Dear Dave,
Our large slideout sometimes goes in 1/4 of the way and stops. I can push on it and sometimes this helps. This happens about half of the time. Other times it goes in OK. I was told that it is low voltage, but the batteries are charged. I am wondering if the relay contacts are the issue and should I replace the relay. Two years ago the screws under the slideout backed out and the slideout was removed and screws replaced. What can I do to help? What type of lubricant can I use that won’t get on the carpet when the slide is in? Jeff, 2007 Fleetwood Bounder
Dear Jeff,
Most likely your slide room mechanism is a Power Gear rack and pinion version, which is now owned by Lippert. Lippert has great documentation and support on their website at www.lci1.com. You can download a copy of the Power Gear Slide Mechanism here.
According to the manual, the only maintenance is to apply a light oil to the drive shaft and roller bearings if the unit is making a noise or binding. This might be what is causing your room to stop just after starting to retract. I would suggest doing a thorough inspection of the gears, roller bearings, and rail while the unit is extended.
As I have always stated, make sure the rig is level and stabilized, as even a slight slant can twist the underlying structure and cause resistance from the room and rail assemblies.
The biggest issue with slide mechanisms starting to extend or retract and stopping is still weak batteries. Even though they seem to be fully charged and show 12.6 volts, if they are sulfated it will only be a surface charge and they will drop voltage immediately and not have enough “umph” to extend the room. Plug the unit into shoreline power and the converter will provide at least a 13.2-volt constant charge to the house battery system. If it works, you know it is the battery bank.
Why does it work sometimes and not others?
Gremlins! Intermittent operation typically traces back to battery voltage and what else might be running or draining the battery. It might be that you just drove 250 miles to get to the campground and the batteries got a fairly good charge from the engine alternator and nothing else is running, so they work. If the unit sat for a long period of time, the initial charge has dropped and now is just a surface charge and not good enough for the slide to work.
It could also be that other items in the rig are pulling battery power that you are not aware of. Those could include the refrigerator, especially if you have a residential model running through an inverter and house batteries or a 12-volt compressor-driven one. It could also be an LP appliance that has kicked in such as the water heater or refrigerator on LP mode.
If you can identify what components and circumstances are in place when this happens, we might be able to narrow down the cause. For example, did you run the leveling jacks down first and then the slides, which you should do to level and stabilize. This would drain the batteries down initially and cause the situation.
Also, what is the temperature? Cold weather can have an effect on the amp draw of the motor, harder seals, and lower voltage in the batteries. Have you checked the hydraulic fluid level or bleed the system of air bubbles in the lines? Since it is over 17 years old, you might need to replace the fluid. And, as I stated before, does this ever happen when plugged into shoreline power?
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Can I retract RV’s rear slideout manually?
Dear Dave,
My trailer has a rear slideout. It is operated by an electric motor and cables. My question is what do I do to get the slideout back in if I was to lose electrical power? Is there a manual system to operate to get the slideout assembly back into the trailer? I have looked but can’t find any such mechanism. —Jim, 2016 Keystone Outback 24URL toy hauler
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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We had a problem on our Newmar New Aire, with the bedroom slide stopping part way in. Usually I could toggle the switch to get it going again. We were always on shore power when operating. After a lot of trouble shooting at various repair shops, the techs at North Trails in Ft Myers FL, finally solved the problem. It was a loose motor mount on main slide frame. The motor mount would jog on the frame when starting, causing an alignment problem for the motor. Interestingly, Newmar recommends this motor mount be part of an annual inspection. The motor mount bolts must be torque checked at least once per year.
Thank you, John! I did not know this. Called Newmar and this is recommended for all model years. I asked for a schematic showing the locations of all the slide-mechanism motors. After a wait of more than 35 minutes, the correct schematic was found and forwarded to me. If you need one John (although I suspect you already know all you need), call Newmar customer service. Safe travels! 🙂
Newmar slide motors loosening has been a known issue for a decade or more and loose bolts can cause thousands in damage.
Get on IRV2.com and go to the Newmar Owner’s Forum to see permanent fixes. IMO, the “SLS fix” is the best. The real issue is that the aluminum thread bosses cannot really take the torque, the threads stretch, and the bolts loosen. Some have tried various ways to keep the bolts from turning, but thread stretching is a main issue.
Newmar recommends a torque = to steel bolt strength. Doesn’t work well with aluminum threads!!!
Thank you, Mikal! Will do. 🙂
Excellent article, more like this
Thank you, Dave! 🙂 We have a different manufacturer with different directions, but 🙂 would it help if the Bounder were plugged into shore power, or the generator running before extending the stubborn slide? Our previous manufacturer was also REV/American Coach/Fleetwood and their party line was “level, THEN extend slides.” I think that they also recommended to extend slides with the engine running, which should (?) tend to prevent a low-battery warning. Thanks again, Dave, and safe travels! 🙂