Community Forums

cm2785 · 09-29-2023, 11:29 PM

Hi guys I just bought a very clean 2006 Bounder 35e and there is one thing I need to figure out. When retracting the main slide as soon as it starts to come in it makes a loud maybe metal slip or grind noise for just a second, the slide moves in totally smooth and they just replaced the motor a couple months ago but the PO didn’t really know what it was. He said it’s been doing it since he got it two years ago and he thought it might just need to be lubed… anyone have any ideas on what it could be? Thanks!

TeJay · 09-30-2023, 12:08 AM

If I had that type of noise I'd use a spray can of silicone or even better aerospace lube 303 and spray anywhere you can see the slide mechanism or even where it is rubbing along the floor or under the slides. No matter what it is it's been doing since it was new and the spray won't hurt anything and it may lube and stop what ever is making the noise.

My guess is do that and I'm sure something will change if not go away completely. You might spray areas one at a time and just move the slide in until it makes the noise then move to another area and repeat until you narrow it down. If you have another person move the slide back and forth you might also narrow down the area using your hearing.

cm2785 · 10-21-2023, 08:02 PM

Hey guys so I was able to get time and pull the slide out today and what’s happening is I can hear it clutching through the drivers side gear.. my last bounder and this one with the bedroom slide wouldn’t clutch they would just stop when they got to the end. Any ideas why this is happening? Thanks!

Edit: also the funny thing is it doesn’t just do it extending it but when you start to retract it, it does it for a couple seconds too

Gary RVRoamer · 10-22-2023, 11:43 AM

Most likely your main slide is a "flush floor" type, so it has to climb a ramp to get above floor level to start coming in. You are probably hearing the rollers of skids climbing that ramp. It may have a roller or skid that is damaged or maybe needs some lube on the roller, but some noise is fairly common.

I think most Fleetwood coaches use rollers on the main slide, but I don't know about your specific model.

cm2785 · 10-22-2023, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Most likely your main slide is a "flush floor" type, so it has to climb a ramp to get above floor level to start coming in. You are probably hearing the rollers of skids climbing that ramp. It may have a roller or skid that is damaged or maybe needs some lube on the roller, but some noise is fairly common.

I think most Fleetwood coaches use rollers on the main slide, but I don't know about your specific model.

Thank you, I am going to have someone hit the switch and watch it today because it sounds like a gear jumping teeth yet when I check the gear and teeth they look fine and deeply engaged. I did noticed that there are rollers on each side of the gear and on one side the slider is unable to spin from the weight of the slide yet the other side can spin like it’s not evenly on both rollers… I am hoping it’s the motor clutching and what I am hearing is the gear ratcheting against itself when it happens because I can’t see it skipping teeth with how deep it’s engaged yet for how loud it is it sounds like it’s jumping teeth

US1 · 10-22-2023, 04:21 PM

If you had a gear slipping or jumping teeth, the slideout would extend/retract unevenly, to the point it would bind up IMO. Those steel rollers might need a spray of grease. Mine dont always share the load either and 1 will free wheel. You can use a floor jack to lift the slide right at those rollers to lift it up just enough to check the rollers for smoothness.

My previous RV, 2006 Bounder 33Rs main slideout slid on a teflon strip the full length where the bottom seal is. Check underneath the slideout when open to make sure the slideout bottom hasnt gotten damaged over the yrs and is catching on the teflon strip when you retract it. Should be a aluminum sheet covering the full bottom of the slideout that will slide across the teflon as it moves in/out.

cm2785 · 10-23-2023, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by US1

If you had a gear slipping or jumping teeth, the slideout would extend/retract unevenly, to the point it would bind up IMO. Those steel rollers might need a spray of grease. Mine dont always share the load either and 1 will free wheel. You can use a floor jack to lift the slide right at those rollers to lift it up just enough to check the rollers for smoothness.

My previous RV, 2006 Bounder 33Rs main slideout slid on a teflon strip the full length where the bottom seal is. Check underneath the slideout when open to make sure the slideout bottom hasnt gotten damaged over the yrs and is catching on the teflon strip when you retract it. Should be a aluminum sheet covering the full bottom of the slideout that will slide across the teflon as it moves in/out.

Thank you I am going to check today! I am wondering if the motor is just weak even though it’s new it’s probably aftermarket and may be ratcheting and the front is just the side it’s traveling to and I am hearing the gear ratchet against itself. It’s the only thing I can think of but I am going to have someone retract it and sit under there to see exactly what is happening. Thanks, I’ll keep you posted!

Edit: I also heard of those lift blocks and assume they have been added by the PO, but I’m wondering if those are stopping the slide from going down all the way and making the motor ratchet because it’s fighting and clamping down on these blocks? I would assume anyone with these blocks would know if that’s normal or not.

