Ask Dave: Why won’t the RV’s slide outs come back in?

Answers to questions about RV Repair and Maintenance from RV expert Dave Solberg, author of the “RV Handbook” and the managing editor of the RV Repair Club. This column appears Monday through Saturday in the RV Travel and RV Daily Tips newsletters. (Sign up for an email reminder for each new issue if you do not already receive one.) Today Dave discusses an RV’s slides that won’t come in.

Dear Dave,
I have an ’05 Monaco Knight (DP) with four slide outs that operate when they want to. I have been having this issue since owning the coach (5.5 years). We go on outings, let the slides out, no problem. Then when we break camp and push the buttons to bring the slides in, nothing. I am able to disconnect the front two motors, hook up a jumper and get them to work. The back motors I cannot get access to because they’re under the mattress, which is under the cabinet of the street-side slide out.

I can’t find help for slide out problems

I’m informed by Monaco owners on iRV2 that the motor controllers may be bad. Heck, I don’t even know where those motor controllers are located, and I can’t get any help from REV Group on a wiring schematic.

Can you possibly give me a solution for this problem? Considering the age of my coach, the big RV shops will not work on it. I hate taking it back to Camping World and putting it in the hands of inexperienced techs. —William

Dear William,
We have actually had a very similar issue happen twice in the local campground in the past few years. One of them was a Pace Arrow full side slide out that just kept going out! Pushed the entire room out 1’ past the sidewall and bent just about everything. The owner had to disconnect the battery and pull about every wire possible to get the slide out to stop.

I’ve seen similar slide problems

I believe your rig has the same slide mechanism as the two we encountered, a Power Gear^® rack and pinion version. The issue I have seen with this is the control module and other wiring components are placed in areas that can get moisture and either short out or create a closed circuit that keeps sending power to the motors so they don’t stop. We found the motor controllers in the front compartment on the Pace Arrow and up under the slide room in the other.

Monaco’s history

In 2005, Monaco was still a proprietary brand doing business as Monaco Coach Corporation in Eugene, OR. Unfortunately, in 2009 Monaco filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Navistar International Corp. and then sold to Allied Specialty Group in 2013, which also has the REV group. It is also unfortunate that throughout all the restructuring of the Monaco name and product, very little intellectual property was transferred. That is because there was very poor documentation when it came to wiring diagrams and schematics showing where the wires and motors were placed. To make matters worse, most of the service techs at REV are new with no prior experience on any past models.

However, all is not lost. Fortunately, the Monaco brand was very popular and there are still several dealerships and technicians that are familiar with the geometry of the slide rooms, mechanisms, and controllers. Plus, Power Gear^® is now owned by Lippert™, and they have outstanding technical assistance available. In our case we had a Lippert™ technician that specialized in slide out mechanisms. He was hired because of his expertise in not only the various mechanisms but also the logistics of components. His experience was hands-on at a major dealership. I have found that to be a common thread in their technical support.

Sorry for the long history. However, I believe it’s important for owners to know the “ancestry” of their RV brand to better understand what direction they need to pursue in finding parts, diagrams, and technical advice.

Where to get help regarding slide room problems

I would start by calling Lippert™ support to identify what slide mechanism you have for your slide outs. If it is one they currently own, they should be able to help locate a dealer in your area that is familiar with it and provide technical support. I know several dealerships and service centers that have qualified technicians that can work with you on this if you can let us know what part of the country you are in.

Read more from Dave here. 

Dave Solberg worked at Winnebago for 15 years developing the dealer training program, as marketing manager, and conducting shows. As the owner of Passport Media Creations, Dave has developed several RV dealer training programs, the RV Safety Training program for The Recreation Vehicle Safety and Education Foundation, and the accredited RV Driving Safety program being conducted at rallies and shows around the country. Dave is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club.

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