Bedroom Slideout - Montana Owners Club

Dowman · 11-30-2007, 03:09 PM

Recently purchased a new Montana 3075. I've had it out one time. When I extend the bedroom slideout it makes a clicking sound for a second or two before the slide starts to move. It sounds just like the sound the electric slide on my previous trailer made when it reached the fully retracted position. The other two slide don't make this noise. Is this normal, or do I have a problem? Thanks for any replies.

ronnilu · 11-30-2007, 07:04 PM

Dowman - I have a different model than yours and have not had any experience such as you describe. Hopefully someone will come along with some possible insight for you. If it continues you might put in a call to Keystone to see if they can tell you what's going on. mike

MIMF2 · 12-01-2007, 12:17 AM

Dowman,

A few questions. Does this occure when you first press the wall switch? Is it it a clicking or more of a chattering sound? Does it sound like it is coming from under the bed or more from down further below in the front locker at the pump? And last, does it make this sound no matter which way you want to move the rooms?

Have someone press the wall switch while you are standing at the pump. On the signal from you, have them press the wall switch. Watch and listen to the solenoid on top of the pump motor. That solenoid switch is that black box on top of the pump motor with those 3 big lugs standing straight up all in a row. I want to know if that noise is coming from that switch instead of from under the bed.

Describe back to this thread as to what you find.

MIMF
(Dale)

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-01-2007, 01:37 AM

Dale,

Ours has ALWAYS chattered from under the bed before it starts extending,

IS that normal???

BirdingRVer · 12-01-2007, 02:58 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Dowman

Recently purchased a new Montana 3075. I've had it out one time. When I extend the bedroom slideout it makes a clicking sound for a second or two before the slide starts to move. It sounds just like the sound the electric slide on my previous trailer made when it reached the fully retracted position. The other two slide don't make this noise. Is this normal, or do I have a problem? Thanks for any replies.

Dowman,

Our 3075 is almost a year old and our bedroom slide has made that sound since day one. I had the dealer look into it and they said that everything was fine.

BirdingRVer

Dowman · 12-01-2007, 05:54 AM

MIMF2----It's more of a chattering sound, five or six cluck, clucks before it starts to move, kind of like gears not meshing. It only makes this sound when extending. The unit is in storage right now and I haven't had the opportunity to go by and listen to it but I'm pretty sure it is comming from under the bed.
Mrs Country Guy and Birding RVer-------Thanks for the comeback, when I get a new rig every thing sounds a little strange until I get used to it!!

Dowman · 12-01-2007, 05:55 AM

MIMF2----It's more of a chattering sound, five or six cluck, clucks before it starts to move, kind of like gears not meshing. It only makes this sound when extending. The unit is in storage right now and I haven't had the opportunity to go by and listen to it but I'm pretty sure it is comming from under the bed.
Mrs Country Guy and Birding RVer-------Thanks for the comeback, when I get a new rig every thing sounds a little strange until I get used to it!!

BB_TX · 12-01-2007, 07:03 AM

We have an '07 3075 and it makes a sound something like you describe. Have not really paid much attention to it since everything seems to extend and retract fine.

Karl · 12-01-2007, 08:28 AM

Ours makes a sound too. Each of the slides has a "rod" for the lack of a better term. The rod has a threaded end with a nut. The hydraulics work for a second or so before the "stop" is encountered so the slide can begin to move. My guess for this "play" is so the hydraulics do not have to immediately be faced with the full force needed. Sooo.. my guess is that that is the reason for the noise prior to the slide moving. The sound is heard more readily from the bedroom slide because of the placement of the mechanics for the slide.

MIMF · 12-02-2007, 01:12 AM

Dowman and everybody,

As I have said before, the hydraulic cylinder shafts do have to travel several inches before the jam-nuts engage with the driver bracket. That is so that, when the adjustments are done properly, when the room is extended or retracted and sealed, the piston inside the cylinder tub is bottomed into the end cap of the cylinder and can not physically move any further no matter how long the pump runs. This is done so that the facia on the inside and the "T" molding around the outside of the room isn't damaged.

My guess is, what most of you are hearing is the metal against metal rubbing as the cylinder shaft moves thru the drive brackets before the jam-nuts engage on the bracket. Especially, when the rooms are retracted. I'd bet that, when you first press the switch to extend, ALL of the cylinder shafts begin to move to the retracted position until the jam-nuts engage and then stop do to the sudden pressure increase that the pump now has to produce to start moving all of the slides. But, due to physics, as the pump pressure is increasing, the room that needs to see the least amount of hydraulic pressure to move, is typically the bed room. Now, it may be that while the bed room is extending, it won't be uncommon to see one of the other slide rooms move slightly until the bed room is extended, sealed and that piston in the cylinder tub is bottomed. Don't be surprised to hear some of this when you push the wall switch to retract the rooms, also.

