Trouble Retracting Slideout, Driver-Side

[terps1coda@yahoo.com]

I have trouble bringing in the driver-side slideout. It sticks out and I need three men to help me to get it started. After it goes in about 8 inches, then it goes all the way in, but the other two slides move in and out very fast. Help!!!!!!!!!! I have replaced the batteries twice.

terps1coda@yahoo.com

Tim

[johntelling]

Tim,

I have a Fleetwood Excursion, and I had a problem with the largest slide being very slow to come back in. I took it to the dealer, who replaced the motor, saying that it was about to fail completely.

Are your slides electric or hydraulic? If electric, I would get the motors checked out. If hydraulic, you may have a low fluid level.

Unfortunately, the dealer I got mine from is out of business, so I hope I don't have any more problems!

JT

[garykd]

Hi Tim,

I agree with JT's post. In addition, recheck your coach batteries. The OP mentions you have replaced them twice. There is no mention of the time frame of the replacements or the reason, but 12 VDC is a suspect of interest.

[tbutler]

I would take this to a RV repair shop, preferably a dealer you trust. It sounds like an adjustment is in order. If your other slides operate quickly and this one sticks for the first 8 inches, it sounds like there is something that is rubbing or sticking when the slide first starts in. The fact that it moves in normally after the first eight inches suggests that the motor is working well. You haven't indicated what model and year motor home you have. Our large driver side slide out moves upward in the first few inches as it comes in. It is always slower for the first few inches as the slide is lifted before it starts its inward move. Our manufacturer suggests that we move the slides when the coach is plugged into shore power or with the generator running. If neither of these are possible they say the slides should be moved only with fully charged batteries.

[rstandley@aol.com]

On the Disco, the driver side slide fits flush to the floor when extended. The three men are getting it over the ramp to retract. There is a replacement motor with higher torque available. Unfortunately the original motors were marginal at best. All disco owners are in sympathy with you and would all say the replacement motor is worth the $.

[jr.alex50@gmail.com]

On the Disco, the driver side slide fits flush to the floor when extended. The three men are getting it over the ramp to retract. There is a replacement motor with higher torque available. Unfortunately the original motors were marginal at best. All disco owners are in sympathy with you and would all say the replacement motor is worth the $.

We have a similar problem but believe it is partially self-inflicted. Check how much "stuff" you carry in the basement compartments and interior drawers attached t the slide. All of that "stuff" must be lifted up the ramp with the slide and could significantly increase the force required.

[BlueBounder]

I have a Fleetwood Bounder 35 E with same problem.

Ancira in "Ft Worth" has ordered a "Lift Kit" from power gear.

If you have an Electric Slideout Fleetwood has a service bulletin SBA0267

that explains the lift kit.

[RichinBigRig]

I have a Monaco Camelot which has a balky roadside bedroom slide. I discovered that the gasket underneath was binding--it had come loose at a corner and was folded under the slide floor. Additionally, are you trying to operate the slide before or after getting the coach to "travel mode", meaning that you have raised the jacks? Every seminar I have attended says to always operate the slides at road level, which means to put them out before leveling the coach and bring them in after raising the jacks. This sets the coach "true" so the slides are not "torqued", which can cause binding and damage.

[mr.munro@juno.com]

I own a 2003 Damon Intruder.

My owner`s manual states that you should NOT operate the slides until the motor home is level to avoid binding and other damage to the slides.

Also, I found out the hard way that the drivers side slide has a motor control board that is riveted upside down in the motor compartment.

There is no cover or protection of any kind around this P/C board. This is a "through compartment".

Storiing fishing poles from the other side, the metal ends of the pole shorted the P/C board.

As always, this will happen when the slide is extended.

[NWJeeper]

I own a 2003 Damon Intruder.

My owner`s manual states that you should NOT operate the slides until the motor home is level to avoid binding and other damage to the slides.

Also, I found out the hard way that the drivers side slide has a motor control board that is riveted upside down in the motor compartment.

There is no cover or protection of any kind around this P/C board. This is a "through compartment".

Storiing fishing poles from the other side, the metal ends of the pole shorted the P/C board.

As always, this will happen when the slide is extended.

