Community Forums

Rich and Cork · 01-03-2010, 11:10 AM

Looks like the kitchen slide is now out of square. It is off by about half an inch along the top. The reference for this measurement is to the slide framing on the sidewall. This movement is enough that it has cracked the bulb seal. A local RV shop says that the slide is cracked, altho I have not seen the crack yet. He did center the slide as best as he could. Will talk to him a bit more tomorrow. I made a bunch of measurements myself yesterday and will do some more today. Anyone else had room slide problem like this?

On our four month trip, which ended in Dec, the slide seemed to take a different set as time went on. It began to drag more on the carpet behind the driver seat. I put something thin under it so it would not damage the carpet.

After initial post:
I made some measurements on the slide and it looks to be symmetrical with respect to outside measurements along the slide. This would be at the top and bottom inside of the slide, near the bulb seal to the outside, along the end moulding. But, there is a sidewall crack at the top front. It does not have a significant opening to it, but it does eminate from that corner around four inches. It does go under the awning topper arm mechanism structure.

EngineerMike · 01-03-2010, 11:40 AM

Rich- I believe there are some pads in the slide ram tubes to keep the ram sliding straight. These gotta take a pounding, and will need to be replaced from time to time. That should tighten up the movement you are experiencing somewhat, tho the overall situation you are describing seems like some other additive problems as well. I have no idea where to get them, but I know others have had them replaced.

A good tool for these measurements is a 6' or 8' level to make sure you are getting square measurements. You can make one out of a shorter level by taping it to a long, straight edge, like a piece of aluminum tube (something rigid enough not to bend when extended horizontally but still light enough to handle).

Dale777 · 01-03-2010, 12:43 PM

Rich and Cork,

The pads in the slide ram tubes mentioned by EMike are made of Teflon. The best that I remember, they are about 2" by 3". On my previous 2001 FDDS 38' Alpine Coach, those pads were bad from day one from the factory. As a result, the slide dragged on the carpet and sometimes would stick when trying to extend it. My wife would push the extend button and I would push on the top of the slide to get it to fully extend. Finally, I got WRV to remove the slide and replace the pads. Afterwards, I never had another problem.

Rich and Cork · 01-03-2010, 05:21 PM

I will talk to my guy tomorrow about the pads. The ones on the outside don't show much wear, but that may be deceiving. And you cannot see what is at the other end inside the tubing.

My coach sees a lot of abuse, since I am an off-road kind of guy. So, anything is possible. Just gotta deal with it. Will let you know how things progress.

Old Scout · 01-04-2010, 07:08 AM

You mentioned a "4 inch sidewall crack"--do you mean between the gaskets and the sidewalls or an actual crack in the fiberglass? Urban legend suggests that on some early coaches, WRV welded the slide ram tubes to the frame without first extending the rams. According to the legend, this melted/ deformed the internal guides [not the one's you can see] on the ram. If so, you should have noticed the misalignment on the paint scheme, even with the outside adjustments max-ed. I heard some folks have removed and replaced the internal guides but that sounds like a major effort.

Rich and Cork · 01-04-2010, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Scout

You mentioned a "4 inch sidewall crack"--do you mean between the gaskets and the sidewalls or an actual crack in the fiberglass? Urban legend suggests that on some early coaches, WRV welded the slide ram tubes to the frame without first extending the rams. According to the legend, this melted/ deformed the internal guides [not the one's you can see] on the ram. If so, you should have noticed the misalignment on the paint scheme, even with the outside adjustments max-ed. I heard some folks have removed and replaced the internal guides but that sounds like a major effort.

It is at the top front. What it looks like is that the slide probably hit the upper corner as it was being retracted and stressed the corner. The fiberglass is cracked, but no significant seperation. The paint lines do line up after the repair shop did some aligning.

Dale777 · 01-04-2010, 10:41 AM

Rich and Cork,

Old Scout's comment about "...WRV welded the slide ram tubes to the frame without first extending the rams. According to the legend, this melted/ deformed the internal guides..." is exactly what was done to my 2001 Alpine Coach that I mentioned in my note above. When I looked at the replaced Teflon pads I could see that they were scorched and deformed. According to the WRV Service Writer at that time, he told me this happened due to welding on the slide ram tubes.

Rich and Cork · 01-04-2010, 05:40 PM

Stopped by the shop today and talked to the owner and the repair guy. The repair guy had done some of the measurements I had done. I am taking back in next Mon and we will see what all we can find. There is another crack in the top of the slide, but once again, no significant separation. Maybe the slide is twisting as it goes out/in? We will be replacing the bulb seal as a minimum, but will be checking the ram to the extent we can. Thanks for the input and will let you know what happens.

Pollo man · 01-05-2010, 11:31 AM

Rich,
We changed our slide pads 2-3 yrs ago with the help from Dr Dave's CD with pictures, which I still have.
Ours were melted causing the slide to ruin the carpet.
Also smoothed out the slide operation.
Took about 5 hours to change out.
HWH charges $50 for the all the pads but only need those for the passenger side. Just helped Alpine Jim change his. Between us we have extra pads if interested.
Give me a call for help if needed.
Gary Poeschl (Orange, Ca)

EngineerMike · 01-05-2010, 11:38 AM

Gary- is there some combination of photos & instructions we could put together into a PDF document to post on the Tech Library for posterity? Mike

Rich and Cork · 01-05-2010, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pollo man

Rich,
We changed our slide pads 2-3 yrs ago with the help from Dr Dave's CD with pictures, which I still have.
Ours were melted causing the slide to ruin the carpet.
Also smoothed out the slide operation.
Took about 5 hours to change out.
HWH charges $50 for the all the pads but only need those for the passenger side. Just helped Alpine Jim change his. Between us we have extra pads if interested.
Give me a call for help if needed.
Gary Poeschl (Orange, Ca)

Gary, check your PMs.

Rich and Cork · 01-05-2010, 06:31 PM

Just an update on a little matter I have discovered. Across the top of the coach inside above the slide is a rubber seal that is about 1/4 inch or so of a fairly stiff rubber seal. About 2/3 of this has come loose from the wall; it just lays in the slide. It appears this has caused the slide to move out more at the rear than at the front. This has probably been part of a problem I have had with the slide knocking off the sink drain hose. I continue to mess around.......

EngineerMike · 01-06-2010, 01:13 PM

Gary (PolloMan) will be at Qzite with the CD and hopefully some initial copy of a write-up on doing the pad change-out. If anybody is doing this, please take clear, close-up photos to include in a final DIY instruction set for the Tech Library. These pads are a wear item that we will all need changed out some day.

Gary & Rich- how many miles on your rigs when the pad problem reared its ugly head?
Anybody else that's had pad replacement- how many miles on yours @ that point?

Old Scout · 01-06-2010, 01:38 PM

"Loved the book, can't wait for the movie." When replacing the internal pads, did this require removing metal trim/cover that runs the length of the slide[bottom], and the large brackets that connect the ram ends to the bottom of the slide? The rear bracket on our 03 40'MDTS is directly under the hot water heater--"impossible" to reach.