Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post - Need Urgent Help--Main Slide Outs Stuck

mdmarmd · 05-02-2021, 08:18 PM

Sorry, I didn't stay on this thread because I had to transition back and forth from the nearest town and I didn't have a link for a day.

So, while I was at the hotel, I communicated with the Lippert tech who was very helpful. I found out from Keystone that my slide out mechanism is a Lippert hydraulic system.

I told the technician that there was a terrible grating sound coming from beneath the floor in either direction. It got so loud I was afraid to keep on the switch because I thought it was going to destroy something. He told me that if my system is hydraulic, there should be nothing underneath that would generate such a sound. He said there were no motors and he suspected I was hearing the hydraulic pump straining. I couldn't believe this because both I and my friend were sure the direction of the sound came from under the RV. The next day I returned to the RV, and surprise. Sure, enough the pump in the forward compartment was where the noise was coming from. It makes an awful, high pitched screeching sound with high pitched clicking.

Another surprise was when I retried the switch, the kitchen side went out slowly and haltingly and at the end the interior led lights dimmed. That made me think the battery might be undercharged even though the panel read 14.4 volts. So, I exchanged it for my 60 lb. agm boat battery that I knew was good. The slide out went out, maybe a little bit faster, but at the end the system voltage dipped enough to reboot the In-Command control panel. So just to completely rule out a battery problem, I parallel jump cabled my 80 lb. trolling motor batter to the 60. It still did not push the living room out. There was no hint of movement at any time.

So, the problem is one slide out goes out slowly and draws a huge number of amps and the other slide out doesn't have a hint of movement. Since the pump is working, it's not a power problem and hydraulic pressure is getting to the ram, at least for one side. The Lippert technician said there are a pair of lines for each side, but I have not been able to isolate where these are. The orange line from the pump goes to a block take feeds three valves, but I think they are for the leveling system. One may go up into the ceiling of the compartment but I can't follow it to the slide out area. A black line from the pump goes to a block that is coupled to four lines. It has no valves.

I saw a you tube that showed a guy using a large crescent wrench to manually turn the gears that engage the racks. But I am afraid to try that since I don't know exactly why that living room slide out doesn't move at all. Is it a lack of hydraulic pressure or is it some mechanical obstruction?

Anyway, the silver lining was that getting the kitchen out meant the RV was at least functional if not cramped. We have lights, water heat, bathroom and bedroom. Just can't use the dinette set. We are using the side-by-side lounge chairs so we can eat there and watch the media center. I read that you should not get on the retracted slide outs because the only rest on a plywood floor that is not supported when retracted. I layered some thin wooden slates and a sheet of 1/4 inch acrylic that I had laying around. pushing them fairly deep under the floor so the floor would be supported well enough for us to sit on the chairs (I hope).

Anyway, that is where things are now. I can't find a mobile repair guy to come out here and there are some in Reno, but I don't think they come out this far. I may have to live with this and tow it someplace at the end of the season.

At least, with one slide out extended we don't have to just turn around and drive 5.5 hours home, and lose out on the whole season here.

I am going to keep trying to find a mobile repair service, but they all seemed booked out to July, or they won't come this far.

05-02-2021, 08:18 PM	#7
mdmarmd Established Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: San Jose Posts: 25 M.O.C. #20369	Update on this Problem Sorry, I didn't stay on this thread because I had to transition back and forth from the nearest town and I didn't have a link for a day. So, while I was at the hotel, I communicated with the Lippert tech who was very helpful. I found out from Keystone that my slide out mechanism is a Lippert hydraulic system. I told the technician that there was a terrible grating sound coming from beneath the floor in either direction. It got so loud I was afraid to keep on the switch because I thought it was going to destroy something. He told me that if my system is hydraulic, there should be nothing underneath that would generate such a sound. He said there were no motors and he suspected I was hearing the hydraulic pump straining. I couldn't believe this because both I and my friend were sure the direction of the sound came from under the RV. The next day I returned to the RV, and surprise. Sure, enough the pump in the forward compartment was where the noise was coming from. It makes an awful, high pitched screeching sound with high pitched clicking. Another surprise was when I retried the switch, the kitchen side went out slowly and haltingly and at the end the interior led lights dimmed. That made me think the battery might be undercharged even though the panel read 14.4 volts. So, I exchanged it for my 60 lb. agm boat battery that I knew was good. The slide out went out, maybe a little bit faster, but at the end the system voltage dipped enough to reboot the In-Command control panel. So just to completely rule out a battery problem, I parallel jump cabled my 80 lb. trolling motor batter to the 60. It still did not push the living room out. There was no hint of movement at any time. So, the problem is one slide out goes out slowly and draws a huge number of amps and the other slide out doesn't have a hint of movement. Since the pump is working, it's not a power problem and hydraulic pressure is getting to the ram, at least for one side. The Lippert technician said there are a pair of lines for each side, but I have not been able to isolate where these are. The orange line from the pump goes to a block take feeds three valves, but I think they are for the leveling system. One may go up into the ceiling of the compartment but I can't follow it to the slide out area. A black line from the pump goes to a block that is coupled to four lines. It has no valves. I saw a you tube that showed a guy using a large crescent wrench to manually turn the gears that engage the racks. But I am afraid to try that since I don't know exactly why that living room slide out doesn't move at all. Is it a lack of hydraulic pressure or is it some mechanical obstruction? Anyway, the silver lining was that getting the kitchen out meant the RV was at least functional if not cramped. We have lights, water heat, bathroom and bedroom. Just can't use the dinette set. We are using the side-by-side lounge chairs so we can eat there and watch the media center. I read that you should not get on the retracted slide outs because the only rest on a plywood floor that is not supported when retracted. I layered some thin wooden slates and a sheet of 1/4 inch acrylic that I had laying around. pushing them fairly deep under the floor so the floor would be supported well enough for us to sit on the chairs (I hope). Anyway, that is where things are now. I can't find a mobile repair guy to come out here and there are some in Reno, but I don't think they come out this far. I may have to live with this and tow it someplace at the end of the season. At least, with one slide out extended we don't have to just turn around and drive 5.5 hours home, and lose out on the whole season here. I am going to keep trying to find a mobile repair service, but they all seemed booked out to July, or they won't come this far.