middle sliding door track is grinding

[pjstock]

greetings all!
it's been awhile since I pestered the Forum (did you miss me?)

even though (with your help) I managed to get all the systems working correct, we didn't manage to venture very far from home this summer - several circumstances conspired against travel. (among them though, the fact that all the camp grounds in Canada were fully booked all summer, as Canadians are staying home and not visiting the USA. Plus, half of western Canada seemed to be on fire all summer.)

I do have another maintenance question.
My middle sliding door track is grinding at the last phase of closing. .
I understand this likely has to do with debris in the track and lack of lubrication. But I was looking for people's past experiences.

I expect this is a common issue that has been addressed here. But when I search "sliding door track grinding" or "sliding door lubrication" I find 0 posts.

am I missing something?

Peter
in Canada

[Roadrunner]

Moin Peter, look for "Schiebetür Sprinter einstellen " at youtube "

Lutz from Schaumburg

[Never ending project]

Hallo Peter,
es könnte auch sein, daß die Laufrollen der Schiebetür, die ja aus Kunststoff sind, verschlissen sind, mittlerweile im Durchmesser verringert sind und daher der Träger an der Laufschiene schleift. Für den T1N müßte es die Rollen als Ersatzteil wahrscheinlich noch relativ günstig bei der Sternwarte geben..... Viel Erfolg bei der Fehlersuche

und Gruß aus Braunschweig vom Arnd

[pjstock]

Looking at it more closely this morning, I expect that you are correct - that the small upper rollers are worn and so have a reduced diameter and so are not holding the bracket away from the inside face of the track they way they should

can someone advise how I remove that bracket (with the rollers) so I can inspect, repair or replace?

is there just the one bolt.?
and then I would release the back end of the track and slide the loose bracket out?

[pjstock]

easy to remove.
this video gave me confidence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wwfccNKy1g

one small roller does have a lot of side to side play in it. that probably isn't "normal"
but the rollers do not look Replaceable.

so I. will order a whole new bracket
(though I am not sure it will be as easy to reinstall)

[pjstock]

I have I think pinpointed the "problem" with my grinding sound when my middle door slider gets to the last 6 inches.
it appears the small upper rollers are worn to the point where the do not hold the big roller away from the inside face of the middle track.

so.....i've ordered a replacement middle slider

But.... as is often the case, it was easier to remove that worn slider than it is proving to reinstall.
the middle one is really hard to position to resecure the fixing bolt. REALLY Hard.

have you done it? what are the steps?

I am thinking it might be easiest to:
1. remove the entire door (detach the upper and lower sliders)
2. install the middle slider (while the door is removed)
3. with help, slide the middle slider into it's track
4. then position the door (with some physical support - a stand - from below)
5. reattach the upper and lower sliders

does that sound right?

I cant easily imagine reinstalling the middle slider while the upper and lower sliders are attached.

thoughts?

[pjstock]

for what it's worth, after an hour of fiddling I found that it IS Possible to renistall the middle slider while the sliding door is still attached top and bottom.

It's fiddly as anything. to do it without removing everything, the door has to be "almost" closed (but not latched closed).

I then had to fish for the bolt hole with a screwdriver and pull it into position.

I then had to VERY gently start threading the bolt in (if you push to hard you just push the plate away and lose it)

however, I don't think I got the positioning tab into it's slot (and so the read of the door is hanging a bit low)

I will now remove the interior panel so I can see that tab and ensure it is in it's slot.

Update. that tab was basically in the correct place (or it is now.) I could only see it when I removed the inner door panel.
but the whole door is out of alignment and will not close cleanly.
but I expect that is because I reinstalled the bad middle slider (while awaiting the replacement)
and I'll bet that middle slider is messed up enough that it is throwing everything off kilter.
Once I have the new part, and installed, adjusting the door alignment seems reasonably straightforward. All the various clips and wedges and latches can be loosened and adjusted as needed. It'll just be fiddly.