Slide Problem

[navybanker]

Our kitchen slide is now the first to go out. For three years the bedroom was always the first to go out and also in. Additionally, the kitchen slide is not "sealing" around the edges. Normally, all slides go out and the top seals first and stops as the bottom continues forward and stops as the bottom seals. The kitchen slide bottom does not move once the top stops. The top of the slide can be pushed out about a 1/4 inch once it stops. The bottom of the slide can not be moved once it stops. The entire slide is not sealed tight as the other three slides are. The rubber seal on the slide is not compressed as the other slides are. It doesn't leak as far as I can tell since we had very heavy thunderstorm come through when in St. Louis earlier this week. Anyone have an opinion on what is happening. All slides seal properly when the slides are in. Thanks,

[Rondo]

Could be a bad valve on that specific slide. Or there may be something blocking the line or the line crimped or bent some too. Not real sure however! Not a hydraulic man. Just worked on the jet engines when in the USAF and that was a long time ago. It could be that the fluid is low also or even that the slide needs adjusting. To many variables here for me! I'd say there will be more along to give you their opinions too!

[DQDick]

I'd check under the edge of the kitchen slide. If your's is like ours there's carpet there that tends to accumulate things and may have something caught under there not letting it settle in the hole.

[Phil P]

Hi

DQDick has a good idea. Run the slide about half way in and by pushing on the top you can tip it up at the bottom. Have someone very carefully look under there with a flashlight. If you do find something use a yard stick or small broom to retrieve it DON’T put your hand under there the slide is heave and the only reason you can tip it is because of the weight that is hanging outside the trailer.

That slide because it is top heavy leans out at the top when you go around a tight curve on the Interstate. I have followed the trailer while my wife was driving the TV and trailer and observed this.

We have retrieved everything from the dog’s water dish to ball point ink pens. LOL

Phil P

[navybanker]

Thanks DQ and Phil. We did as you suggested and my wife didn't see anything under it including seals or carpet rolled up. Hopefully, an adjustment can be made. It seems to have enough "force" but gets to a point and stop completely. No final "kick" at the bottom. Another 1/4 inch or so and would be sealed like the rest. Our dealer has had continuous turnover in his service department and they say they are booked up until late October. Great, have a trip planned to Virginia starting September 29th. At least we are home at the moment. A part of RVing! This slide has been worked on previously and needs it again.

[navybanker]

Reading my last reply makes me realize the "dealer" is trying to work me in but I must realize "I" am not the only one that has problems and future trips planned. While they have had turnovers, they have helped me in the past on short notice. I think I am too spoiled! Lord give me patience!

[WeBeFulltime]

If the bedroom slide no longer goes out first, when does it go out?

[navybanker]

The bedroom slide goes out and in second. Thanks,

[Phil P]

Hi

I am assuming you have hydraulic operated slide.

The way I understand your post the kitchen slide goes out first then the bedroom slide. After all slides are out the kitchen slide doesn’t move any further if you hold the switch for a second or so?

When the unit was newer the bedroom went out then the kitchen.

Ours the bedroom first kitchen next then the slide opposite from the dining room slide and dining room last. Recently the opposite from the dining room has started extending just a few inches then back to the same sequence.

Knowing hydraulics like I do I think you have 2 problems. Something changed the power required to move the bedroom slide so it doesn’t move as easy as it use to. Then along with that something else has changed on the kitchen slide.

My first inclination would be to get a look at the kitchen slide cylinder and see if it is fully extended. This can be check by measuring the outside length of the cylinder then call Lippert and ask then what the specification is for that cylinder. If it is fully extended then something has changed at the cylinder attach point either under the trailer or at the slide.

Then I would take a look at the bedroom slide, remove the mattress and see if there is something under the slide making it hard to move. We had a slipper get under there once and it does change how the slide works.

Phil P

[1retired06]

quote:Originally posted by navybanker

Thanks DQ and Phil. We did as you suggested and my wife didn't see anything under it including seals or carpet rolled up. Hopefully, an adjustment can be made. It seems to have enough "force" but gets to a point and stop completely. No final "kick" at the bottom. Another 1/4 inch or so and would be sealed like the rest. Our dealer has had continuous turnover in his service department and they say they are booked up until late October. Great, have a trip planned to Virginia starting September 29th. At least we are home at the moment. A part of RVing! This slide has been worked on previously and needs it again.

If just an adjustment, Lippert has step by step instructions on line for adjusting. Not hard to do. Just mark where you start so you can go back if you need to and follow the guidance carefully.

[Phil P]

Hi

You may be able to adjust the kitchen slide to seal properly but I would be a lot more interested in why it needs adjustment.

We now have 80,000 miles on our 2009 and haven’t ever had to adjust a slide.

