2020 Magnitude SV34 Slide Motor Replacement

[Judge]

While my coach was at the Thor Service Center last last year, the technician said they replaced the rear slide motor because it failed while they were working on the coach. I have been in Florida for the winter since I picked the coach in December and I just got back to Pittsburgh where I have the coach stored inside.

I had not tried the slide since I got the coach home from the repairs in Wakarusa. The slide went out ok but I noticed when I put it back in that apthe rear of the slide had an inch or two gap. I figured no problem.... I'll just resync motors.

I tried the resync procedure for when the slide is extended but that didn't work. Then I tried the resyn procedure with the slide closed and opening 3 inches and then closing it three times. That worked and the slide closed fully on both sides.

That is when my trouble began.....

I tried to put the slide fully out and it would only go out an inch and stop. The error code indicated it was the motor that was just replaced and likely a bad wiring harness. The slide had just got in and out a couple times so I figured it was not an obstruction or roller issue.

I decided to check to make sure the wiring harness was plugged in securely. When I lookd at the motor I was surprised to see a screw protuding at the top of the slide and it looks like it pulled off the plastic top of the new motor. See the pic below....

I watched the motor while trying to extend the slide and it looks like it is spinning a bit until everything just stops. It will then retract the rest of the way closed.

The other thing is while I was watching the motor while trying to extend the slide, it stops before the protruding screw would hit the motor. I powered cycled the 12V to try and reset the controller but that did not help. I'm a little concerned the slide stops now after an inch or two and shuts down.

I decided to buy and keep a spare motor on-hand after Thor said the rear failed (but now I am thinking it was this protruding screw or some other issue that acted like a bad motor the original one did not just fail).

Here's is my challenge...... I know i have to pull the two motor wire harnesses to release the electronic brake. But is going to take some force to push the slide open enough to gain access to the motor retention screw.

Questions for anyone who has replaced a motor on a full wall slide....

- How much force is it going to take to open a slide that big to give me enough to access the motor retention screw?

- How far will I need to open the slide to gain access to it?

I have the coach in its garage so my biggest concern is getting the slide open and not being able to close it again if I can't fix this myself.

I have a message into Thor. My coach is now out of warranty but they did the motor replacement back in December when it was covered and the coach has not been used since and sitting in dry storage. Even if Thor is willing to help, trying to get something scheduled somewhere will be a nightmare. Thor is 6 hours away so that mat have to be the way to go if I can't fix it and they are willing to cover the issue.

[abjbrtd]

You'll need to be able to see the head of the square head screw and get a screwdriver on it, 1' should work.

Try this first, worked for me.
Extend the slide but release the switch before the slide stops, then retract but release before the slide stops.
It this work repeat
Extend 4" retract 2", repeat for a foot.

If that doesn't work try this.
Unplug the the harness to the broken motor from the controller.
Have someone operate the extend switch, release the switch after the slide moves a few inches.
Then push the broken end of the slide out as far as you can.
Hit the extend button again, then PUSH again, ...
If you have some strong help push the button and slide at the same time

Good luck

[Judge]

Thanks!

I thought about pushing on one side while letting the other motor extend the slide. i might give that a shot.

As it stands right now, the slide will only move out an inch before it stops after I resync'ed the motors. I might try pushing the reset button on the Controller 6 times to see if the manual override will allow me ot extend it enough to get to the screw.

[Judge]

Well...... I'm about at the end of everything I can try to move the slide out.

I tried pushing on the back while the front was trying to move.

I unhooked the motors from the Controller but we tried to push it out with a few people but the slide won't budge.

I also tried the Controller Override but that didn't work either. Even though I am getting the error code to check the wiring harness between the motor and controller I can see the motor spinning so it is not dead.

After resyncing the motors I don't know why it won't go out more than an inch and then stop. I am noticing the back motor housing moving when the slide stops going in and out. I don't know if that is normal or whether the screw that was protruding out of the top of the slide and damaged the top of the motor did some other damage and the slide is now binding.

