Slide issue, hoping to leave in the morning! Help needed...

[Powerstroke2000]

Loaded up our 36' Phaeton the last couple of days, and apparently we are expecting snow tonight, plus we wanted to leave in the morning for warmer climate in Az!
All slides came in fine, except the front passenger slide. The front seems to come in ok, but the back doesn't move, so it just binds. By looking under the slide, it looks to be a single metal piece (sleeve) in the centre of the bottom (I don't understand how all this works?) so I took it back out, and tried 'in' again, but the back end seems to not be coming in??
So much for getting away in the morning...unless I can get some help figuring this out. Had the wife try pushing on it, but that was useless.
Could someone explain how this works, as when looking up from inside the cabinets there isn't anything to see that I can make out, as the mechanism must be in the floor somehow.

Any help on this would be appreciated. As mentioned, all other slides came in fine, and I can hear the pump working, but as mentioned, the back end doesn't seem to come in and it binds, so I have to take it back out again.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Jon_C]

Wish I could help but theres so many slide designs out there its hard to help. If u have a slide topper make sure its clean and not binding. And maybe the seal is coming loose and binding? Id look everything over closely and compare to the other slides that are working. Best of luck!

[Powerstroke2000]

Originally Posted by Jon_C

Wish I could help but theres so many slide designs out there its hard to help. If u have a slide topper make sure its clean and not binding. And maybe the seal is coming loose and binding? Id look everything over closely and compare to the other slides that are working. Best of luck!

Thanks! Will double check that, albeit I do have toppers which look to be fine. Oddly, the pump seems to be working fine (front side moves back and forth with no effort, so it's just the back end of the slide that doesn't seem to move. I haven't a clue as to how or what moves this particular slide, as nothing can be seen from the inside (when looking up from the basement cabinets), as to whether there are Rams that push/pull (from the centre or one at either end)?
The opposite side (drivers) you can look under the slide belly and see the rods, and gears, but other than a channel in the centre on the passenger, the whole bottom of the slide shows nothing toward how it works, as it's flat and clean as a whistle. I'm a newbie with regard to these slides, and I know the front are hydraulic, and rears are electric. (4 slides total).

[Jon_C]

What you describe sounds just like my slide on my 98 HR Endeavor. I have 3 channels below the floor and all ate driven by an electric motor that turns a shaft. The shaft has wheels with cogs that engage the shafts on the bottom. I think ive read here the rod bearings can go bad and be replaced. I removed the black cover on mine in the bays to see how it worked normally so should i have problems at least i know what normal operation looks like. Maybe take a look at yours or post some pics.

[luvlabs]

I think the slides on your unit are hydraulic passenger side and electric driver's side. My 2014 had front hydraulic/rear electric but older Phaetons did not.

Open a driver's side storage compartment under the slide and look at the ceiling in that compartment. You should see the slide drive mechanism - look for motors and a shaft the runs the length of the slide. Have someone operate the slide and see if everything is turning. You could have a shear pin that has let go and only one side of the slide is being moved. If that is the case, replace the shear pin and you are fixed.

[Powerstroke2000]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

I think the slides on your unit are hydraulic passenger side and electric driver's side. My 2014 had front hydraulic/rear electric but older Phaetons did not.

Open a driver's side storage compartment under the slide and look at the ceiling in that compartment. You should see the slide drive mechanism - look for motors and a shaft the runs the length of the slide. Have someone operate the slide and see if everything is turning. You could have a shear pin that has let go and only one side of the slide is being moved. If that is the case, replace the shear pin and you are fixed.

An Update!

I called Tiffin this morning, (twice actually) and got somewhat of an explanation of where the components are, and it sounds like someone really needs to know how to work on these things to do repairs!
I poked around this morning right after daylight appeared, as we're eager to get going after planning for two months and packing for two days....and what I found, was the back side of this slide sits lower on the outside, than the front does...unsure if all are like this, but I'd say a good 1/2" to 5/8" along the bottom rubber. So I went inside, and saw the rear portion sitting right on the floor!
The second time I talked to the service fellow at Tiffin, he said to use a pry bar to lift the front portion of the sink/cabinets 'up'...which I did. I had an old wooden spoon in my garage, so I cut it up to use as 'dowelling' to sit under the cabinetry...at least for a short distance, and pushed the button, and the back side came in (some). I have a 'yard stick' that is metal, so I had my wife (using a flashlight) look to see if she could find the roller, which she could just barely see, so we stuck the yardstick under the roller...and I took that metal artwork off the wall that comes with all Phaetons I believe, since any binding would allow the cabinetry to hit it. I went outside and pushed on the back side of the slide, and my wife hit the button to bring the slide in, and it then felt like it was binding a bit at the top (since I was outside) as it would go smoothly, bind a bit then jump in some...so anyway, we got the slide in thankfully!
We're thinking...either leave that slide in for our 2 month trip south, or, have it looked at in the US (we are in southwest Canada). We'll be heading south through Washington, Oregon and California prior to getting to Arizona where we have reservations for March. If anyone has some suggestions as to where one can get GOOD service for a Tiffin Phaeton, please feel free to let me know here on the forum please.
The reason I say this, is I phoned our only local location that sells higher end motorhomes, including the Tiffin brand, told me that they don't work on Tiffin's 'not bought' at their location! Makes me wonder why Tiffin themselves allows such a thing? Or perhaps it was the year, as my Phaeton is a 2008?? Still, that's shoddy service to me, although they did give me a name of another RV repair centre locally who works on all brands, but I thought if I could get some suggestions from you folks, perhaps that would be a better choice of getting it looked at and operational?

