OUCH! Slide out stuck half way out!

[cgani93]

Well I guess I was warned. I have a 2019 Windsport 34J, you know, the one with the full side wall slide out? We had some issues two weeks ago with it not wanting to extend fully once we reached our destination but after we pulled up the jacks and re-extended them again to try and "re-level" the coach the slide eventually went out, but it felt dicey.

Today we (ironically) arrived at the same location (parked in a different spot) and now the slide out is stuck about 3 inches out. Won't extend or retract. The issue is clearly on the front side of the slide. The rear is working but when I tried to extend it multiple times, it looked like the bottom portion of the front section (opposite end of the motor) was binding up on something. It moves the fixed wall (not the slide out) ever so slightly to the point where it looks like something is stopping the mechanism from moving.

Two questions:
1. Worst case scenario, we can camp this weekend but is it safe to drive with the slide out out 3 inches? Should I just force it back in with some muscle?
2. Any suggestions on troubleshooting?

I've called a few mobile RV repair guys, doubt they can come save me. Any suggestions from this forum would be greatly appreciated. I'm handy(ish) and have a ton of tools with me as I'm at a racetrack but don't know what to look for. Thanks so much in advance.

[ducksface]

If race car guys can't group grope a solution, you're doomed.

Worst case you can drive with it where it is if you find a way to ratchet strap it or otherwise secure it.

[MJC62]

Unplug the motors and get 1/2 dozen of those race fans to help shove the wall back in. Plug the motors back in to hold the slide in place while driving.
Maybe you can find what the front of slide is binding on and save a trip to the shop. Good luck
Keep us posted

[EA37TS]

What code is the slide controller flashing?

[cgani93]

Good call. I'll try that in the morning. Will report back.

[cgani93]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

What code is the slide controller flashing?

No code is flashing...the wall just stops towards the front of the coach.
Where would the code flash? On the main display screen?

[cgani93]

Originally Posted by MJC62

Unplug the motors and get 1/2 dozen of those race fans to help shove the wall back in. Plug the motors back in to hold the slide in place while driving.
Maybe you can find what the front of slide is binding on and save a trip to the shop. Good luck
Keep us posted

Yeah - good call. I'll try that in the morning and report back. It just feels like something is stuck underneath it. Gonna dig in and check it out.

[MJC62]

Originally Posted by cgani93

No code is flashing...the wall just stops towards the front of the coach.
Where would the code flash? On the main display screen?

The code will flash at the slide controller. Thers are two, one for each slide motor. They are located in one of your basement storage compartments under the slide. Coincidently that is where you are supposed to unplug the slide motors. Schwintek has a trouble shooting guide that will tell you what the codes mean.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by MJC62

Unplug the motors and get 1/2 dozen of those race fans to help shove the wall back in. Plug the motors back in to hold the slide in place while driving.
Maybe you can find what the front of slide is binding on and save a trip to the shop. Good luck
Keep us posted

I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty that unplugging the motors won't be enough to push in a slide with a football team. You might..... and I say might.... get very lucky with a 300:1 motor and a very small slide but never with a 500:1 motor.

I have took a wrench once and put it on a 500:1 motor shaft and tried to spin it behind. You can get the shaft to budge with the gear reduction in it. You have to manually disengage the motors to push in a slide.

The OP PM'ed me and I gave him the following two procedures to try from the LCI Service Manual.

[The Gritz Carlton]

With all the torquing of the areas around the slide you mentioned, it seems you have something interfering with the slide itself vs. a motor issue. Check the flooring under the slide and the steel slide plates underneath...sounds like a jam of materials. Can you visually inspect the area where the slide body passed through the side wall of the coach to see it there is contact? You might need to re-calibrate your jacks as well. If the body is torqued a little it can cause the slide to jam at the top or bottom, front or back edge of the slide against the coach body. You can see that area also from the inside, top of the slide. Did you raise the jacks to see if this released anything? Another possibility is something got pushed under the slide (through the rubber floor sweep) while the slides were in and it may be causing pressure when extending.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by MJC62

The code will flash at the slide controller. Thers are two, one for each slide motor. They are located in one of your basement storage compartments under the slide. Coincidently that is where you are supposed to unplug the slide motors. Schwintek has a trouble shooting guide that will tell you what the codes mean.