I am waiting to see if Thor will offer assistance. It was under warranty when the Service Center in Wakarusa replaced the motor and the slide had not been opened since they closed it after going over the work with me that they did on the coach. I am hoping they will cover the repair but even if they will, that means trying to get an appointment in Wakarusa.

If Thor won't help, I have started looking for third party RV shops in the area to see if any of them have any openings.

[16ACE27]

I replace the front motor on my full wall slide a few years ago. Luckily I was able to move the slide with motors into an intermediate position. I think Lippert's procedure to unplug the motors from the controller and manually push the slide to move it is a pipe dream. The 300:1 (or worse, 500:1) ratio makes it very difficult to get that motor to spin by pushing on the slide.

If you can get that side of the slide out an inch (or more) you may be able to remove the motor retaining screw with a 90 degree phillips or a 1/4" ratchet, socket and bit. It's a very short screw.

Once you have the screw out you just lift the motor out of its slot. You can then visually inspect it for damage.

With the motor removed, manually pushing the slide becomes easier but you are still using the slide to spin the track gears, and fighting the weight of the slide on the bottom rollers - still not an easy task.

Good luck with Thor and the slide issue; hopefully they'll step up, maybe at least pay for a mobile tech to help you out.

[Judge]

Thanks 16ACE27!

I agree that moving a slide by hand.... especially a full wall slide.... is a pipe dream.

One thing about me is I don’t give up easy!

I have been digging through every piece of LCI documentation I can find and trying different procedures. I managed to get the slide to move out and back in but can’t replicate what I did.

I’m now thinking the screw not only damaged the top of the motor but also possibly caused a short that has screwed up the Controller.

By following one prodedure and seeing the slide move out and back in I have confirmed the slide is not damaged or have an obstruction.

But the craziest thing has happened during my troubleshooting..... the slide is retracting when I hit Extend and then extend when I hit Retract (I did not remove the switch wires). I can’t get the Controller to stay in the override mode either.

Its hard to see but I think the screw sticking out damged a wire on the top of the motor that controls the revolution count when it popped the top of the motor off. It might have shorted and that screwed up the Controller.

I’m going to continue running through some of the tests LCI recommends to see if I can get the slide back out. Of I can, I’ll install my spare motor and wee what happens. If that doesn’t fix it, I will replace the Controller.

I do have a motor-controller harness on order from Amazon to use for troubleshooting as well.

[EA37TS]

And since you only have the one slide and no drop down overhead bunk you don’t have access to another controller or motor for troubleshooting

[EA37TS]

Has your warranty expired?

[Judge]

My warranty has expired so I am hoping Thor will cover it since they did the repair at the end of last year when it was still under warranty and the coach has been stored in my garage since I brought it back from the Service Center right before Christmas.

The good news is I was able to get the slide partially extended again. This time I left it out so I could remove the retention screw. I was able to pop out the motor fairly easily.

The LCI Slide Motor has a small round circuit board at the top end. The end of the motor shaft sticks through the circuit board and there appears to be a magnet on the end pf the shaft and two sensors that measure the rotations to keep the motors in sync. Then the circuit board and magnet are covered by a plastic cap.

The screw that was sticking outt at the top of the slide enough to knock the plastic cover off and get under the circuit board. It lifted the circuit board at an angle and popped the magnet off the shaft. I suspect this is what was causing the error code indicating and issue with the wiring harness from the motor to the Controller.

Fortunately I have a spare motor so tomorrow I will install it and see if I can reset the Controller and then see if the error is cleared. If so, I will try the motor resync procedure again.

I did order a relatively inexpensive Controller on eBay tonight ($150 vs $350). It is the exact same model number as the one installed and listed as "New - Old Stock" in the ad with a 60-day warranty. I wanted to order a spare Controller anyway so either I will have a spare or it will be used to replace the Controller if the screw ended up causing a short back to the Controller and damaging it.