Ditto for Forest River's RVs. Level first, extend slides afterward. We have noticed that a ball catch on our bathroom door can be off just enough not to line up if the rig isn't leveled right showing that there is a bit of twist inherent throughout the rig if not leveled properly.

[speciald]

I have a Fleetwood Bounder 35 E with same problem.

Ancira in "Ft Worth" has ordered a "Lift Kit" from power gear.

If you have an Electric Slideout Fleetwood has a service bulletin SBA0267

that explains the lift kit.

I just bought a 2004 Bounder 35R. When I got it the drivers side slide went out and wouldn't go back in. The dealer said a "shear pin" was broken and the other one was coming loose. They replaced both and lubricated the slide. Now it's too cold to test it so I'll have to wait for spring weather. I hope all is ok as our first trip will be to Albuquerque for the FMCA convention.

[richanb]

I have been through balky slides as well. Bottom line - get it lubricated and inspected as suggested. Then, always have the coach level and the engine running before moving slides. Turns out mine were not getting enough juice. I now extend slides first thing when I park and retract last then when I am ready to leave. I have not had any further problems.

Nate Richards

04 CC Allure

I would take this to a RV repair shop, preferably a dealer you trust. It sounds like an adjustment is in order. If your other slides operate quickly and this one sticks for the first 8 inches, it sounds like there is something that is rubbing or sticking when the slide first starts in. The fact that it moves in normally after the first eight inches suggests that the motor is working well. You haven't indicated what model and year motor home you have. Our large driver side slide out moves upward in the first few inches as it comes in. It is always slower for the first few inches as the slide is lifted before it starts its inward move. Our manufacturer suggests that we move the slides when the coach is plugged into shore power or with the generator running. If neither of these are possible they say the slides should be moved only with fully charged batteries.

[NWJeeper]

Then, always have the coach level and the engine running before moving slides.

Nate Richards

04 CC Allure

The slides on some rigs (like Forest River) will not operate with the ignition or engine running. Safety issue. Other rigs are different.

[sghagedorn@wavecable.com]

A friend in our chapter had this same problem that he fought for several years. His slideout operated with an electric motor driving 2 parallel rack and pinion sets from a single shaft. I don't know a lot of the details, but it turned out that at the end of the stroke, the slide out dropped so that one of the rack and pinion sets changed center distance enough that the gear teeth disengaged. The retracting load would then fall on only one set of gears thus causing the slideout to skew and bind. The problem was solved by adding shims to prevent the change in center distance. If you have the same type of system, you might check the gear tooth engagements with the slideout fully extended. Good luck!

[MONTIE]

I had a 04 Expedition with a slide that sometime would not come in.

I started spraying them often with dry lube, it would good for another few trips, then would stick again. Spray again work again.

[riggarob]

I have a Fleetwood Bounder 35 E with same problem.

Ancira in "Ft Worth" has ordered a "Lift Kit" from power gear.

If you have an Electric Slideout Fleetwood has a service bulletin SBA0267

that explains the lift kit.

I know Monaco is different than Fleetwood. FW, ('08 Providence 40X, w/hyd Power Gear jacks) and this is right on my slide-out switch panel sez: "WARNING, engine must be running, and jacks down BEFORE extending slide-outs". As I see it, you should do as your Manf. sez. Robbie

[luckyboat]

I had similar problem and finally it took putting some silicon on the rubber the side of the slide. Haven't had a problem since.

[tajfish]

I had similar issues with my large slide. I even had it adjusted at a service center which seems to help some. But I still had the issue with the first returning of the large slide until it leveled and it came right in. I found this on our Discovery forum. Here is a closeup of the pins where they broke loose from the PCB. You can definatly see the 2 left pins are barely making contact and the others the soilder is cracked. Both boards had the same issue.

This would cause high amps on your motor if you have an electric slide, especially on that initial lift. The fix was easy as just cleaning the old soilder off and re soildering the connectings where the modular jack plugged into the board. Might be worth a check.

[greybeard101]

I have a Monaco Camelot which has a balky roadside bedroom slide. I discovered that the gasket underneath was binding--it had come loose at a corner and was folded under the slide floor. Additionally, are you trying to operate the slide before or after getting the coach to "travel mode", meaning that you have raised the jacks? Every seminar I have attended says to always operate the slides at road level, which means to put them out before leveling the coach and bring them in after raising the jacks. This sets the coach "true" so the slides are not "torqued", which can cause binding and damage.

