4081 Dutch Star wet bay door hinge issues

[Dave H]

Hoping you all can help with this. On our very first trip with our 2023 4081 Dutch Star we had an issue when opening the wet bay door to do our hook ups. The door fell about 4 inches and when we went to close the door it would not close. It would bind up about a foot before closing. I finally figured out that the top and bottom bushings came out of their openings. I don’t know what holds the bushings in place but every time I open the door the hinges fail and I have to have my wife hold the door so I can position the bushings to go back into their holes in the hinge in order to close the door again. This is a complete pain in the ass.
On a 700k motorhome this should not be the case. Embarrassing. Does anyone have a fix for this? Your help is very much appreciated.

 

[SteveMA]

There are retaining external snap rings that are supposed to be in the gloves in the "hinge pins" to keep the bearing surfaces in place. they sometimes come loose and drop down. Mine have not gotten lost but being out of the groove in the pin they do nothing. The mechanism is a little unusual with the swing out and drop down to clear the Full Wall Slide when the FWS is out but it is fairly clear once you look at it for a bit. I carry a set of snap ring pliers in my tool kit and a few spare snap rings, but really only had to redo this 2x and as long as the hinge pins and assembly is kept clean and lubricated I suspect it will not happen too often. (I do think both times I had issues the hinge pins were not clean and that caused the snap ring to pop out...). There is more info on IRV2 Newmar group with photos etc.

(This is all about Newmar doors, I think you may still have your old RV in your profile?)

https://www.harborfreight.com/snap-ring-pliers-with-interchangeable-heads-63845.html?event_id=183585&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21901739207&campaignid=21901739207&utm_content=173216762791&adsetid=173216762791&product=63845&store=32&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4cnkwEhIZqc9MVcWxpdawm6j&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvbm7BhC5ARIsAFjwNHudyrYe7ozTuLqd1oJfsmQJABNSVq4os0jZbsNoBNaH25UmlIymedQaAg-qEALw_wcB

 

[rvpacer]

Hoping you all can help with this. On our very first trip with our 2023 4081 Dutch Star we had an issue when opening the wet bay door to do our hook ups. The door fell about 4 inches and when we went to close the door it would not close. It would bind up about a foot before closing. I finally figured out that the top and bottom bushings came out of their openings. I don’t know what holds the bushings in place but every time I open the door the hinges fail and I have to have my wife hold the door so I can position the bushings to go back into their holes in the hinge in order to close the door again. This is a complete pain in the ass.
On a 700k motorhome this should not be the case. Embarrassing. Does anyone have a fix for this? Your help is very much appreciated.

It sounds like the bracket that holds the hinges might be installed upside down. It has a stop on it that controls the path and use of the hinge and bushings. Worth looking at?

 

[Dave H]

There are retaining external snap rings that are supposed to be in the gloves in the "hinge pins" to keep the bearing surfaces in place. they sometimes come loose and drop down. Mine have not gotten lost but being out of the groove in the pin they do nothing. The mechanism is a little unusual with the swing out and drop down to clear the Full Wall Slide when the FWS is out but it is fairly clear once you look at it for a bit. I carry a set of snap ring pliers in my tool kit and a few spare snap rings, but really only had to redo this 2x and as long as the hinge pins and assembly is kept clean and lubricated I suspect it will not happen too often. (I do think both times I had issues the hinge pins were not clean and that caused the snap ring to pop out...). There is more info on IRV2 Newmar group with photos etc.

(This is all about Newmar doors, I think you may still have your old RV in your profile?)

https://www.harborfreight.com/snap-ring-pliers-with-interchangeable-heads-63845.html?event_id=183585&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21901739207&campaignid=21901739207&utm_content=173216762791&adsetid=173216762791&product=63845&store=32&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4cnkwEhIZqc9MVcWxpdawm6j&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvbm7BhC5ARIsAFjwNHudyrYe7ozTuLqd1oJfsmQJABNSVq4os0jZbsNoBNaH25UmlIymedQaAg-qEALw_wcB

It sounds like the bracket that holds the hinges might be installed upside down. It has a stop on it that controls the path and use of the hinge and bushings. Worth looking at?

Steve,
Great information! I just ordered the pliers you recommended and will have a look see to try and figure this out. I very much appreciate your thoughts on this. Sounds like an easy problem to fix for Newmar but they haven’t. I wonder why.

