. Make sure you take the shorter screws, not the longer ones:



Step 7: Reinstall the inside handle part of the latch. Make sure the flat spot on the red lock handle matches up with the flat spot on the lock post:


Step 8: Reinstall the 4 screws holding the inside part on:


Step 9: Check lock and latch mechanism to ensure proper performance:



Step 10: Check locksets with key to ensure key works well. If it doesn't, this is the time to refer back to step 1 and find out why it won't work:


Jon

[Torskdoc423]

Some RV shops will have the small compartment locks in bags of 1,2, or 4 locks (with keys, straight and curved cam arms) in different lengths ranging from 1/2" to 1-1/4". Take one of them and match up length. Just undo the large nut on the back completely, angling the nut off the cam arm (on back). Then remove lock from front. If you purchase 2 or more sets, make sure all the keys have the same # on them (like John said, CH751 is pretty much universally used on RV's......also on other stuff that uses this lock). See if you can get a different key # but make sure all the sets are the same. This will give you a bit more security for gear stowed in the compartments. I just did this for a horse trailer and it took longer to find tools than to change them (I was at a friends in Az and didn't have my tools with me). She can now stow her saddles without having 95% of trailer owners gain access due to same locks.



Larry