Date:         Sun, 1 Oct 2000 19:14:15 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Sliding door supposed to stay open?
Comments: To: ingalls_mark@hotmail.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 10/1/2000 2:38:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
ingalls_mark@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

> If I'm parked on a slight incline and open my sliding door is it supposed to
>  latch into a detent somewhere and stay open?
>

Yes but you have to park with the front of the bus facing up the hill :)

Ok truthfully, my 83.5 has a simple spring-loaded hook that holds the door
open. The hook is located about midway up on the door about an inch or three
above the inside door handle (or handles).  The hook is in the door jam
however, not on the door--mounted at the "C" pillar on the outside of the
bus--but hidden from view unless the door is open. This hook, when the door
is all the way open, latches to a catch on the front inside of the door. The
visual here is a little complicated using words, but remember with the door
sliding back the front of the door becomes about flush with the rear side of
the door opening-- or to say it another way, flush with the C pillar.

Anyway on the inside of the front of the door, again about an inch or three
above the handle there is a cigarette pack sized plastic rectangle that clips
over the interior door panel and that has the reciever latch for that hook in
the back. That rectangle, when the door is slid open, slides back to the C
pillar and the latch then gets clipped by the hook and that keeps the door
open.

On mine the spring is weak so the spring sometimes pops off. You've just
reminded me to replace it once and for all. While I have been able find the
spring each time it comes off, perhaps the previous owner of your bus was not
so lucky. Without the spring to force the hook onto the latch the hook will
not catch and therefore the door will not stay open.

If all is working properly you have to disengage the hook to close the door
which is done by pushing the inside door handle forward, or pushing the
outside door handle down. This releases the hook by moving the latch clear of
its grasp.

Depending on what year you have the set up may be different. But that's how
it works on my 83.5.

My guess is you can get the spring at the VW dealer fairly cheap in the
scheme of things. If you can see the spring installed on another bus you will
see it's pretty easy to install--it just snaps into place. But to explain it
here might be near impossible.

Having said all that, you could have a problem with the latch and not the
missing spring. But it's a place to start.

Good luck
Jeff
83.5 Westy
NV