Own A Newmar With Electric Slide Outs... Read THIS!

[OverDo]

The 3/8" bolts that take a 9/16" socket should be torqued at 33 foot pounds. I changed the hardware over to Nordlock washers, flange headed bolts and blue Loctite as a preventative maintenance task. I also check the torque every couple of months or so just to be sure. Any 5/16" bolts that take a 1/2" socket should be torqued to 20 foot pounds or so. The 100 inch pound torque converts to about 8 foot pounds and would be correct for a 1/4" bolt that takes a 7/16" socket but I don't think there are any in this system.

[reubenray]

I need to go through this thread again to find some better pictures to find these bolts. Correct me if I am wrong, but the FWS will have two motors and the other slides will have only one motor. Is this correct? Also are these bolts under cover of something and do they line up with the metal straps that are under the slide? I am hoping to find these to check before I load up the compartments.

While looking under the bedroom slide I saw a recessed area. What is this?

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by reubenray

I need to go through this thread again to find some better pictures to find these bolts. Correct me if I am wrong, but the FWS will have two motors and the other slides will have only one motor. Is this correct? Also are these bolts under cover of something and do they line up with the metal straps that are under the slide? I am hoping to find these to check before I load up the compartments.

While looking under the bedroom slide I saw a recessed area. What is this?

Go back to Post #96. I have pictures there for you to locate your motors.

[AzGoldDigger]

Re TSBs. If you don't know how to look them up on Newmar's website, just look at the stickies at the top of this forum! :-)

[Bill Hunt]

Originally Posted by reubenray

I need to go through this thread again to find some better pictures to find these bolts. Correct me if I am wrong, but the FWS will have two motors and the other slides will have only one motor. Is this correct? Also are these bolts under cover of something and do they line up with the metal straps that are under the slide? I am hoping to find these to check before I load up the compartments.

While looking under the bedroom slide I saw a recessed area. What is this?

Raymond, yes there are two motors on your FWS. One is accessible from your DEF compartment and the other from the second or third bay. I took my bolts out and put blue lock tite on them while I was repairing my screw up by not unlocking the rear lock arm.
You might pull one bolt out to check if Newmar used the Locktite my bet is they didn't.
Take out only one at a time [emoji57]

[reubenray]

Originally Posted by Bill Hunt

Raymond, yes there are two motors on your FWS. One is accessible from your DEF compartment and the other from the second or third bay. I took my bolts out and put blue lock tite on them while I was repairing my screw up by not unlocking the rear lock arm.
You might pull one bolt out to check if Newmar used the Locktite my bet is they didn't.
Take out only one at a time [emoji57]

Does it make any difference if the slides are in or out?

[Buly]

Regarding torque on the 3/8" bolts. On my plane's propeller I had 1/2" steel bolts threaded in steel inserts and the torque needed was 42 foot pounds to absorb torque from 180HP engine. I'm still afraid that a smaller 3/8" bolt, threaded in soft aluminum will be ok at 32 foot pounds. If the threads strip, it is a big lob coming for you. Like installing helicoils in a blind hole.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by racer0624

Adding to Wayne's suggestion. We were in Nappanee a couple of weeks ago and our tech said to add blue Locktite.

Good advice, but why don't they do that during assembly? I have the same issue on my Entegra.

[msy4us]

Did you photo the bedroom slide - do we just raise the center panel?

[Bill Hunt]

Originally Posted by reubenray

Does it make any difference if the slides are in or out?

No but it easier with the slide in. you can get in the basement easier.

[OverDo]

Here is the Newmar sheet with the torque values. I personally would not use safety wire as it is hard to check the torque of the bolts which will lose their clamp force if the motor shifts in its bracket holes from the reaction of moving the now extremely heavy slides. The highest loads are at the end of travel getting the slide moving or parking it against the stops.
This Newmar rack and pinion type mechanical slide is a very good system just the slide rooms have become so heavy that 4 bolts in the housings may not be enough. This is an off the shelf gear motor and would require a huge investment to redesign for the low volume singular use in this application. Due diligence of adding the bolt check to routine maintenance should not be an issue.

[OakHillFarm]

I began checking my slide motor bolts on 7/25/2016 as part of our pre-trip checklist. Yesterday, while doing my pre-travel checks, I found the driver side slide motor mount twisted and cracked. Called my selling RV dealer and they said they recommended taking the unit to the factory for this repair. The dealer is about 1 1/2 hours away and the factory is atbout another 1 1/2 hours away. Not ideal, but doable. I am just happy the dealer was were upfront about this work being outside their ability.

I then called Newmar and spoke to Bruce. He seemed surprised the dealer referred this work out but was glad to write it up and submit it to service. He asked me to send him a picture of the motor/mount, which I did while on the line. He said yeah, clearly covered under the warranty and due to the (2) TSBs my coach is identified under. Bill, the service rep, contacted me soon after the call to Bruce and we are now scheduled for 7/26. Could have gotten in sooner but I am out of town during the earlier opening they had.

I am quite interested to see how this repair is done. I am also going to get the bedroom slide blue locktite fix installed while there. So far very pleased with the response from Newmar. Stuff happens, just gad the factory is reasonably close.

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by OverDo

Here is the Newmar sheet with the torque values. I personally would not use safety wire as it is hard to check the torque of the bolts which will lose their clamp force if the motor shifts in its bracket holes from the reaction of moving the now extremely heavy slides. The highest loads are at the end of travel getting the slide moving or parking it against the stops.
This Newmar rack and pinion type mechanical slide is a very good system just the slide rooms have become so heavy that 4 bolts in the housings may not be enough. This is an off the shelf gear motor and would require a huge investment to redesign for the low volume singular use in this application. Due diligence of adding the bolt check to routine maintenance should not be an issue.

So why would you worry what the torque value is later? There is no way to check it later anyway. The only correct way to check it would be to break it loose and re torque. The value to break it loose will far exceed the original torque value anyway.

The idea of aircraft bolts is to prevent the bolts from coming out. If they don't turn, which they can not with wire ties done properly, they won't come out. Problem solved.

[NealC]

Why not put a white line on the bolt and the bracket and when you inspect it if the lines don't line up you know something changed?