Water leak in slide lock Latitude

[Journey39n]

Hi Pam,
I believe the slidelock we all seem to be talking about, was added in the 07 model year. I know my 03 Horizon did not have these locks.

Hopefully my picture gets through. Taken from the inside of the coach, slide in and locked. The locks seem to be in the middle of the slide roof, next to the outside edge. When in lock position, they hold the slide into the side of the coach.

[pameridan04]

Hi J39n:

Thank you very much for the picture.

Yeah my coach does not have that wierd looking slide lock

I wonder if it has weep holes? Ticks me off to end that I have this leak.

Regards... Jim P.

[Yorker]

We have a Suncruiser 35P

I used the pipe cleaner on the weep hole. It went in about 3 inches and then stopped. Is that about right.

Our leak was about three feet from the lock. and there was no leak right around the lock.

[mikenmo]

I really hate to hear about all these leaks in our slides, Winnebago really does make a great product, IMO, but this area sure is a frustration!

After I first posted this as my problem and built the silicone curb around the well, I also noticed the caulking seal along the front of the slide could be suspect. Since I had taken the awning top off, I went ahead and resealed this lap from the front to the back. I don't know if the lock well was the leak OR the front edge was the leak, but since I did this we haven't had any more water or dampness in the cabinet above the bed.

Good luck to all who are frustrated with this, don't give up.

[bilcol81]

Our leak is in the LR slide lock. The water originates from the rain gutter above the slide top and leaks thru 2 seams in the gutter behind the slide top and then runs straight to the lock opening because its the lowest point on the slide roof. When I first went to the dealer for repair they put some caulk at the end of the slide roof where they could reach. They never mentioned the drain holes. I tried every kind of sealer I could think of to seal the gutter but it still leaked. I finally filled the gutter with silicone sealer the whole length of the slide and have been dry ever since. We will be at the factory for repair in Aug and will report what happens.

[Keith K]

I gave up trying to stop leaks, after all, I wasn't smart enough to defeat the genius of engineering a hole in the roof on a horizontal surface. I applied a plastic patch made from a storage tub top and held by a silicon seal, then covered the whole thing with Eternabond. No more leaks. After 20k miles, the slide has never moved without the lock, and if it ever does, I'll buy a 2X4 and use it as a lock.

[bilcol81]

We were at the factory last week for several repair items.
They wanted $6000 to repair the water damage to the slide and $1500 to replace the rain gutter to stop the leaking. They did not mention drain holes and would not cover anything under warranty since our coach is an 07. I was told that since my dealer did the initial diagnosis and repair I should take it back to them. What a crock!
They acted like I was the only one that ever had this problem! I hope the engineer that designed this is among the unemployed. I'm still not sure what fix to use. I've even thought about filling the lock box with that expanable foam insulation, but that would disable the lock. Oh well, we must press on.

[JimO]

I purchased alse fall a roll of black roofing tape at Camping World. it sticks on one side and you roll out and then apply some hand pressure to secure it permanently. Its about 5" by about 20', (I don't remember exact size). I pulled the slide in and the first day I used a stool and cleaned the part of the slide on the top that butts up against the opening and about 6" of the roof from end to end. I wanted to be rid of all dust and grime. After letting things dry for a day, I started the tape and worked it from the rear to the front and let it completely cover the face and the turn to the roof of the slide. We have had a lot of rain on the roof after placing this tape. We live and have spent a lot of time on the Oregon coast where it rains and rains and rains and windy most of the time. Did I mention it rains! No leaks! Everyone including myself concentrated on the lock cavity and ignored the seam along the inside corner of the slide roof. This was a under $50.00 repair. Again a terrible lack of competent RV maintenance personnel hurts this suffering industry. I swear most of the negative conversations we hear on the RV lifestyle could be solved by reducing the employee turnover. Maybe a living wage would help.

[mikenmo]

Good job, JimO! If we all keep this up we may solve this leak dilemma. We're still leak free and IF it leaks again I'll look at your solution. I've used the black tape in the past on other things, before full timing, and it worked well. May have to purchase some just in case....