Community Forums

Audrey & John · 04-29-2006, 08:12 AM

We left our slides in last night when we set up camp because of a scary series of thunderstorms/hail including a VERY close tornado warning that had us all running for the shower building at 10:30 PM.

This morning after successfully extending the living room slide, we extended the bedroom slide, and only one edge extended! I stopped pressing the button immediately, but it is stuck out about 6 inches along one edge - happened so fast. Pushing retract doesn't work and we can't push it in either.

John thinks he has found the problem. A leak in the "synchronizing cylinder". He's mopped up a bit of fluid that has dripped on the radiator. This is probably why we can't get the slide to come back in either - the "synchronizing" is all screwed up.

Any idea why the HWH manual says to retract the jacks before manually pushing in the slide? We have slight slope at our side, and retracting the jacks would mean we have to push the slide in uphill (just slightly though).

I think we'll wait until Monday and get WRV to give us the best advice for how to proceed. We don't have to move the rig for a while anyway, fortunately.

But isn't it amazing how these things happen on Friday nights or Saturday mornings?

Audrey

Audrey & John · 04-29-2006, 08:12 AM

We left our slides in last night when we set up camp because of a scary series of thunderstorms/hail including a VERY close tornado warning that had us all running for the shower building at 10:30 PM.

This morning after successfully extending the living room slide, we extended the bedroom slide, and only one edge extended! I stopped pressing the button immediately, but it is stuck out about 6 inches along one edge - happened so fast. Pushing retract doesn't work and we can't push it in either.

John thinks he has found the problem. A leak in the "synchronizing cylinder". He's mopped up a bit of fluid that has dripped on the radiator. This is probably why we can't get the slide to come back in either - the "synchronizing" is all screwed up.

Any idea why the HWH manual says to retract the jacks before manually pushing in the slide? We have slight slope at our side, and retracting the jacks would mean we have to push the slide in uphill (just slightly though).

I think we'll wait until Monday and get WRV to give us the best advice for how to proceed. We don't have to move the rig for a while anyway, fortunately.

But isn't it amazing how these things happen on Friday nights or Saturday mornings?

Audrey

Dave Fernandez · 04-29-2006, 11:19 AM

Hello Audrey:

Sorry to hear about the HWH problems.

For my $0.02 I would call HWH first (800)321-3494, 8a.m.-5p.m. Central Time (M-F) for help. Since the slide out is only out six inches I would also attempt to move the Motorhome to a location where the slide is down hill for an easier push.

Buddy and Beverly · 04-30-2006, 02:25 PM

We also have a 06 36' FDDS that we have owned two months. We had a slide malfunction (sounds just like yours) on Saturday (two weeks ago). It is now in the shop for repair. All hydraulic lines are being replaced. They all had blisters on them, one had bursted, and the others would have soon. HWH said they had been installed too close to the radiator and couldn't stand the heat.

It sounds scary, but I have read of others (even a Country Coach Allure) that had similar problems, and once the hoses were replaced more properly, they were okay.

This is our first new motor home. We had three used ones, and the bugs had been worked out. We have had several things happen with this new Alpine, but this hydraulic problem is the most serious.

Any comments, please.

Beverly

swansnest · 04-30-2006, 03:17 PM

Audry & John - We sure do empathize with you! We had trouble with our hydrolics constantly in our new '03 40'MDTS until we took it to HWH in IA when it was 18 months old and they replaced all of the lines - telling us that WRV had used "recalled lines" to build our coach! HWH was wonderful and we have not had a problem since then (18 more months).

Now that we have all the "bugs" worked out of ours we are trading it for an Apex - hope that isn't a mistake!!!!

I think I would call HWH like Buddy & Beverly suggested to get the most direct help. We were "stuck" in Columbia SC with the big slide "stuck" and after 4 hours on the cell phone - HWH was the only one that could tell Tris what to do!

Carolyn

Audrey & John · 05-01-2006, 06:13 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Buddy and Beverly:
We also have a 06 36' FDDS that we have owned two months. We had a slide malfunction (sounds just like yours) on Saturday (two weeks ago). It is now in the shop for repair. All hydraulic lines are being replaced. They all had blisters on them, one had bursted, and the others would have soon. HWH said they had been installed too close to the radiator and couldn't stand the heat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmmm - sure sounds like that could be our problem! Especially considering that it's the exact same model.