Thanks again...

[Lt Dan]

I'm not familiar with your coach layout, but is that PS slide the kitchen? If so, is the sink at the rear part of the slide? Again, if yes, you can remove the bottom panel under the sink to access the slide roller. It's beginning to sound like a slide roller may have jumped off it's axle or broken.

[RWDJR.]

Is that the bottom of your slide. While it’s in, look under the slide on both ends and see if anything is different from end to end. I think Mine has to lift back up into the coach, so I would look for a bad roller maybe.

[Mrb1ll]

Is the slide in question an HWH unit? If it is call them and tell the phone operator you need to talk to a technician. Have your VIN number and a good call back number. A tech will usually call in under 30 minutes and can most likely tell you exactly what the problem is.

I had what “sounds like” the same thing but my problem was at the front end of the passenger slide. It uses a chain type unit driven by a hydraulic piston. The piston connects, so to speak, via a gear that looks like the cylinder on a “six shooter” pistol. In fact the HWH guys call it a SIX SHOOTER.

The HWH guys can probably walk you through how to release the pressure to the cylinder(s) at the pump unit and then you can probably push the unit in from the outside. May need to enlist a couple friends to push on the slide from the outside.

If it is the SIX SHOOTER that is defective the good news is it is only about $25. The bad news it is a pain to get to the drive mechanism in some cases. Now that I’ve watched the tech repair mine I believe I could do it myself. However, if you have never seen what the unit even looks like, it was hidden behind wood trim and a retracting “curtain” that covered the front of mechanism, it might be rather intimidating.

Good luck,

Mr Bill

P.S.

I might be able to dig up the photos I took of mine and send to you. Forward your email address to WPREDINGER@JUNO.COM and I’ll see what I can do to assist you.

[Mrb1ll]

Originally Posted by Powerstroke2000

An Update!



I called Tiffin this morning, (twice actually) and got somewhat of an explanation of where the components are, and it sounds like someone really needs to know how to work on these things to do repairs!

I poked around this morning right after daylight appeared, as we're eager to get going after planning for two months and packing for two days....and what I found, was the back side of this slide sits lower on the outside, than the front does...unsure if all are like this, but I'd say a good 1/2" to 5/8" along the bottom rubber. So I went inside, and saw the rear portion sitting right on the floor!

The second time I talked to the service fellow at Tiffin, he said to use a pry bar to lift the front portion of the sink/cabinets 'up'...which I did. I had an old wooden spoon in my garage, so I cut it up to use as 'dowelling' to sit under the cabinetry...at least for a short distance, and pushed the button, and the back side came in (some). I have a 'yard stick' that is metal, so I had my wife (using a flashlight) look to see if she could find the roller, which she could just barely see, so we stuck the yardstick under the roller...and I took that metal artwork off the wall that comes with all Phaetons I believe, since any binding would allow the cabinetry to hit it. I went outside and pushed on the back side of the slide, and my wife hit the button to bring the slide in, and it then felt like it was binding a bit at the top (since I was outside) as it would go smoothly, bind a bit then jump in some...so anyway, we got the slide in thankfully!

We're thinking...either leave that slide in for our 2 month trip south, or, have it looked at in the US (we are in southwest Canada). We'll be heading south through Washington, Oregon and California prior to getting to Arizona where we have reservations for March. If anyone has some suggestions as to where one can get GOOD service for a Tiffin Phaeton, please feel free to let me know here on the forum please.

The reason I say this, is I phoned our only local location that sells higher end motorhomes, including the Tiffin brand, told me that they don't work on Tiffin's 'not bought' at their location! Makes me wonder why Tiffin themselves allows such a thing? Or perhaps it was the year, as my Phaeton is a 2008?? Still, that's shoddy service to me, although they did give me a name of another RV repair centre locally who works on all brands, but I thought if I could get some suggestions from you folks, perhaps that would be a better choice of getting it looked at and operational?



Thanks again...

I travel with my slide in for a month with no issues. If you are coming to the Las Vegas area a mobile repair company by the name of HAPPY HAL’S did my repairs. Great group and two guys, in particular, were very knowledgeable of the HWH units. JIMMY seemed to be the expert but he talked JAMES through it all. They did terrific work.

I’ve attached some photos of the slide mechanism and the SIX SHOOTER that was eaten when a metal slide pin jammed in the SIX SHOOTER, resulting in the mangled piece you see.


