jjasiole

Hi OSO Members,

I have a 2008 Fountain with the sliding door which is exhibiting two issues:

1) very hard to slide open / closed - I think this has to do with the tracks obviously but unsure of the proper fix
2) when shut and running, it is very noisy (rattles) - perhaps again having to do with the sliders or the plastic mounts on the frame being worn?

Has anyone had any success fixing their own, and if so - what did you fix?

Thank you kindly for your reply,

Jeremy

Mseuro

I'm having the same issue with mine. I had the tracks cleaned and used thick grease in the tracks and that seemed to fix it.

Kelly O

Make sure screws are tight holding track to door and track to boat. Blue Loctite helps.

Any grease seems to thicken over time and makes clearances too tight to slide easily. Use solvent to remove all grease, it will slide much easier.

Vibration rattles can be solved making some silicon isolators on the door edge where it meets the cabin side. Apply tape to boat surface then a few beads of silicone to door edge. Close door to cure silicone to proper thickness then remove tape after curing.

ALL_IN!

iTrader: (1)

There is an assist ram in there, that I believe has an adjustment (valves?). I've not made any attempt to adjust mine yet. It's difficult to open, but doesn't seem to rattle.

mike38scarab

iTrader: (1)

1) On the top track there are a couple of bushings that slide on the track. One of them is hidden under the top of the dash that it slides into. Check that bushing. You may find that the screws holding it have backed out, or are missing. This will cause the door to be hard to move because it is only riding on a single bushing. You have to access the bushings from under the dash, or through the access cover on the bulkhead inside the head.

DO NOT use grease to lube these up; all you will do is create a mess and attract dust, dirt, etc. which will wear down the rod and bushing causing more troubles that may require full replacement of those parts.

The bushings are made from plastic that is used in the food manufacturing industry. If you want to lube it you can use a liquid silicon product to wipe down the rod.

2) If you run with the door closed you will eventually rip out the small latch attached to the port side bulkhead. These break often and need to be replaced with longer screws to get a good grip. The door will still bounce around while running. A better solution is to mount a bracket on the floor that holds the door open while running. There is one out there that just flips over the track and keeps the door from closing.

For parts check fpmarine.com or westmarine.com.

The latch parts are made by Southco marine.

jjasiole

Thanks everyone for all the help. This gives me some good insight and I'll get moving on it!

Jeremy

adamseraphine

Mike is correct. I had to pull my helm and take the tracks apart. My door was doing the same thing and the screws that held the bushings in had broken and were causing the door to rattle around and become stuck when trying to open/close it. Also, my track had warped over time and had to be straightened out.

MN35LIGHTNING

I've noticed a lot depends on how you grab the handle to open/close the door. I find that if I lift up ever so lightly when going either direction it's butter smooth. I always grab the door handle by the bottom of the vertical tube, not the curved part.

VoodooRob

^^ This. Same exact thing on ours.