 

[Dave H]

Thanks RV Pacer. I’ll look at that as well. Both of these responses seem applicable and probable.

 

[osuallen]

On my 22 DS 4369, the door on the wet bay is designed to drop to clear the slide. when you close it, a separate arm raises the door on the last several inches the door is open. I don't know if the 4081 floor plan has the same wet bay setup or not. If not and is just a normal swing open door, then it sounds like you have lost the lower snap rings on the hinge bushing. If you want to tackle it yourself, call Newmar parts for the correct snap rings. Not really difficult, but is a PITA to repair.

 

[Dave H]

On my 22 DS 4369, the door on the wet bay is designed to drop to clear the slide. when you close it, a separate arm raises the door on the last several inches the door is open. I don't know if the 4081 floor plan has the same wet bay setup or not. If not and is just a normal swing open door, then it sounds like you have lost the lower snap rings on the hinge bushing. If you want to tackle it yourself, call Newmar parts for the correct snap rings. Not really difficult, but is a PITA to repair.

Yep, the wet bay door is identical. It drops about 4 inches or so to clear the slide and when I open the door no matter how slowly I do it, the bushings come out of their holes and the door will not close afterwards. I can get the door about 75 percent of the way closed and then it binds. So I have to get my wife to balance the door so that I can line up the bushing to drop them inside their holes on both the top and bottom hinge and only then will the door close. The bushings are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches in diameter and about an inch or so long.
I will go ahead and order the parts and try this myself since my dealer is virtually useless. Many thanks!!!

 

[osuallen]

Yep, the wet bay door is identical. It drops about 4 inches or so to clear the slide and when I open the door no matter how slowly I do it, the bushings come out of their holes and the door will not close afterwards. I can get the door about 75 percent of the way closed and then it binds. So I have to get my wife to balance the door so that I can line up the bushing to drop them inside their holes on both the top and bottom hinge and only then will the door close. The bushings are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches in diameter and about an inch or so long.
I will go ahead and order the parts and try this myself since my dealer is virtually useless. Many thanks!!!

Having a helper is beneficial. I did one of my doors by myself and sure could have used an extra pair of hands at times. Good luck.

 

[Dave H]

Having a helper is beneficial. I did one of my doors by myself and sure could have used an extra pair of hands at times. Good luck.

Wow, I can’t imagine trying to hold the door in the exact right position and try to get both bushings inserted into their holes. Well done.

 

[osuallen]

Wow, I can’t imagine trying to hold the door in the exact right position and try to get both bushings inserted into their holes. Well done.

A video would have been amusing, except you would have to delete the sound track

 

[MarkMaxPayne]

Unfortunately, quite a common problem with our Newmars. Many posts on the forums about this, including one where someone 3D printed a hinge pin insert to help prevent.

I had the same problem with one of my new 2023 Newmar New Aire baggage doors. The diameter of the holes in the hinge are so large that they barely rest on top of the spring loaded retaining rings. Put enough down pressure on the door or hit a pothole just the right way and the retaining rings flex enough for the holes in the hinges to push down around and past them, dropping the door several inches. The rings don't even pop off or out of place, almost like a magic trick.

I ended up disassembling the hinges on that door and inserting washers with smaller diameter holes between the hinge bottom of the hole in the hing and the top of retaining rings. This creates a shelf of sorts for the hing to sit on as the washer sits on the ring. So far so good...

Best,
-Mark

 

[JRS]

I used a soft wire instead of waiting for a clip for our wet bay door. Like it so much, I'll continue using wire. It's in use for like a year now.

 

[Dave H]

A video would have been amusing, except you would have to delete the sound track

 

[Dave H]

Unfortunately, quite a common problem with our Newmars. Many posts on the forums about this, including one where someone 3D printed a hinge pin insert to help prevent.

I had the same problem with one of my new 2023 Newmar New Aire baggage doors. The diameter of the holes in the hinge are so large that they barely rest on top of the spring loaded retaining rings. Put enough down pressure on the door or hit a pothole just the right way and the retaining rings flex enough for the holes in the hinges to push down around and past them, dropping the door several inches. The rings don't even pop off or out of place, almost like a magic trick.

I ended up disassembling the hinges on that door and inserting washers with smaller diameter holes between the hinge bottom of the hole in the hing and the top of retaining rings. This creates a shelf of sorts for the hing to sit on as the washer sits on the ring. So far so good...

