Slide would not close

[geeksrus]

Yesterday, in closing our slides the living room slide (largest) would not close. All that happened was a clicking sound. The other 2 slides worked OK but at the end of the cycle we would get a clicking sound.
Contact a mobile RV service, RV MD & Tony took me thru a detailed check list to try to isolate the problem. This was done via phone. He then suggested that I get some people help in lifting & pushing the slides while activating the control switch. TADA... with the assistance of a couple of neighbors it worked.
One thing we have noticed is that now there is a clicking sound at the end of the cycle whereas previously it was a whining sound.

Any ideas why this occurred? and is there a fix so it doesn't happen again?

BTW: if you every need a mobile service in the Calgary & vicinity area contact Tony at RV MD

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Sounds a bit strange because the slides are hydraulic. I've heard a clicking type sound from an electric motor slide but??? It sounds like it may need adjusting. Possibly binding when it's all the way out. Check those gears on the bottom of the slide arms to see if there may be a tooth or two missing or the gear is messed up somehow. Let us know what you find. Good Luck.

 

[ralphpam]

Just had a neighbor with SOB with the same problem. We shut the power off to all the slides except the one that did not work. It then worked and works as normal now.

 

[fhollan]

Slide Problems!

This must be the day for slide problems!

A while back I had to get my street side slide out worked on due to it ripping my linoleum. Linoleum was replaced and glued down. After it was fixed I looked underneath both slides. Why I didn't catch this before, I don't know. I noticed that the street-side has a rubber seal underneath on the outside wall, and my living room does not. (See the attached photos!) We've been fortunate that whenever we've been on the road that it hasn't rained. We're not full timers. I send a message to Heartland along with the photos.

Today, while I was taking the slides in, the bedroom and street side came in fine. The living room all of a sudden I noticed the motor slightly slowing down, then a "pop" and it came in like normal. Noticed that for some reason the bottom slide trim closest to the door got caught on something. It done a number on the trim. (More Photos). Found that the trim is a good solid piece of metal. Never had any problems with the slides before.

Hope that's it since we're planning a trip near the end of the month.

 

[geeksrus]

Sounds a bit strange because the slides are hydraulic. I've heard a clicking type sound from an electric motor slide but??? It sounds like it may need adjusting. Possibly binding when it's all the way out. Check those gears on the bottom of the slide arms to see if there may be a tooth or two missing or the gear is messed up somehow. Let us know what you find. Good Luck.

I'll check the gears etc & let you know. what puzzles me is that prior to this incident, at the end of the in/out cycle I would get a whining/humming sound but now it is the clicking sound, so this has me concerned.

Regarding the binding, you might of hit the nail on the head.... the night before there had been some very heavy winds & perhaps the winds forced the slide out slightly to put it in a bind position. In fact when my neighbors & I pushed the slides there wasn't much effort needed before the hydraulics took over.

Eh!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

This must be the day for slide problems!

A while back I had to get my street side slide out worked on due to it ripping my linoleum. Linoleum was replaced and glued down. After it was fixed I looked underneath both slides. Why I didn't catch this before, I don't know. I noticed that the street-side has a rubber seal underneath on the outside wall, and my living room does not. (See the attached photos!) We've been fortunate that whenever we've been on the road that it hasn't rained. We're not full timers. I send a message to Heartland along with the photos.

Today, while I was taking the slides in, the bedroom and street side came in fine. The living room all of a sudden I noticed the motor slightly slowing down, then a "pop" and it came in like normal. Noticed that for some reason the bottom slide trim closest to the door got caught on something. It done a number on the trim. (More Photos). Found that the trim is a good solid piece of metal. Never had any problems with the slides before.

Hope that's it since we're planning a trip near the end of the month.

Is that the piece of aluminum trim on the lower edge of the side wall of the slide? It looks as if the screw came out or got caught on the wall of the trailer when the slide was on the way in. If there is no damage to the lower seals, you should be able to replace the trim easy enough. You will have to have the slide partially in to replace it.

 

[fhollan]

Is that the piece of aluminum trim on the lower edge of the side wall of the slide?

Yes Ray! That's the correct piece. When you look at the photos, it seems that the end of the trim got caught, causing it to bend and moving the head of the screw down towards the floor, since I had a hard time getting the screw out. Everything else looks fine. I'll call Heartland Tuesday AM for the piece, and do a followup on the message I sent pertaining to the rubber seals mentioned in the other paragraph. Thanks Ray!

 

[jmgratz]

Those of you that are having problems with your slides (strange noises, slowing down etc) might try giving Lippert a call. They are the ones who make the slide mechanism. I had problems with mine and since we were in Goshen took it by Lippert and got it squared away. (back in July) When I first start ours there is a slight grinding noise and I was told by Lippert this was normal as the gears engage to move the slide. The when the slide reaches the max (in or out) position you hear the motor pitch go down. That is normal also. Lippert was very helpful in fixing the slides. BTW the warranty on the slides mechanism is longer than your year warranty. I think it is 2 years. So if you are having problems give them a buzz.

 

[phoenix50]

I could not open slides on last trip. No fluid in resovoir, added 3 qts and all is well, but where did the 1st 3 qts go?

