slide out won't open

[lana725]

I bought a 2005 Excel last spring (May '07) to live in fulltime in and have enjoyed traveling in it for the past 8 months. The two slides in the kitchen/living area always slid very slowly, but now the heaviest one will not open at all. When I push the button it makes that loud clutching sound so I just don't use it anymore. I just read in the forum that some folks recommend having them adjusted periodically. I haven't heard anything about that before and am wondering if that might be all it is, but since I don't know how anything about it I will eventually need to take it to a dealer or service center. Are stuck slide outs a common problem that any RV service center can most likely fix, or should I wait until I can get to a place that specifically services Excel fifth wheels? Also, what is a reasonable amount of time for this type of repair to take (hours? days? weeks?) assuming they have the necessary parts? I have not had good luck getting my trailer serviced so far and I wonder if it is because I am not a local resident and it is unlikely the service center will need to stand by their work should I have problems down the road. Is this a problem for other fulltime travelers? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

[lana725]

I bought a 2005 Excel last spring (May '07) to live in fulltime in and have enjoyed traveling in it for the past 8 months. The two slides in the kitchen/living area always slid very slowly, but now the heaviest one will not open at all. When I push the button it makes that loud clutching sound so I just don't use it anymore. I just read in the forum that some folks recommend having them adjusted periodically. I haven't heard anything about that before and am wondering if that might be all it is, but since I don't know how anything about it I will eventually need to take it to a dealer or service center. Are stuck slide outs a common problem that any RV service center can most likely fix, or should I wait until I can get to a place that specifically services Excel fifth wheels? Also, what is a reasonable amount of time for this type of repair to take (hours? days? weeks?) assuming they have the necessary parts? I have not had good luck getting my trailer serviced so far and I wonder if it is because I am not a local resident and it is unlikely the service center will need to stand by their work should I have problems down the road. Is this a problem for other fulltime travelers? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

[Bob Wilson]

Hi lana725,

Welcome to the forum!

I'm a full-timer with a 2004 Excel, and I recently had to have a gear replaced in the kitchen slide mechanism.

In my case, the clutching sound was actually skipping teeth, and over time, enough of the teeth broke that the slide would no longer move in and out properly ... one side would move but the other wouldn't.

Excel recommended a mobile repair service that they had experience with in the Vancouver, WA area, and the firm verified the problem, ordered the gear from Excel, and handled the installation. A great experience.

So, I'd start by contacting Jack at the Excel service center and ask if he can recommend someone in your area.

Best wishes,
Bob

PS: From what I've heard, the service center handles slide adjustments for customers on an almost daily basis; so an occaisional adjustment seems normal for our brand. Folks with other brands have said that they've gone many years without having to adjust their slides. Brands vary, as do the number of miles folks put on their rigs. As fulltimers, we subject our rigs to more use in a year than most folks do in a decade.

[LarryGodby]

I am not sure if your 2005 has the same setup as my 2000, but there are a few things that you could check.

I believe you have a row of teeth that runs along the side of your slideout ram. Check there for broken teeth. I had a small section of 6 inch teeth welded next to my existing teeth, took care of the problem.

I also had a welder check the welds on the bar stock that goes across the length of the slide under the rig. You would probably have to remove an access panel to see the welds.

I like to see how things work so I spent a far amount of time under my rig looking at how the slides work and have made a number of repairs and adjustments to my old rig.

Hope that helps

[ChiefJohn]

Welcome lana725 to iRV2.com and the Excel Owner's Forum. Bob and Larry have already given you excellent feedback on where they think the problem may exist. IMO, after several years of use and thousands of highway miles, slide-outs will require adjusting.

Ditto on calling Jack at the Customer Service Center, 800.368.3759 as a starting point.
Good luck -- please let us know the outcome.
John

[Workshop]

Welcome to the forum. As someone who's still in a stick built, can't answer with experience how service departments relate with those that are not current customers. From posts I've remembered, I would guess positive. Just don't try getting any landscape equipments repaired except from the dealer you purchased it from in Jacksonville. Service time I'm sure will vary by the repair thats required. Agree Excel's service department might be a good place to call.

When you mentioned your slides moving slowly, are you extending them with the house battery power or are you connected to shore power. My unit's slides will operate slower on battery.

On my unit, for the two rear slides, there are two access panels, about 20 inch wide, that run the width between the main frame rails that can be removed to inspect/maintain the slides running gear. About five fasteners per side if I remember right. If you have those, it might give you a visual indication of something wrong. Don't have enough experieice with the slides to help further.

Good luck with the repair.

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Workshop:
can't answer with experience how service departments relate with those that are not current customers. From posts I've remembered, I would guess positive. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not from our experience. We've had 3 different Excel dealers in 3 different states turn us down for service because we didn't buy from them. (You can do a search for the previous posts I made early last year...April/May time frame...about our experiences in trying to locate an Excel dealer who would help us.)

How a fulltimer is supposed to get service without either returning to the selling dealer which may now be thousands of miles away (in our case, the selling dealer is no longer an Excel dealer) or going back to the factory is a mystery to me.

[Bob Wilson]

Hi Linda,

I've also been very disappointed in dealer service. I've used three dealers, one (my original selling dealer was fantastic, but is no longer an Excel dealer), but the last two (only one of which was an Excel dealer) were very poor ... won;t return to either of them.

But, and here is the good news, I've used three different mobile repair firms in three parts of the country, and all three were excellent. One was for an Excel warranty repair, and the other two were repairs on my extended warranty.

In all three cases the mobile repair techs were retired RV techs/shop managers ... these folks were tired of working in shops that didn't care about quality, and struck off on their own.

The best part is that they came to me instead of me going to them ... while a great convience, the best part was I got to observe their work. So I could tell if they we're being careful, and if I had a bad feeling, I was prepared to send them packing. Try doing that at a dealer.

Most of the bigger RV parks can recommend mobile repair services that they've had good luck with.

So I'm through with dealer service. As a rule of thumb I'll go to the Excel SC for major work, and use mobile service for minor or emergency repairs.

Best wishes,
Bob

[Workshop]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Workshop:
can't answer with experience how service departments relate with those that are not current customers. From posts I've remembered, I would guess positive. Just don't try getting any landscape equipments repaired except from the dealer you purchased it from in Jacksonville. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LindaH,

Guess my glass was half full at the time. Should have added...not being a fulltimer, can't... Still stand behind my statement about getting the landscaping equipment repaired.

[Highgturn]

Something else to be concerned with is the oil servicing of the slide-out gear box. The 05 Excels featured a sealed, oil-packed gear box. I don't know when this unit was broken in to production or if they still use it, but there are a lot of them in the field. I have yet to see one that wasn't leaking. The bad news is, you can not service the oil level without removing it. Rockintom and I both think the root cause of the leak is the cork gasket used by the gearbox manufacture. I believe when I pull mine out, I will use a silicone gasket material and leave the cork out. If it didn't leak, it really should never have to be serviced with oil. Allowed to run dry, the gearbox will eventually seize.