Hi, I was just wondering what parts need to be cleaned up and regreased to make a sliding door close easier? What greese would be recommended to use on it? Cheers
Well I am no expert mate ,thou I oil mine on the realisation grease traps grit (any moving part/part,runner.perhaps the nylon "runners" are worn too?
http://www.ratwell.com/technical/SlidingDoor.html This page has loads of info about the sliding door, including lubrication - hope it's of some help!
it doesn't need much lubrication, just make sure the track has no holes in it and that there's not loads of old grease with dirt stuck in it. Clean it all out, give it a thin wipe of grease and oil the bearing on the runner.
I think oiling a door that's hard to move and shut is just a temporary solution. anything that you grease will move more easily, but that doesn't solve the problem. I would take the door off... very thoroughly clean the bottom channel, there's bound to be all sorts of stuff in there. (old grease mixed with dust and mud = not good) adding new grease to that muck doesn't help much. Check the bottom roller and bearing, lots of buses had the bottom bearing replaced with an improvised part or missing. It's a special bearing with a rounded edge (not cheap) and it is secured by a "C" clip that tends to snap off due to rust, leaving previous owners with imaginative (or not) solutions for fixing it. Check the middle hinge, the nylon block tends to be broken or missing. the two hooks can also break, including the aluminum housing they are encased in. There's a spring that operates these hooks. is it working? (a dented or scratched pillar where the door shuts at the rear is a sign of the door hitting the pillar... this happens when those hooks don't work) The bearing on the middle hinge is usually ok, but check to see if it's moving freely anyway. clean it all from old grease and dirt. The top-most slider doesn't need a lot of grease, clean it and just lightly grease. White Lithium grease is good because it's waterproof and white... if you put graphite grease or engine oil on the middle slider, you'll get black streaks down the side panel when it rains, and it will quickly wash off and loose its effectiveness. It's an afternoon's job if you have no broken or missing parts. I can take the door off and on myself, but be very careful, if you drop it while it's still on one hinge, it can break easily, it's better to have someone help you hold it, it's heavier than it looks.