Who is doing your repairs?

Don't know if we want to go all the way to Iowa - that's 1140 miles. But we definitely want a really good shop to do the work.

Plus we live in our coach, so we can't just leave it somewhere.

Well, we have a call into HWH right now. Thanks for this info everyone, it will really help us while we talk to HWH and WRV.

Audrey

Buddy and Beverly · 05-01-2006, 07:18 AM

To Audrey and John,

Holiday Kampers in Spartanburg, SC is doing our repairs. HWH gave me there number, as they are authorized to do HWH work in this area. They adjoin the Camping World in Spartanburg. The hoses arrived Friday, so they should be working on it as we speak.

We also have the step problem that you have.

We are also experiencing jack problems. The driver's side rear gives a problem coming up. Rex in WRV told me we needed 12K spring updates. I passed this along to Holiday Kampers. They are to get in touch with WRV to get those also.

Sounds like we are having similar problems, so we need to keep in touch.

Beverly

Audrey & John · 05-01-2006, 08:55 AM

HWH has referred us back to our original dealer Motorhome Specialists (MHSRV) in Alvarado TX. They said that they prefer we go to a Western RV dealer familiar with the coach layout and they will talk them through the repair. We like the service people at MHSRV and they are relatively convenient and have good overnight RV sites, so that will work out for us.

HWH paid for us to have heavier duty springs put on our front jacks last month. Now all the jacks retract beautifully.

Not sure the specific step problem you are having. We did have to replace the step motor within the first month of purchase. The linkage between two arms from the motor had broken apart and the step was "dangling". We were able to replace the linkage assembly ourselves.

We had another problem several months later where the step would not come out. All we had to do to fix that was switch off and on the chassis power switch in the battery compartment. That reset the step.

We just reached our 1 year anniversary of buying the coach last week. So basically we went a year before this hydraulic lines too close the the radiator problem made itself known.

Audrey

Buddy and Beverly · 05-01-2006, 03:31 PM

Audrey and John,

Think you are wise to go to Motor Home Specialists. Wish we had bought our coach there. We bought an 03 Tradewinds from them in Oct. Really seemed to be good to deal with. We were in Florida in Jan. when decided to trade for the Alpine. Bought from La Mesa RV in Tampa and have a list of complaints. Have some on going issues and will give them some more time before I go on line complaining.

Hope Holiday Kamper does a good job fixing our hydraulics or we may be going to Iowa or TX, etc.

Thanks for the info regarding step, your jacks, etc.

Beverly and Buddy

Audrey & John · 05-02-2006, 09:47 AM

According to this post as of Dec 2004, WRV was putting a heat shield in the area of the radiator.

From: http://irv2.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/968609445...881029211#4881029211
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">We were concerned enough to call WRV customer service and were told that part of the problem was that a heat shield needed to be put on the hoses in the area of the radiator. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Our motorhome was built in March of 2005. I wonder if we have the heat shield but the hydraulic lines are still failing?

Audrey

Barbaraok · 05-02-2006, 03:13 PM

Guess this may be something to put on the list to have them check on the factory when we are there August 1st to swap out the range for the cooktop/drawers.

Boy do I love this forum - - such handy tips and information on things to check and watch.

Buddy and Beverly · 05-08-2006, 07:18 AM

Audrey and John,

You may need a heat sheild over the raditor, too. Even though this problem was a possibility in 2004 and 2005, heat shields were not automatically installed, as ours needed one. See my new post for an update and more information.

How are things coming with you getting your hydraulic lines fixed?

Beverly and Buddy

EngineerMike · 05-08-2006, 09:13 AM

I did some exploratory speleology over the weekend & my bedroom-slide lines lay directly on the radiator housing. Oy vey. I got there under the bed, although an incredibly skinny midget could do so from underneath the coach.

Audrey & John · 05-08-2006, 11:24 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EngineerMike:
I did some exploratory speleology over the weekend & my bedroom-slide lines lay directly on the radiator housing. Oy vey. I got there under the bed, although an incredibly skinny midget could do so from underneath the coach. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Wow - just like ours! Whoops! It's just a matter of time then before your lines bust.

Apparently the side panel covering the radiator comes off after a couple of rivets are removed. That makes easy access to the hydraulic lines beneath the slides.

MHRSV has already done this job several times.

Audrey