Sliding window handle falling off

[JohnnyChaps]

Hi All,

We have a 2015 Thor Chateau 30' on our second x-country trip currently in Branson, MO on our way to Vancouver through San Diego. We have 2 large sliding windows in the living room by the dinette and above the couch. The sliders have a metal handle that is continually coming off when the kids are sliding them open. Looks like they are just attached with friction using a rubber seal. I am extremely nervous about putting too much pressure on the window by forcing the metal handles back on. A cracked or broken window would be disastrous as we continue the trip.

Any thoughts or recommendations to put those handles back on and keeping them on? The handles have little plastic levers for locking the windows closed, and they are crucial to keep the wind noise and rattling to a minimum when at highway speeds. I think I added a picture to the thread.

thanks, john

[Mr Sunshine]

Sorry you're not getting a response. I would try some RTV silicone and if that failed, move on to some more heavy duty glue. My bet is that the RTV will fix it.

[Steveaws]

I just had this problem. To get the rubber seal and the lock/handle back on I used two methods. First, I tried using a wooden block between the glass and the window frame. The rubber seal goes on easy. To get the lock/handle on I got a rubber mallet and a small block of wood. Start tapping at one end and work your way to the other. This is tedious because one end comes out as you are getting the other in place. With patience and a little water to lubricate it I was able to get all the way on. The second way I used was with some wood clamps that can span the whole width of the glass. I used a towel to pad the glass on the back side. The clamp tends to angle the lock/handle off square. I use a 4” crescent wrench to wiggle the channel back to square. I suppose you could just use your fingers to do this as well. All this said the lock/handle kept coming off so I called Thor and they said I could use a little glue on the lock/handle and the rubber seal. They recommended Shoo Glue, but I could not find that name. I am going to use Gorilla Glue because it has a 2 hour set time. With all the practice I can get the lock/handle back on in 10 minutes. Be stingy with the Gorilla Glue because it will expand 3 – 4 times in volume. Hope that helps!

[Ford1]

I had the same problem on a previous coach. After extracting the rubber seal from slide bracket, i cleaned the original glue as much as possible. I then cleaned both surfaces, the metal bracket and glass with alcohol. I then used 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive very sparingly and re-assembled the two components while the adhesive was tacky. I kept that coach for two years after the fix and it never came off again.