Phil P

[navybanker]

Reading the Lippert manual I see where the adjustment can be made. My question is how do you tighten or loosen the jam nuts without twisting or damaging the "shiny" piston rod coming out of the cylinder? It looks like you need two wrenches to keep twisting pressure off the piston rod. I also notice the instructions say have at least 2 to 3 inches "free travel" between the Nylock nut and jam nut number 2. None of my slides have this much "free travel" on the piston rods. The kitchen slide has one and three quarters inch free travel. The end of the rod where the bolts are is pretty rusty. I have been using silicone spray on the cogs and should have been applying to the threaded end of the piston rods also. Not sure is regular penetrating oil is okay (not WD40). Thanks,

[Phil P]

Hi

While I haven’t had to adjust the slides I did have to replace the end wall in the large slide when the trailer was about 18 months old and had about 30,000 miles on it. (This is an entire deferent story and not favorable to Keystone)

I had started to adjust the slide because it wasn’t working correctly when I notice the failure in the end wall.

For this reason I strongly recommend you find out why the slide needs adjusting before you adjust it.

If you do try to adjust it make sure and mark the cylinder shaft some way so you can put it back like it was if needed.

To answer your question YES you must use 2 wrenches.

Phil P

[navybanker]

I contacted the owner of the dealership and he said bring it in and they would look at it. Took the Monty in today and now back home with it. They adjusted the kitchen slide to come in a little tighter and cleaned and greased the bed room slide mechanism. The tech said the kitchen slide is not as deep and may not seal at the top as the other slides do. I think he meant the top of the kitchen slide is not as heavy as others are and not as much pressure on holding the top out. Tech said the slides were really okay at first inspection but the bedroom slide needed lube and cleaning plus would adjust the kitchen slide due to our concern. The dealership didn't charge for this service. Hopefully, all is well!

[dieselguy]

Amusing that the tech said the bedroom slide needed lube ... the bedroom slide virtually scoots across the carpet in your bedroom on the wall end and rolls on plastic wheels across the carpet on the foot of the bed end. A cylinder is self lubing, so I wonder what he lubed ... the rubber seals?????
As for spacing between the large jamb nuts on the threaded end of the cylinder shaft, every unit has a different measurement which isn't really important. What is important is that you never tighten the nuts together as you'll break something really expensive. The cylinder has more stroke than the slide has travel. The outer jamb nut is adjusted for an adequate seal when the slide is retracted ... the inner jamb nut is adjusted for an adequate seal when the slide is extended. Depending on manufacturing tolerances ... a measured distance between the nuts will vary from slide to slide.
Like eluded to in earlier replies ... our hydraulic systems work on pressure vs resistance as there are no separate valves for each slide. Something has changed about your bedroom slide to make it harder to move thus the kitchen slide goes out first now. If you are camping on a really unlevel site, you may be tweeking the frame enough to cause the difference in slide resistance. I mention this because the tech said when inspected at the dealership the slides didn't really seem to need adjusting.

[Phil P]

Naveybanker

Glad you got nit looked at and all is well. The only thing I see in your post is about the kitchen slide. The kitchen slide is heaver at the top than the rest of the slide, you have the microwave and the freezer compartment up high in the slide both are very heavy. This is why the kitchen slide leans out in a tight curve on the interstate or similar highways. The transporters use to put a brace between the upper seal and the wall to prevent this when they delivered the trailer from the factory to the dealer. They stopped this because some dealers would try to open the slide without removing the brace and damage the slide.

Hello dieselguy

Good description of the hydraulics and how they work.

I haven’t paid much attention to our bedroom slide this is one of the areas we haven’t had any problems with other than stuff getting under it. I will have to look at it and see if it has the “balance” shaft between the sides to keep the slide straight as it moves in and out.

In the last 5 years we have gotten from Keystone and Lipperrt conflicting instructions on how to lubricate the slides. Starting in 2009 when both said they don’t need lubrication to the latest to use a dry lubricant on the gears at the end of the “Balance” shaft.

I do need to have a look at our bedroom slide and the opposite dining room slide to see why our opposite dining room slide starts to move first then stops and the bedroom then extends and the sequence is the same as it always was after that.

Phil P

[navybanker]

Good info from you guys. The Tech and owner said the slides would be okay for our next trip and shouldn't cause any problems. Then the kitchen slide was adjusted since we wanted that. The camper was outside of the building when worked on since the shop was full of campers. I didn't think the camper was as level as it would be at home or on the road after being leveled to my wife's satisfaction. Great and accurate point about microwave and freezer compartment on kitchen slide. I may have to inspect the bedroom slide myself. I did this on the Cardinal we had before the Montana. I have not on the Montana. Another interesting point is the tech said to use "grease" on the bedroom slide and I asked why regular grease and not "slide" lube. He said grease was what to use. I did wonder about that statement because "carpet" and grease don't go together very well. But, not being totally familiar with how the slide works, didn't question him more. I am "learning" a lot more about campers than I ever dreamed of. The tech asked me if the slides had been lubed or cleaned and I said you guys were paid to do that earlier this year in "get ready for camping" service for $250. Thanks,