Door slide won't retract

[PJS010LGC]

It seems to me that our new 2010 Landmark has had an issue with the door slide every time we've tried to retract it since we got it early summer last year.

There were no problems extending any of the 3 slides and the bedroom and off door slide retracted no problems. The door slide would grunt each time, just move slightly and then stall. After multiple attempts at closing, reopening, budging a bit at a time, it would finally retract and once the retracting began, it would completely retract.

What's going on here. At first, I was worried that I wasn't extending/retracting in the right sequence. I've read multiple posts about slides but I believe that my problem is unique to the one slide and not a problem with hydraulic pump or inadequate battery. Is here an adjustment issue or there an issue with the rollers not being able to climb a ramp?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards, John

 

[danemayer]

Hi John,

Sounds like maybe there's a bind that's tripping the 12V mini-circuit breaker when you try to retract that slide. Have you ever lubricated the moving parts underneath?

 

[PJS010LGC]

Dan,

The part that's confusing me is that the the slide eventually moves in. I hear the grunting as an attempt is made to retract but, unless the breaker is auto resetting, I don't think its the circuit breaker getting tripped. I haven't had a chance to lubricate anything yet so that will be on my list when we get the unit out of storage at the end of the month.

My bigger concern is what to do the first time it just will not retract.

Regards, John

 

[danemayer]

When there's a bind, the pump motor draws more amperage to try to overcome the physical resistance to the slide moving. As amperage goes up, the 12V mini-circuit breaker will trip, and after a few seconds will auto reset so the motor can start working again.

It also can be a weak breaker, where the problem shows up on the slide that puts the heaviest load on the pump motor. You should be able to find a 50 amp auto-reset 12V DC breaker at most auto parts or marine parts stores. Look for one with the same form factor so it'll fit. Takes only a few minutes to change it out and they cost around $10. While working on it, turn off the Power Converter's circuit breaker, and the battery cutoff so there's no voltage on the 12V buss bar.

 

[PJS010LGC]

Dan,

How quick do these mini breakers reset, because I don't recall a dead spot while I was playing with the slide.

Where are these mini breakers located?

As well, I need to find out what is binding or making it tougher to begin moving in. For the off door slide I can see the front rollers that the slide rides on and the bedroom slide might be the same but I don't recall if the door slide drops slightly into place when the slide reaches full retraction. If there is a lead-in ramp, this may be where the problem lies. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any slight twist/rocking as the slide reaches full retraction other than the possibility of a slight drop as end of travel is reached.

Regards, John

 

[danemayer]

Hi John,

Our doorside slide drops into position as it reaches full extension, so there is probably a greater load when it gets started retracting. But I wouldn't call that a bind.

The 12V mini-circuit breakers are near the battery and are often covered with red rubber boots. I've attached a couple of pictures. Your buss bar arrangement of breakers may differ.

The breaker for the hydraulic pump should be an auto-reset. When it trips, it may take a few seconds to reset. Most people instinctively let go of the button when the slide stops. By the time they try it again, the breaker has often reset.

There's a little more information and some drawings in our owner-written 12V Block Diagram and Diagnostic Guide.

Also take a look under the slide. As the hydraulic ram pushes or pulls, there's a rack and pinion gear system that keeps the sides of the slide moving at the same rate. If there's dirt in those gears, that could cause a problem. Also, loose or bent parts could allow the slide to move unevenly causing extra load.

 

[farside291]

If the slide moves both sides together intermittently without any popping noises it sounds to me like it could be a problem with the ram itself. My kitchen slide would move the front of the slide where the ram is first without moving the rest of the slide then would pop loudly and try to move the other end of the slide causing the slide to retract unevenly. Turned out to be broken teeth on the rack and pinion gears. I could not get the slide to fully retract on both ends. If it happens that you can't get the slide to retract, what I did was go outside while the wife pressed the button to retract and pushed on the end of the slide that wasn't retracting. In your case, push in the middle of the slide to give it a little help. It took 3 or 4 times of extending and retracting because of the broken teeth before I was able to get the slide all the way retracted. The slide is very heavy and took some serious pushing. Just a thought, if this were a breaker tripping would there not be a longer delay between working and not working?

 

[Rcnewell11]

Dan my ashland is doing the popping and cracking noise again on my ashland .i wonder if I need more adjustment up or down .the gear is broke again for the third time.is there more adjustment in the rollers also or just the slide room only on the slide tubes.my gap on one end is 1" and other end is half inch between floor and slide room bottom when extended all the way out.my other room on door slide has a gap of 1/4" on each end between floor and slide bottom.thanks rob

 

[danemayer]

Dan my ashland is doing the popping and cracking noise again on my ashland .i wonder if I need more adjustment up or down .the gear is broke again for the third time.is there more adjustment in the rollers also or just the slide room only on the slide tubes.my gap on one end is 1" and other end is half inch between floor and slide room bottom when extended all the way out.my other room on door slide has a gap of 1/4" on each end between floor and slide bottom.thanks rob

Hi Rob,

There are adjustments but I haven't made them myself, so I don't think I can give you specific advice. We do have some Lippert documents on the forum that explain the adjustment procedure. If you haven't already taken a look at them, maybe they'll be helpful. But you may have to take it into a service location that you trust.