No, there is ONE controller per slide. It has connections for both motors.

[Homer3]

If the slide is out at all, will the engine even start? Ours won't start with the slide out awning out? Just wondering how you could consider driving home with the slide partly out?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Homer3

If the slide is out at all, will the engine even start? Ours won't start with the slide out awning out? Just wondering how you could consider driving home with the slide partly out?

That's the second time I've heard that claim. The first time was proven false.
The interlock is:
If the engine is running -
The slide won't move
The awning won't move

Not the other way around.

There's a whole host of reasons to be able to run the engine when camping with the slide and/or awning deployed.

[Homer3]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

That's the second time I've heard that claim. The first time was proven false.
The interlock is:
If the engine is running -
The slide won't move
The awning won't move

Not the other way around.

There's a whole host of reasons to be able to run the engine when camping with the slide and/or awning deployed.

That's interesting....ours will not start with the slide or awning out. Perhaps the difference is that ours is a Class C Ford E450 chassis. Seems like good insurance to prevent a mishap.

[ducksface]

My e450 starts and runs just fine with ths slide out.
It will go into drive and you can drive my 24.1 with the slide out.

So, some are saying a C class won't let you run the dash a.c. if the slide is out?
THAT would really really perturb me.

[JimOIB]

Originally Posted by Homer3

That's interesting....ours will not start with the slide or awning out. Perhaps the difference is that ours is a Class C Ford E450 chassis. Seems like good insurance to prevent a mishap.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f1...cks-30961.html

Post#9 is telling. Class C E450.

[JimOIB]

Back to the OP. I’ve had this condition happen twice. The first time one of the motors popped out of the bearing block due to the retention screw working itself out. The second time it was due to the motors being way out of sync. I called LCI and a tech had me tap the extend button 3 times quickly then the retract button 3 times quickly. He stated this would reset the controller and not get me back to Kansas. After that he had me resync the motors. Just another data point for you.

[cgani93]

Interesting. I will try that. I already reset both lippert control panels and while it seems like the slide will now go out it will not come all the way back in. Worried that if we extend it, we’ll be in a much worse position.

More to your point, the motors are clearly out of sync so extending the wall all the way out and resyncing the motors might be the fix, but not away from home I would think.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Homer3

That's interesting....ours will not start with the slide or awning out. Perhaps the difference is that ours is a Class C Ford E450 chassis. Seems like good insurance to prevent a mishap.

Originally Posted by Sylvain

Hello
I have a 2018 gemini 24tf on mercedes chassis. When the slided out is open, it is impossible to start the vehicle engine. It is protection. Does anyone know where the switch is that prevents the vehicle from starting? thank you !

Originally Posted by Sylvain

Hello everyone and thank you for your answers. I come back to you late but here I just did the tests with the slide out and here is how it works. if the vehicle engine is running I cannot open the slide out. If the key is in the ignition in the first position yes I can open the slide out. If the key is in the second position, it is impossible to open the slide out. However. if the slide out is open, I can start the vehicle and move forward with it. My conclusion is that the protection is there to avoid opening the slide out while driving. With the photos you provided me I found the three interprotect under the bed behind the electrical panel. I also confirm that they do not appear on the schematic of thor. Thank you all for your answers. Sylvain

Might want to re-verify.

[EA37TS]

Been there and done this.

I have started and driven 500 feet with my kitchen slide out (extended). The slide would not operate with the engine running. Had to shut down and remove the key to retract the slide.

As I said, been there done that so unless you have done you probably don’t know how your safety cutoff actually works.