We bought used 2010 Forest River Wildwood several years ago and absolutely enjoy it. My biggest complaint so far is that the entry-door locks are very difficult to use — the tumblers on the front and rear doors are difficult to lock and unlock because of the quality of the lock itself. The baggage door locks are not much better. In fact, there were a couple of times when I thought I was going to need a pry bar to get into the main baggage door. Who makes a good lock and where can I pick up the two locks and the baggage door locks? — Jeff Heale

Jeff, I feel your pain. There’s nothing worse than being out on a camping trip and getting the feeling that you’re going to get locked out. There are several decent RV entry-door locks out there that will match yours. Bauer (bauerproducts.com) makes a high-quality replacement lock for your trailer, as does Creative Products Group (rvlocksandmore.com).

If you would like a lock with a keypad, the aforementioned companies, as well as RV Lock (rvlock.com), make excellent replacements. The keypad is rather handy if you want to go for a hike down the beach, for example, and not worry about losing your keys in the sand. If you need replacement baggage door locks, go to Industrial Lock & Hardware Inc. (shoprvlocks.com). It offers a lot of quality baggage door locks and they have a wonderful chart that allows you to measure and order the correct parts. Slam latch compartment door locks are also available through Creative Products Group. These locksets can be obtained online or at most RV supply stores.

By the way: for a great step-by-step look at what it takes to replace a stock entry-door lockset with a keyless lockset, see “Locked When Loaded” in the October 2021 issue of RV Enthusiast. The article also details the installation of new paddle locks on storage compartments.

My 2006 Winnebago Journey has had a perpetual leak in the front cabinet over the driver’s head for a couple of years. Fortunately, I store the motorhome indoors — but when I’m outdoors it does leak and I’m worried about developing wood rot and other damaging situations. I’ve resealed around the air horns, where the front cap meets the fiberglass roof and every other little spot that I could find, to no avail. I’m starting to get a little bit frustrated and want to avoid expensive and time-consuming repairs. — Brian George

Brian, this is a common problem with a number of Winnebago motorhomes of that vintage. The caulking used to seal the front cap seems to dry out and turn chalky. I’m not sure exactly what the material used was, but you’re not alone. You wouldn’t think there’d be any flexing up on that front cap, but there is. You need to reseal the area with a flexible caulking, like Proflex, that can withstand the constant movement caused by less-than-smooth roadways. As always, preparation is the key to success. Make sure the old caulking is removed and the area cleaned thoroughly before laying down new sealant.

Another spot that you might look at is the section of the end cap that curves over the top and part way down the side of the motorhome. Some Winnebago coaches did not have any caulking in that area. During your inspection, take a look also at the area where the fiberglass roof curves over the motorhome and is inserted into a drip rail. The calking there can appear to be in good shape when in fact it has come loose. One thing you might think about is using EternaBond tape where the front cap meets the fiberglass roof; it’s a little more effective than caulking when it’s applied properly.

I’ve just started experiencing problems with my Norcold model 1210 RV refrigerator. No matter where I set the temperature it freezes everything in the refrigerator — including the milk and lettuce. I have looked online for some solutions and my best guess is maybe it’s the circuit board. Any suggestions? — Dennis Smith

I field a number of questions from owners of LP-gas/120-volt AC Norcold refrigerators who have been experiencing the same problem. The first step is to check the thermistor. Disconnect the thermistor — located under a white cover inside at the back of the refrigerator compartment — from the plug and connect the wires to a high-quality ohmmeter. Insert the end of the thermistor into ice water (ideally, 32 to 38 degrees). The ohmmeter should read in the vicinity of 30 ohms.

Remove the thermistor from the water and wrap the end with your hand, holding it tightly for a few minutes to warm it to about 80 degrees. The reading on the ohmmeter for this should be somewhere around 8 to 10 ohms. If the thermistor passes these tests, check the wiring harness from the thermistor to the control board. If you have continuity and you believe that the wiring harness is in good condition, the problem may be in the control board. There’s no way to test it at this point; however, it is not common for this control board to fail. The Norcold part number for the thermistor is 640149.

I know exactly what you’re talking about. This has been a very common problem for many years. Dometic offered a resistor that could be installed on the eyebrow board to help alleviate this problem. Unfortunately, it really didn’t work as the company claimed.

Here’s a better option: Dinosaur Electronics (dinosaurelectronics.com) offers a thermistor adjuster for fixed-temperature refrigerators. It’s designed to go in series with the thermistor and allows you to adjust the temperature up and down. Just make sure you actually have a fixed-temperature refrigerator since this product will not work with the Dometic refrigerators that have an adjustable thermostat.

If you install this device and still have a problem then you will want to test your thermistor (see “Refrigerator Freezes All the Food” above).