Best,
-Mark

What a great idea. Do you remember what size the washers are? Thanks for the information.

 

[Dave H]

I used a soft wire instead of waiting for a clip for our wet bay door. Like it so much, I'll continue using wire. It's in use for like a year now.

Brilliant!!!!

 

[MarkMaxPayne]

What a great idea. Do you remember what size the washers are? Thanks for the information.

Unfortunately, I don't as I hit the workshop and picked through a jar of "leftovers". It was a common size though as I recall. The washers that worked best had a hole slightly larger than the hinge pin grommet that the retaining ring (or twisted wire others have suggested) slots into. This way the diameter of the washer hole is too small for the ring to flex and squeeze through the hole. The overall diameter of the washer just needing to be larger than the hole in the door hinge as that then sits on top of the washer vs directly on the ring.

Best,
-Mark

 

[Dave H]

Unfortunately, I don't as I hit the workshop and picked through a jar of "leftovers". It was a common size though as I recall. The washers that worked best had a hole slightly larger than the hinge pin grommet that the retaining ring (or twisted wire others have suggested) slots into. This way the diameter of the washer hole is too small for the ring to flex and squeeze through the hole. The overall diameter of the washer just needing to be larger than the hole in the door hinge as that then sits on top of the washer vs directly on the ring.

Best,
-Mark

That makes sense. I’ll do the same. Appreciate the tip. Seems like a long lasting fix as well.

 

[MarkMaxPayne]

I used a soft wire instead of waiting for a clip for our wet bay door. Like it so much, I'll continue using wire. It's in use for like a year now.

Curious about the picture you included. I noticed that the hinge is sitting below the retaining ring (or in your case twisted wire) vs. resting up above/on it. Typically, the hinges rest on top of the ring (hence the issue with them dropping on their own as the ring pops out or the ring deforming just enough to pass through the hold in the hinge like a magic trick). The multiple slots in in the hinge pin grommet allows for incremental height adjustments to the hinge resting height. That said, on your rig, maybe being dropped all the way down is the best bay door alignment for you. On mine, most of my door hinges rest on top of the retaining rings.

Best,
-Mark

 

[JRS]

Curious about the picture you included. I noticed that the hinge is sitting below the retaining ring (or in your case twisted wire) vs. resting up above/on it. Typically, the hinges rest on top of the ring (hence the issue with them dropping on their own as the ring pops out or the ring deforming just enough to pass through the hold in the hinge like a magic trick). The multiple slots in in the hinge pin grommet allows for incremental height adjustments to the hinge resting height. That said, on your rig, maybe being dropped all the way down is the best bay door alignment for you. On mine, most of my door hinges rest on top of the retaining rings.

Best,
-Mark

All 3 of our wider bay doors on the full wall slide side (drivers side) are designed to drop down so it doesn't hit the slide out. The shorter doors open like normal. "Guides" on the wider doors actually makes for a smooth operation when opening or closing. Our full wall slide actually drops down when fully extended out and then lifts up when bringing it in.

 

[stubones99]

Hoping you all can help with this. On our very first trip with our 2023 4081 Dutch Star we had an issue when opening the wet bay door to do our hook ups. The door fell about 4 inches and when we went to close the door it would not close. It would bind up about a foot before closing. I finally figured out that the top and bottom bushings came out of their openings. I don’t know what holds the bushings in place but every time I open the door the hinges fail and I have to have my wife hold the door so I can position the bushings to go back into their holes in the hinge in order to close the door again. This is a complete pain in the ass.
On a 700k motorhome this should not be the case. Embarrassing. Does anyone have a fix for this? Your help is very much appreciated.

If you need a fix for your Newmar cargo door hinge problems, My solution is on Makerworld website at this address. Newmar coach (RV) cargo door spacers by stubones99
It's free, if you have a 3d printer, download the files and make as many as you need.

The hinge that newmar uses from the factory is not designed to carry side loads, which is what they make it do. It is designed as a linear slide on a smooth rod. So, by picking the wrong part and putting it in a situation it was not designed for, it often fails.

My design uses plastic to make a spacer and flange to carry the load of the door weight. PLA and PETG are great under pressure, and it won't rust or corrode... and it's cheap.

Just think, Newmar could invest $1500 in a printer and a $100 or so in filaments and not have to buy the wrong part to make their door hinges fail! GENIUS!