For example, on the Challenger, when I press the wall switch extending the rooms for just a couple of seconds at first, I will hear all kinds of rubbing and screeching noises from the cylinder shafts from one end of the unit to the other moving thru the driver brackets until the jam-nuts stop them. Then, the bed slide extends, then the kitchen, the sofa slide and last, the dinnette/entertainment slide on the door side.

Dowman, as I said, my guess is that the clicking sound you ar hearing is the natural sound that cylinder shaft is making when it is extending the room. To investigate this, when you take your unit out of storage, lift the bed mattress plywood, locate the shiny cylinder shaft in the mechanism and have the dear wife push the switch, watch and listen. BUT, BE CAREFULL, that bed structure is moving past your legs and feet!! Also, keep your hands OUT!! The pump is pressurizing that cylinder shaft to 2200 psi! That is pounds per square inch and it will surely cause loss of a digit, ampendage or, anything else you want to call it that may get in the way!

If you want to elliminate some of this noise, a light coating of WD-40 on the threads of the cylinder shaft between those jam-nuts will quiet things alittle. Even some on the those shafts under the coach for the other rooms, won't hurt a thing.

All of you have a great day!

markwick · 12-03-2007, 06:08 AM

As MMIF says it is the rod threads rubbing on the drive bracket - mine moves about 2 inches before it hits the jam nut and actually starts moving the slide out - same for bringing it in - nothing to worry about. You could put some heavy duty tape over the couple of inches of thread that slide through the bracket if it really bothers you.

waldo238 · 12-03-2007, 06:37 AM

This is not along the same subject line, I know what a selector valve is and what it does, but when I look at mine or what I believe to be the selector valve, it has two threaded bolts with a knurled nob on the end, both are in different positions. I did not want to play with them as I thought they had something to do for which slide comes out first. I have a 08 3000RK and the bed comes out first and the living room, on retraction it is the bedroom first and then the living room. Does any one have a picture of a selector valve?

BB_TX · 12-03-2007, 08:26 AM

I have a 3075RL and it has a valve block similar to yours except 3 of the knurled knobs. I can screw one in and it will disable that particular slideout. My bedroom goes first, then sofa/dining, then kitchen. By screwing in the one for the bedroom, the sofa/dining goes first. That is good for traveling if I need to get to the fridge without having to extend the bedroom slide completely out first. I can just bump the sofa/dining slide a few inches.

waldo238 · 12-03-2007, 08:44 AM

That is kinda what I thought but are at a preset point and you need to put them back to exact position they where in?

bncinwv · 12-03-2007, 08:58 AM

The order of the slides cannot be changed with the selector valves and the exact position should be irrelevant but could affect the speed of the associated slide. The slide order is determined by the hydraulic resistance imposed by the various weights of the slides. Lighter first, heavier last. The selector valves can be used to eliminate slides from operating as BB_TX stated. Hope this helps, more detailed explanations will have to come from the experts, namely MIMF.
Bingo

MIMF · 12-03-2007, 12:34 PM

Gang,

The IRC valves or Individual Room Control valves are used for the sole purpose to control which room or rooms you do not want to move. In otherwords for example, you folks with the 3400RL's can close the bed room and entertainment center room and open only the kitchen and dinnette/sofa slide to have lunch at a rest stop. When you are ready to hit the road, close the rooms and open those 2 IRC valves. Especially if you will be getting to your destination later that day and setting up camp.

They give you the flexibility to operate which ever room you want.

Now, if Keystone would get with the program and install electric IRC's for each room and a wall switch for each room, you wouldn't have to monkey with any of that stuff. Simply go in and hit the wall switch for the room or rooms you want to move and that would be it! Wouldn't that be a novel idea?

Remember, Those manual IRC valves that all of you have are always all of the way open or all of the way closed. There is no in between.

Bingo has it exactly right. The room that sees the least amount of restriction with the least amount of hydraulic pressure to over come that resistance will be the first to move.

To back up a pinch, Dowman, did I answer any of your questions?

MIMF

BB_TX · 12-03-2007, 01:45 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by waldo238

That is kinda what I thought but are at a preset point and you need to put them back to exact position they where in?

As MIMF said, I just put mine either fully in to disable a slide or fully out to enable it.

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