Slide Gasket keeps tearing- Monaco Windsor

krnlueck · 07-28-2011, 06:11 AM

We are at Lazy Days in Tampa after purchasing a new to us 2003 Monaco Windsor PBD.

They are VERY good about fixing any and everything we find wrong.

On the living room slide, there are black hard plastic pieces that are part of the locking mechanism.

When we first bought the coach we noticed a tear at the top on both of the slide gaskets, right by the hard black pieces. Our tech guy Mike replaced the gaskets on both sides.

We went back to the changeover site and lived in it a few days. The slide went in and out a few times.

Then we noticed the brand new slide gasket has a big gouge out of it in the exact same place. Mike thinks the hard black plastic piece is causing it to tear. He is off today (so we are sitting in the bay waiting for his return tomorrow)

My question is, has anyone else experienced this issue with this particular style of slide mechanism? It doesn't seem like the best design to me. Mike is very meticulous and we have confidence he will fix the problem, but in the meantime, I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue.

Thanks for you help!!

Sticks4748 · 07-28-2011, 08:07 PM

Are both of the Stainless steel bumpers on the wall where the locking mechanism comes to the outside wall of the MH? You have to keep the locking mech. well oiled (Tri-flow) or it get real hard to move and it will pop the S.S. pieces of the wall. When it happened to mine it also tore a hole in the black seal. You should be able to push on the lock mech with the palm of your hand and the lock should go up - FAIRLY ez,

Rich O.
02 Windsor PBDD

Dr4Film · 07-30-2011, 05:46 AM

On my large roadside slide, the black rubber seals have not been damaged by the automatic lock mechanisms on each end. However, the slide was knocked out of sync last February while on my way to a rally at Lazy Days in Seffner FL. I attempted to re-sync the slide without success, so I took it to Alliance RV repair in Wildwood Fl just north of Tampa.

After they repaired the slide, they suggested that the slide locks may not have retracted completely thereby causing the slide to hangup briefly when going out or in. The tech stated that the locking mechanism was very stiff and should be lubricated. When I returned to Lazy Days, I took a can of Tri-Flo and thoroughly lubricated the roadside slide and the kitchen slide locks until I was able to move them using my hand.

It is possibly that the lock is causing the damage to the rubber seal. That's the first place I would look. Make sure that the black cover has not been damaged. It needs to lay flat to the side of the slide. Look carefully at the top where it is secured to the slide wall exterior.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

TGMarrs · 07-30-2011, 06:02 AM

Knocked out of sync? What does the slide do when this happens?

My slide just started with a problem going out. When we hold the button I hear the motor running but nothing happens! When I release the switch the slide then moves out about 2-4 inches. I repeat holding the button a few seconds hearing the motor run while the slide doesn't move, then release the switch to get a few inches of movement to get the slide out.

The slide always comes back in just like normal...

Any ideas?

Dr4Film · 07-30-2011, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGMarrs

Knocked out of sync? What does the slide do when this happens?

The slide always comes back in just like normal...

Any ideas?

My large roadside slide is powered with an electric Power Gear motor. It is attached to a very long drive shaft that goes through two cog gears which are in alignment to the two cog rails underneath the bottom of the slide. This slide is also a drop down floor level slide.

I attempted to run the slide out one night while traveling to Florida and I heard a clunk-clunk during the slide travel. I was able to run the slide all the way out eventually, however, the next morning when the slide went back in, one end was tight to the side of the coach and the other end was about one inch away from the side. Obviously it was now cockeyed.

There is a method to re-sync the slide but it didn't work for me. That's why I ended up going to Alliance who are the experts. They took care of the problem in 3 hours and did some probing to see why the cog gear and cog rail got out of sync in the first place. Never came up with a positive identification other than that the two slide locks on the ends were not working smoothly and needed to be lubricated.

Regarding your problem, it would help to know whether you have an electric or hydraulic slide motor to try and diagnose it.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

TGMarrs · 07-30-2011, 11:14 PM

That sounds different than my problem. My slide is hydraulic and comes out straight without tilting during the process. I have verified I am not low on fluid.

late starter · 07-31-2011, 04:35 PM

DrForFilm, I believe it's possible the 'clunk-clunk' you heard when extending the slide, was the gear jumping a cog on the end that was closed completely when you closed the slide. You might look at the gears and the gear drive bars and see if there is unusual wear. I would also look under the slide itself and around the floor that's covered when the slide is in, for signs of something having been dragged along with the slide as it moves. Debris could be caught under one of the slide rollers, possibly lift that end of the slide just enough to separate the gear and allow it to skip a tooth or two... That may sound rediculous; it's just a thought. Shortly after we first got our unit, I heard a loud grinding when I opened the slide, that scared the heck out of me. I opened the louver door near the sink, and found pieces of plastic ties, some beads from a lecklace, a steel nut, and what looked like ground-up dog food under the whole cabinet area. I cleaned thoroughly, and also found the locking nuts for the roller were loose and the roller adjustment was way off, so I fixed that too. I have since bought a long slender brush that I use to clean under the cabinets before I retract the slide.

I'm curious regarding lubricating the slide lock mechanisms. Just spray into the mechanism from the top and bottom? That's the only area on mine that I can get to it. I don't know how to remove the black plastic cover, and I don't know what the mechanism actually looks like.

Dr4Film · 07-31-2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by late starter

I'm curious regarding lubricating the slide lock mechanisms. Just spray into the mechanism from the top and bottom? That's the only area on mine that I can get to it. I don't know how to remove the black plastic cover, and I don't know what the mechanism actually looks like.

I will take a look under the slide the next time after it has been run in to see if anything is caught under there.

The Tri-Flo goes into the top of the slide lock mechanism. Put in enough to have it run out the bottom really good. You will need to move the spray tube back and forth from each end of the black cover to get all of the mechanism. The more the better. Once it has bee smothered in Tri-Flo, work the mechanism by hand so the lock goes up and down.

You don't need to remove the cover to do this and it's not recommended unless the mechanism needs to be repaired.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

TGMarrs · 08-02-2011, 08:57 PM

Just got my slide fixed - and you won't believe what the problem was!

It turned out to be the slide switch on the wall. The switch has 6 connections on the back, and when you hold it in the slide out position, it actually sends power to two different positive leads. One goes to the pump (which was working and I could hear run), and the other went to the slide out solenoid valve to open it. Turns out the connection going to the valve was defective and not always providing power. The switch looked and felt normal, so the only way we discovered this was by replacing the switch in the troubleshooting after we swapped two solenoids and it didn't change anything.