 

[PJS010LGC]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have a list of things to look at when we get the rig out of storage at the end of the month

Regards, John

 

[fredwrichardson]

I have a three month old Ashland and the popping started a few weeks after we got it. It spent over a month in the shop and they replaced the broken gears (popping noise). Drove the unit home today, put the slide out and in and guess what, popping noise and then stopped working. They came out and confirmed the gears broke again. Three months and every time we plan a trip we have to cancel due to broke gears in the slide. I think this could be a design issue. I am paying for an RV that has never been on a trip except to the repair shop.

 

[Birchwood]

Don't know whats wrong with your slide but Lippert claims its life span is 4000 usages.

 

[Brazos]

I might inject a thought here about the slide control valve. You may have already checked the controls. If there is a slide control valve not completely open it could cause a slide to not open and close or have a problem opening. On the Bighorn the valves are located in the front bay. I don't know about other models. They screw in and out to control each slide other than the BR slide. They are marked as to the side they control. Just a thought.

 

[danemayer]

Hi Fred,

When I look at my slide, it looks like the ram pushes one end, causing the rack and pinion to rotate the bar that transfers motion to the other end of the slide, pushing that end.

My guess is that if the gear is breaking, it might be that the driven end is not moving freely and the slide room twists, putting uneven pressure on the the gears.

So I'm wondering what might impede fee movement. Has anyone looked at the rollers on the inside to see if one might be damaged causing a bind?

 

[fredwrichardson]

Don't know whats wrong with your slide but Lippert claims its life span is 4000 usages.

Well 4000 would be great. Right now it is 4. I just had to scrap my vacation so I have two 12 year old boys, a wife and of course myself that will not be able to see my only grandchild in Texas and are pretty disappointed. Also I am pretty disappointed in the quality or I should say lack of quality in our Ashland. It is hard for me to believe that this slide was put together properly. Because it failed after 4 usages after being rebuilt also makes me wonder if there is not a design problem. If you check out the forums there are other Ashlands that are having the same problem.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Dan my ashland is doing the popping and cracking noise again on my ashland .i wonder if I need more adjustment up or down .the gear is broke again for the third time.is there more adjustment in the rollers also or just the slide room only on the slide tubes.my gap on one end is 1" and other end is half inch between floor and slide room bottom when extended all the way out.my other room on door slide has a gap of 1/4" on each end between floor and slide bottom.thanks rob

Rob,

Did you ever get your slide to work with out breaking gears? Our Ashland door side slide has broken two sets of gears and it is now in the shop again. I was hoping they finally fixed your problem and what they did to make it right. I will let you know how this repair goes. Ron at Heartland has been working directly with the shop and he says when they are done right they are very reliable.

Fred

 

[Rcnewell11]

I have had luck on my slides since I fixed it.i wonder if they did that fix I sent u on those emails I sent u from don at heartland sent me.those wear strips in those square tubes need adjusted .the quick fix is shim those wear strip buttons with metal washers and that will put more pressure on gears to keep from slipping and breaking .hope this helps and keep me up to speed on progress.thanks Rob

 

[PJS010LGC]

We pulled our RV out of storage on the weekend. When we tried to extend either of the 2 lower slides they just grunted but after I pushed the retract side of the switch they moved in just slightly and then extended no problems. The off-door slide just rolls across the floor until fully retracted. The door slide definitely drops into place at the end of extension. Unfortunately, I can't see anything inside or out with respect to any ramps that may not be smooth. Is there an adjustment such that the top wants to come in first and therefore sort of drives the slide down instead of traying to pull the floor up the ramp. I'm likely grasping at straws here.

I have not had a chance to examine the mini circuit breakers and that will be the next step.

Regards, John

 

[Bob&Patty]

John, what state of charge is the battery?? A low charged battery will do what you are stating. A battery with a low charge will draw more AMPs than the breaker can deal with.

 

[fredwrichardson]

I have had luck on my slides since I fixed it.i wonder if they did that fix I sent u on those emails I sent u from don at heartland sent me.those wear strips in those square tubes need adjusted .the quick fix is shim those wear strip buttons with metal washers and that will put more pressure on gears to keep from slipping and breaking .hope this helps and keep me up to speed on progress.thanks Rob

Rob,

Got my Ashland back on Wednesday. I cycled the slide four times at the shop, drove it home and then cycled it another five times and the slide seems to be working well. The Lippert fix of adding the metal washers seems to do the trick. I will let you know if anything changes.

Fred