Gary RVRoamer · 10-23-2023, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cm2785

Thank you, I am going to have someone hit the switch and watch it today because it sounds like a gear jumping teeth yet when I check the gear and teeth they look fine and deeply engaged. I did noticed that there are rollers on each side of the gear and on one side the slider is unable to spin from the weight of the slide yet the other side can spin like it’s not evenly on both rollers… I am hoping it’s the motor clutching and what I am hearing is the gear ratcheting against itself when it happens because I can’t see it skipping teeth with how deep it’s engaged yet for how loud it is it sounds like it’s jumping teeth

I don't understand your description about one side unable to spin. Unless it is the full wall type (20-30 feet long), the main slide is driven by a single motor turning a long solid shaft with a gear at each end. They have to turn together unless the gear is detached from the shaft (drive pin broken). And if that happens, one side of the slide doesn't move at all.

The motor may spin a clutch if the load is too great, but both gear ends spin the same in that event.

cm2785 · 10-28-2023, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

I don't understand your description about one side unable to spin. Unless it is the full wall type (20-30 feet long), the main slide is driven by a single motor turning a long solid shaft with a gear at each end. They have to turn together unless the gear is detached from the shaft (drive pin broken). And if that happens, one side of the slide doesn't move at all.

The motor may spin a clutch if the load is too great, but both gear ends spin the same in that event.

I am talking about the rollers, but as the other guy said they don’t always have a load on them. Anyway I finally got under there and watched it while I got someone to press the button and I can gladly express that the gears are not jumping! It sounds to me that right towards the place where the slide is near fully extended one of the rollers it’s sounding horrible and I’m guessing needs to be lubed. Does anyone know how to lube these rollers? Thanks!

US1 · 10-29-2023, 02:16 PM

They sell slide lube for the mechanics of the slide out at any RV dealership. Or go to Menards and buy garage door lube and spray the rollers and gear tracks.

cm2785 · 10-29-2023, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by US1

They sell slide lube for the mechanics of the slide out at any RV dealership. Or go to Menards and buy garage door lube and spray the rollers and gear tracks.

Okay thanks, also I know there are those lift blocks for these years and I’m wondering if the noise could be the slide on those and they are dry, does anyone have any kind of diagram or idea where everything is on these slides that need to be lubed? Thanks!

Skino47 · 10-29-2023, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cm2785

Okay thanks, also I know there are those lift blocks for these years and I’m wondering if the noise could be the slide on those and they are dry, does anyone have any kind of diagram or idea where everything is on these slides that need to be lubed? Thanks!

Hey there, my 2006 Bounder 35E has 2 slides: bedroom (pax rear) and super slide (17’ driver front) but mine have never ever (9yrs full time 110k miles) made any clutching sounds. My levelegs clutch but power gear slides do not. My smaller bed slide hesitates going out at about 80% out and once it stalls (amps out the original 17yo 20A reset) it will finish extending. Retracting is nonstop.
? Has anyone replaced their slide control card or (if replacable) their 20A thermal auto-reset breaker?
PS - had my 17’ slide extend once @62mph!!! Control card dirt+moisture short commanded motor “OUT”. I resorted to cutting motor wires!! Cleaning the control card connect edge was all it needed (and splice motor wires!)
PSS - replaced LR carpet and padding and 17’ slide could not retract 100% at top seal - had to remove padding just under slide pan innermost position!

cm2785 · 10-29-2023, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skino47

Hey there, my 2006 Bounder 35E has 2 slides: bedroom (pax rear) and super slide (17’ driver front) but mine have never ever (9yrs full time 110k miles) made any clutching sounds. My levelegs clutch but power gear slides do not. My smaller bed slide hesitates going out at about 80% out and once it stalls (amps out the original 17yo 20A reset) it will finish extending. Retracting is nonstop.
? Has anyone replaced their slide control card or (if replacable) their 20A thermal auto-reset breaker?
PS - had my 17’ slide extend once @62mph!!! Control card dirt+moisture short commanded motor “OUT”. I resorted to cutting motor wires!! Cleaning the control card connect edge was all it needed (and splice motor wires!)
PSS - replaced LR carpet and padding and 17’ slide could not retract 100% at top seal - had to remove padding just under slide pan innermost position!

Thanks! It’s not clutching like I thought it was it is something creaking I guess, it sounded like a gear stripping to me but I got under there and it was not slipping teeth or anything, it sounded like a roller was maybe dry and not happy or something was dry.

cm2785 · 11-20-2023, 12:16 PM

Hey guys well now I am thinking I was wrong in my previous reply. The last time I pulled the slides out I started the engine and pulled them out but didn’t realize my batteries are weak so the voltage wasn’t that great and the slide went out and didn’t make the noise but it didn’t go all the way out because it was low so I stopped it. Fast forward to last night the winds were bad so I brought the slides in but the batteries were charged up this time and for a moment when retracting it the noise started. So to me it does sound and seem like the motor gear box is clutching. Inside it sounds like it is coming from just one side of the slide (behind drivers seat) but when under the slide yes it sounds like the sound is transferred to that side but you can still hear a little of it from the middle where the motor is. Is there a way to tighten the clutch? The PO who bought it from the original owner who took amazing care of it said it has been doing it since he got it and they changed the motor a few months ago… I am wondering if it’s because fleetwood had lift blocks added on these or if the motor that was in there when they got it and the one they replaced it with were the same aftermarket weaker motors maybe? Has anyone heard of an issue like this? I didn’t even know there was a clutch in these… I thought maybe they just amped out if they got over loaded but I don’t know?