FYI .......Our 2012 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 36SBT user manual says "CAUTION......The motorhome must be supported by the suspension whether extending or retracting any slide room. Do not operate the slide out room when supported by the hydraulic jacks. Damage to the slide out room, mechanism or seals can occur."

[andyshane]

Fleetwood and others are the opposite.

Having just worked on my own slides (Excursion) and on a Revolution I was looking at buying, I cannot help but wonder if cleaning and lubrication are more important than leveling.

Owners manuals often contain very specific information about the type of lubricant, so dirt isn't attracted to the mechanism. I'm a big fan of GOOP to clean such items: solvents and degreasers travel to other places, create quite a mess. We've started using the stuff on aircraft, rather than traditional non-water cleaners.

Something every one of us regardless of skills, tools or facilities can do: simply watch retraction and extension. Do both sides move and contact at the same moment? If you stop the slide during retraction, are both ends the same distance from the coach?

Yesterday, looking at a prospective purchase, I heard a distinctive <bang> during slide retraction. 'Turns out, the steel angle to which the bottom exterior trim strip was mounted had become loose and bent. The attaching screws were contacting the coach framework, the angle was swinging downward and shoving the trim no less than 1/8" away from the exterior wall, tearing caulk and setting the stage for eventual cracking of steel and possibly fiberglass. Ugly.

Too, things that bind will often be gouged, scratched, polished in some way.

If I have any doubt about a slideout, I can compare how it extends and retracts to the other slides. Look for a consensus.

As always, be safe and read manufacturers' instructions.

After all is lubricated, a cool trick: put corn starch into a small ziplock bag, toss it into a discarded sock. Knot the sock. Now, satisfy the Ted Bundy inside by stabbing the sock/bag with the tip of a knife, use the resulting powder puff to dust seals on the slides' exterior. Trust me, dusting the interior side of your slideout seals is not a good technique. Another ziplock bag is a perfect place to store this, your messiest of tools.

[wildebill308]

tim1peanut,raystandley,RamblinFever,BlueBounder,Munro,speciald,richanb,luckyboat,

welcome to the forum first time posters. This may be a record for first time post. I guess the problems with slides sparks lots of interest. Blue Bounder I looked at the service bulletin and my 2003 isn’t covered but thanks for posting it.What part of FW are you located?

On my 38N Bounder I always have the motor running or the generator or hooked up to shore power. I wouldn’t try to move them just on the batteries unless it was an emergency. I like to put pads under the jacks before extending the slides as I don’t have to crawl as far under the coach. I don’t extend the jacks until the slides are out.

I am a big believer in maintaining all the systems.

Bill

[wayne77590]

I wouldn't know where to start to answer becasue I don't know what year, make, model the OP has. I had a similar problem but I'll just keep this post short. Don't know.

[thmitch79]

2003 SouthWind 32v, large slide has issues coming back in. We were at a RV show in Syracuse earlier this month and talked to a Fleetwood Tech who was there for dealer's display.

HIS advice" DON"T LUBRICATE!" rack and pinion slides should be kept clean from all debris. He didn't say anything about batteries but we always move the slides with the engine running. Still in storage but we will heed his advice. Just my 2 cents worth.

[mcgsecrest]

Re: fully charged batteries... Please search Gary Bunzer the RV Doctor, navigate to Battery topics. First both house batteries should be replaced at the same time with exact matched batteries... I know it's expensive. Secondly I'll ask you to follow my direction in your mind... Either 2-12v or 4- 6v batteries are wired with jumpers. frequently, if you move the positive or neg cable to oposite ends from each other, both batteries are electrically forced to work equally and charge equally. DO NOT RECONFIGURE THE SERIES WIRING OR SERIES PARALLEL ! Draw it on paper, the way your wiring is now & consider Moving 1 pos or neg output. Check battery electrolite level frequently and carefully top w distilled water and a turkey baster (Dollar Store) Finally, YES I have better luck on shore power & Generator than Battery alone. Hope this helps. Gary

[myronlg]

Have 2003 Excursion and had same problem with slide on driver side. Replaced 20 amp circuit breaker for this slide with a 25 about year ago and have not had problem since.