# Hymer B544 - front passenger door - retaining strap



## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

Our 2002 B544 has a metal strap and hinge arrangement half way down the inside of the passenger door to hold it open and stop it opening too far.

The strap has just become detached from the hinge - hinge was almost seized so the little stainless steel machine screws have deformed and pulled out.

I have managed to fish the strap bit out of the inside of the door, and I am gradually freeing off the hinge.

I have found the two cheese head machine screws but not what they screwed into. They sit inside the hinge bit and pass through the metal strap so they must fix to something behind the metal strap.

Can someone please describe what they screw into, or post a picture?

I can't remember if there were little nuts there, or a metal plate.

Little nuts are good - I can probably get replacements from machine screw suppliers.

A metal plate means Hymer replacement parts.


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## dalspa (Jul 1, 2008)

Just had a look at mine (2007). The thick part (on the body part/front) with a hinge is fixed to the thinner strap part (fixed to the door) by two short bolts with locknuts behind. As such easy to get to and replace - if same as mine. In looking I have spotted that one of the bolts has dropped out so I, too, need to sort out - 5minute job. Thanks for giving me a reason to look.

DavidL


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## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

Thanks - all I need to do now is source the cheese head machine screws and matching lock nuts.

However the old shops which had everything under the sun have withered away (at least around here).


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## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

Bolts sourced from eBay and ready to fit.

There is one further question, though.

The hinge is remarkably stiff - which may well have contributed to the screws failing.
The door was certainly getting hard to open and close.

I have repeatedly squirted the hinge with WD40 and this seems to have freed it off a little, but when working the hinge using a set of grips for leverage there is "red stuff" coming out of the hinge. This isn't (as I first thought) rust but looks to be some king of red grease.

So I am now wondering if the hinge is meant to be stiff (to damp the movement of the quite heavy door) or if I have a problem that WD40 cannot solve.

I am very reluctant to remove the hinge assembly because (behind the plastic cover) there seems to be quite a lot of plywood and white mastic fitting the hinge assembly to the wall of the motor home just forward of the door opening. Not something to be trifled with.


Are all Hymer passenger doors stiff at the hinge by design?

Do they all leak "red stuff"?


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

LittleGreyCat said:


> Bolts sourced from eBay and ready to fit.
> 
> There is one further question, though.
> 
> ...


Mine aren't and don't but a photo might help to see if we are talking like for like.


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## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

Pictures here.

Hopefully you can see how the hinge fits into the main structure of the camper, and also the new nuts holding the strap to the hinge.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Mine is exactly the same, including rust, but not stiff in the slightest.


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

Mine have been riveted and from memory were stiff until connected together.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

There might be some friction in the strap hinge on mine but, maybe because of the weight of the door, it is not detectable when opening or shutting the door. The door swings freely.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Very Heath Robinson, but not as well engineered, it looks like something I'd bodge up, but I did think these were more an emergency door to comply with some regulations, rather than a main entry exit door.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

On the contrary they are a well engineered strap for a heavy door that contains an electric window and warning triangle etc. Although the door is on the passengers side on RHD vehicles it is on the drivers side for the majority LHD vans so will be designed to get a lot of use. As it also has a footwell I probably use it 75% of the time and, for parking, it nice to have the option to get out either side.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Thinking about it when I park at home I only ever use the front door to get in and out of the van and at least on a weekly basis. Do you think that lack of use your problem?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

BillCreer said:


> Thinking about it when I park at home I only ever use the front door to get in and out of the van and at least on a weekly basis. Do you think that lack of use your problem?


Could be, but if it is a main door, I'd have thought the hinges and check strap would be better engineered to cope with such use.


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## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

BillCreer said:


> Thinking about it when I park at home I only ever use the front door to get in and out of the van and at least on a weekly basis. Do you think that lack of use your problem?


That could be a contributory factor - we use the rear door and steps for home use, because we park the camper with the near side by a fence.

Not sure what Kev_n_Liz is on about. The Hymer in general is at a level of engineering above that of most other vans we have seen.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We'll have to agree to differ, but to me it looks like a normal hinge bolted to a bit of metal to increase it length at one side, IE a bodge, perhaps not done by Hymer though.


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> We'll have to agree to differ, but to me it looks like a normal hinge bolted to a bit of metal to increase it length at one side, IE a bodge, perhaps not done by Hymer though.


:laughing3::laughing3::laughing3::laughing3:


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