I hope your issue is with the rollers as that is much easier to repair.

[Mrb1ll]

Originally Posted by Powerstroke2000

An Update!



I called Tiffin this morning, (twice actually) and got somewhat of an explanation of where the components are, and it sounds like someone really needs to know how to work on these things to do repairs!

I poked around this morning right after daylight appeared, as we're eager to get going after planning for two months and packing for two days....and what I found, was the back side of this slide sits lower on the outside, than the front does...unsure if all are like this, but I'd say a good 1/2" to 5/8" along the bottom rubber. So I went inside, and saw the rear portion sitting right on the floor!

The second time I talked to the service fellow at Tiffin, he said to use a pry bar to lift the front portion of the sink/cabinets 'up'...which I did. I had an old wooden spoon in my garage, so I cut it up to use as 'dowelling' to sit under the cabinetry...at least for a short distance, and pushed the button, and the back side came in (some). I have a 'yard stick' that is metal, so I had my wife (using a flashlight) look to see if she could find the roller, which she could just barely see, so we stuck the yardstick under the roller...and I took that metal artwork off the wall that comes with all Phaetons I believe, since any binding would allow the cabinetry to hit it. I went outside and pushed on the back side of the slide, and my wife hit the button to bring the slide in, and it then felt like it was binding a bit at the top (since I was outside) as it would go smoothly, bind a bit then jump in some...so anyway, we got the slide in thankfully!

We're thinking...either leave that slide in for our 2 month trip south, or, have it looked at in the US (we are in southwest Canada). We'll be heading south through Washington, Oregon and California prior to getting to Arizona where we have reservations for March. If anyone has some suggestions as to where one can get GOOD service for a Tiffin Phaeton, please feel free to let me know here on the forum please.

The reason I say this, is I phoned our only local location that sells higher end motorhomes, including the Tiffin brand, told me that they don't work on Tiffin's 'not bought' at their location! Makes me wonder why Tiffin themselves allows such a thing? Or perhaps it was the year, as my Phaeton is a 2008?? Still, that's shoddy service to me, although they did give me a name of another RV repair centre locally who works on all brands, but I thought if I could get some suggestions from you folks, perhaps that would be a better choice of getting it looked at and operational?



Thanks again...

If you are going to be in the Las Vegas area Happy Hal’s can be reached at 702.280.0320. They were knowledgeable, polite, reasonable pricing, worked clean, and did everything they could to accomplish my travel plans. I’d call them just to get a feel about the problem. They worked on several Tiffin coaches and know the HWH system if that is your problem.

Good luck and let me know if I can help. Live in Vegas.

Mr B1LL

[sweettooth1959]

Originally Posted by Powerstroke2000

An Update!

I called Tiffin this morning, (twice actually) and got somewhat of an explanation of where the components are, and it sounds like someone really needs to know how to work on these things to do repairs!
I poked around this morning right after daylight appeared, as we're eager to get going after planning for two months and packing for two days....and what I found, was the back side of this slide sits lower on the outside, than the front does...unsure if all are like this, but I'd say a good 1/2" to 5/8" along the bottom rubber. So I went inside, and saw the rear portion sitting right on the floor!
The second time I talked to the service fellow at Tiffin, he said to use a pry bar to lift the front portion of the sink/cabinets 'up'...which I did. I had an old wooden spoon in my garage, so I cut it up to use as 'dowelling' to sit under the cabinetry...at least for a short distance, and pushed the button, and the back side came in (some). I have a 'yard stick' that is metal, so I had my wife (using a flashlight) look to see if she could find the roller, which she could just barely see, so we stuck the yardstick under the roller...and I took that metal artwork off the wall that comes with all Phaetons I believe, since any binding would allow the cabinetry to hit it. I went outside and pushed on the back side of the slide, and my wife hit the button to bring the slide in, and it then felt like it was binding a bit at the top (since I was outside) as it would go smoothly, bind a bit then jump in some...so anyway, we got the slide in thankfully!
We're thinking...either leave that slide in for our 2 month trip south, or, have it looked at in the US (we are in southwest Canada). We'll be heading south through Washington, Oregon and California prior to getting to Arizona where we have reservations for March. If anyone has some suggestions as to where one can get GOOD service for a Tiffin Phaeton, please feel free to let me know here on the forum please.
The reason I say this, is I phoned our only local location that sells higher end motorhomes, including the Tiffin brand, told me that they don't work on Tiffin's 'not bought' at their location! Makes me wonder why Tiffin themselves allows such a thing? Or perhaps it was the year, as my Phaeton is a 2008?? Still, that's shoddy service to me, although they did give me a name of another RV repair centre locally who works on all brands, but I thought if I could get some suggestions from you folks, perhaps that would be a better choice of getting it looked at and operational?

Thanks again...

Our 2018 Phaeton is being repaired at Leale's in San Jose, CA (South San Francisco Bay Area). They have good customer service and was recommended by a mobile mechanic.