 

[jbeletti]

I could not open slides on last trip. No fluid in resovoir, added 3 qts and all is well, but where did the 1st 3 qts go?

Can't be many places for it to hide. Check these places to start:

1. Below the reservoir and below the tray
2. Under the bed where the slide ram is
3. In the underbelly area under the slide rams

You need to find the leak and get it repaired - lest you be stranded, unable to move the slides.

Jim

 

[jimpav]

slide also stuck

There must be something in the air these days affecting slides. I just tried to retract the living room slide on my Eagle Ridge 35DSRL and noticed the right side of the slide was retracting ,but the left side wasn't. I checked all the inside things that would cause it to bind like open doors, drawers etc. I also checked outside under the slide for any obvious binding.....couldn't see anything. These slides are not hydraulic, and just have two racks and gears. Thankfully(?) it happened in the backyard when I didn't have to move the unit.
Any ideas?????

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

There must be something in the air these days affecting slides. I just tried to retract the living room slide on my Eagle Ridge 35DSRL and noticed the right side of the slide was retracting ,but the left side wasn't. I checked all the inside things that would cause it to bind like open doors, drawers etc. I also checked outside under the slide for any obvious binding.....couldn't see anything. These slides are not hydraulic, and just have two racks and gears. Thankfully(?) it happened in the backyard when I didn't have to move the unit.
Any ideas?????

Electric slides operate very similar to the front landing gear. Under the slide is a square shaft that connects the gear drives. Look for a broken shear bolt in that shaft.

 

[jimpav]

yep.....found the hole where the bolt went through and the broken piece on the ground. Next question is what grade/size is the replacement supposed to be? I don't want to put just any grade bolt in there as I assume it should be of a material that breaks before the slide mechanism. It would be also nice to know the grade for the front landing gear as well.

 

[caokgafamily]

The only time when my slides were inop and there was a clicking noise, was when the battery was low.
Steve

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

yep.....found the hole where the bolt went through and the broken piece on the ground. Next question is what grade/size is the replacement supposed to be? I don't want to put just any grade bolt in there as I assume it should be of a material that breaks before the slide mechanism. It would be also nice to know the grade for the front landing gear as well.

The only grades I'm familiar with are 5 and 8. If there were anything less, I would go with that. Is there a 3? If you have the head of the broken bolt, take it to a hardware store to compare. I think the cheaper bolts available will be fine.

 

[jmgratz]

I could not open slides on last trip. No fluid in resovoir, added 3 qts and all is well, but where did the 1st 3 qts go?

When that happened to us the weld on the hydraulic cylinder under the bed had a pinhole leak. Only leaked under pressure. There is a tray under the cylinder that caught most of the fluid that leaked. I would start my search for the leak there as it is the easiest to get to. You will have to raise the mattress and then lift the board on the bottom of the storage compartment. The cylinder is under there. If it is leaking you can call Lippert and they will ship you another one and then have it installed at an RV shop. If you do it yourself they will void the warranty. They did reimburse me for my out of pocket expenses. BTW I had to pay for the repais and then get reimbursed. If you don't get it taken care of you could damage the hydraulic motor by running it dry. Also you may have to get the carpet replaced if it got soaked with fluid. We did.

 

[jimpav]

Although hydraulic slides are quieter etc, at least the electric rack & pinion ones don't have any fluid hose/fitting/leak issues.

 

[geeksrus]

Sounds a bit strange because the slides are hydraulic. I've heard a clicking type sound from an electric motor slide but??? It sounds like it may need adjusting. Possibly binding when it's all the way out. Check those gears on the bottom of the slide arms to see if there may be a tooth or two missing or the gear is messed up somehow. Let us know what you find. Good Luck.

I checked what you suggested above & it appears that the gears are okay. I lubricated them with dry lube also.

The slide goes out okay but to get it in, I have to lift & push the corner of the slide nearest the cylinder rod while DW depresses the IN control button. Once it retracts about 8-10" then the slide retracts without any effort from me.

I did review the maintenance section of the Lippert Hydraulic Slideout manual where they specify different adjustments that can be made. They also suggest that these adjustments be done by a qualified technician, which I'm not so I'll have a pro make any corrections.

Thanks for your help on this.

Eh!

 

[geeksrus]

I checked what you suggested above & it appears that the gears are okay. I lubricated them with dry lube also.

The slide goes out okay but to get it in, I have to lift & push the corner of the slide nearest the cylinder rod while DW depresses the IN control button. Once it retracts about 8-10" then the slide retracts without any effort from me.

I did review the maintenance section of the Lippert Hydraulic Slideout manual where they specify different adjustments that can be made. They also suggest that these adjustments be done by a qualified technician, which I'm not so I'll have a pro make any corrections.

Thanks for your help on this.

Eh!

After I posted the above to Ray, Rik Burgoyne of Lippert contacted me via email to offer his assistance. I talked to Rik this morning & he was very helpful in suggesting a solution. I'll use a certified tech for the adjustments & in fact Rik said to have the local tech contact him if needed.

Thank you Rik... very professional!

Eh!

 

[mrcomer]

Glad to hear Lippert got involved. Hope this does the trick.

Mark