Red oil drips under slide motor

[WoodyS]

I just noticed several drips of red oil that appear to be directly below my main slide motor. I'm guessing this is gear oil, dripping out of the slide motor's gearbox. It's never done this before and the coach has been in storage since it's last use. So I'm thinking there's a gasket or seal leak.

I'm not aware of an oil filler for this gearbox, so I'm wondering what the "fix" is. Do I need to remove the motor and gearbox and refill and re-seal? Or is there a filler cap? Or is it new motor time?

This is on a 2008 Kountry Star KSDP 3723.

[Skip426]

The electric slide drive gear box doesn't have oil in it.
The drip would be an indication that the internal grease is breaking down ( separating ) and the oily component of the grease is working it's way out between the gear case halves.

There was another post on this problem just recently , and a member had posted info on the grease and case sealant to use for the repair.
I'll try and track it down.

EDIT: This isn't the post I was thinking of , but I'll link it anyway. Still looking.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/slid...il-408756.html

[Dutch Star Don]

I agree with Skip on it breaking down and turning to oil. If I recall they have screws holding the case together. I would tighten them down, wipe the oil off and see if that resolves the issue. If you think you've lost a lot, you can drill a hole in the case and install a zerk fitting and fill the gearcase.

[PanJH]

Yes, they use a red grease in the gearcase. It does seem to breakdown, but there should be ( at least on mine) a gasket on the gearcase cover. I'd tighten down the screws that secure the cover and see what happens.

[azSkier]

I contacted Newmar when my motors were leaking. The recommended replacing them.

Unfortunately, the labor in removing the motor had Newmar suggesting that the cheapest option is to cut the bar and replace the whole assembly.

I had the first motor replaced without cutting the bar. The mechanics said they really struggled to disassemble the motor connections'/mounts. If they would have failed, then the bar would have to be cut and then we wait until the new assembly arrived.

Generally, the motor was $800. The bar assembly was about $800 and the labor was about $800.

I have done 3 of my 4 slide motors. The motor under the bed looks easier to change out.

[WoodyS]

I checked it again yesterday and discovered that the liquified oil is leaking out of the two lower gearcase cover screws (the Torx head ones).

It's not leaking out of the gasket between the two gearcase halves, but out the screw holes.

I was able to tighten several of those screws. I'll see if that worked next Monday when we hit the road.

I talked to my mobile RV mechanic this morning (he was replacing skylights on our 5th Wheel trailer) and he said the gasket can be replaced and I "shouldn't" need new entire motor gearcase assemblies. BUT, he said the labor involved is almost the same as the slide still has to be braced to open up that gearbox.

I'm hoping tightening the bolts does the trick -- but I'm not holding my breath.

[Skip426]

If the bolts still show signs of leaking ; I'd be tempted to remove them and apply blue loc-tight to the threads as a sealant .

I'm not sure of your slide drive without seeing it ; I'm sure there have been changes over the years ; but I can have my gear case out of the coach and on the bench in my garage in 40 mins. Install with re-torquing the transtorque bushings and re-alignment of the drive shafts takes longer .
So I'm not sure what he's talking about " bracing the slide " if the slide locks are working , the slide is locked in the closed position, no further bracing required .

[WoodyS]

Here's a photo of the drip. I don't know if this shows enough of the drive motor gearbox or not.



Regarding bracing the slide. Newmar's instructions also say the slide needs to be braced (supported). I found some old posts here regarding similar complaints and they mentioned needing to brace the slide also. I think it has to do with taking weight and pressure off the drive shaft, but I'm not sure about that.

But as you say, each model and model year seems to be different. If I could disassemble the gearbox myself without needing to brace the slide, I think I could accomplish this myself. But I really haven't thought it out completely. The gearbox housing would need to come all the way off the shaft so I could get a new gasket in there.

I was wondering about Loctite on the bolts also, but I'm not sure if you can successfully use threadlock on an oily bolt and threads. Do you know if that works?

[WoodyS]

UPDATE:

Tightening the T-30 bolts around the gearbox seems to have stopped the oil drip. Not a drop in a week.

But if it starts again, I've got a tube of Permatex Ultra Black Silicone Seal to coat the bolts with. That stuff is the recommended sealant for oily situations.

[vettenuts]

In the link provided in the second post of this thread, I told the other person having a dripping issue that the oil is coming out of suspension and leaking from the case. You can keep things tight (I check the screws annually) and just wipe it clean. I have been doing this for years without an issue since they are packed with grease when new. (My Kountry Start is a 2005) The oil separation is likely from the grease that has been pushed into a corner internally and doesn't get agitated during slide movement. I wouldn't even entertain motor replacement unless there was a failure due to the cost and labor involved, especially for a minor leak.



Heck, even my grease gun starts dripping a few months after loading in a new canister of grease.