If I can get this fixed myself, then I will see if I can get Thor to send me the replacement parts and I will have my spares.... and not have to deal with an RV shop or drive 6 hours to Wakarusa.

In any case.... I am feeling much better now than I was 4 or 5 hours ago knowing the slide, rollers and tracks are all fine and it looks like a simple screw that was not put in straight and sticking out just enough to hit the motor and wreak havoc.

I have to think this screw also caused the first slide motor to fail when Thor had it doing my warranty work. We had no issues with the slide and I was surprised when they told me the rear motor stopped working and they had to replace it. The tech must have missed the screw sticking out of the top of the slide when he replaced the motor. No way that screw loosened up on its own between then and now. If the slide was out when the motor failed, he would not have seen the screw sticking out when he replaced the motor. You could only see the screw sticking out when the slide was fully retracted and you pulled back the seal.

[Scubawise]

I had some slide issues and found a local independent rv repair and thor covered. I am sure if you call early am (have a local rv picked they will ask for name and address) they will ship all parts there and cover since it was their fault

[kwplot34]

Hey Judge, do you get to the motor from inside the coach or outside? I'm not having any issues, just for future reference.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by kwplot34

Hey Judge, do you get to the motor from inside the coach or outside? I'm not having any issues, just for future reference.

You remove the slide motor from inside the coach. However, the motor retention screw is on the outside of the coach.

I was dead in the water until I could get the slide out at least a couple inches so I could remove the screw. The screw is at the top so you need a ladder to reach it but it is on the outside of the seal and easy to remove.

It is also easier to reach the motor if the slide is out a foot or so. I just used a screw driver to lift it up out of the gear block and unplug it from the harness.

The override on the Controller can be used to get the motors to move if one is not completely dead or a power line is not broken. If the slide was open and stuck out, I would remove both motors or lift them out of the gear blocks and then push in the slide... with some help.

LCI says you can just unplug the motor harnesses to remove the electronic brake and push in the slide but as 16ACE27 said.... that's a pipe dream and a full wall slide with a 500:1 gear ratio.

Now if the slide is closed and you have a dead motor, trying to push it out an inch or two to reach the screw is next to impossible.

If they were smart, they would drill a hole in the slide trim so you could reach the screw with the slide closed. The trim closes against the wipe seal. You could have an access whole and seal the circumference of the hole well with epoxy to prevent water intrusion and then you could always access the screw.

[Judge]

Houston...... we have a functioning slide once again!

I learned a few things that I thought I would pass along in case it can help anyone down the road.

First.... Lippert Support is great. I called them and got a live person after only a minute or so on hold. They are very helpful so I highly recommend using them for any LCI related issues like slides, leveling, etc.

Next, the retaining screw is a bit of a joke. I wasn't entirely sure how the screw secured the motor because it is a bear to see inside and how it works. They used a short self-tapping machine screw to hold the motor in place. I'm not sure it even went through any metal because it does not tightern very well. It either is screwing into the plastic part of the wipe seal or there is some sheet metal on the other side that is very thin that it can barely bite into.

Basically the end of the screw just fits into a large slot in the top of the motor and keep it from spinning in place or lifting out of the gear block (see the attached picture with the arrow pointing to where the end of the scew goes). I ended up having a screw with the same threads that was a little longer but not too long to go too far into the motor and cause damage. I am going to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not lossen up.

As far as trying to move a slide with the 500:1 motor with the wiring harness unplugged from the Controller to release the electric brake goes....... forget it! I took a crecent wrench and tried to spin the shaft of the new motor so it was aligned in the same position as the damaged motor. I could move it maybe a 1/16"! I held the motor with one hand and tried to spin the shaft with the crescent wrench in the other hand and it would not budge. There is no way you are going to push a slide in or out if the motor is engaged in the gear block.

If a slide is stuck open and the motor is completely dead, the best thing to do is to remove both motors and with a little help you should probably be able to push the slide in. Then you can reinstall the motors to keep the slide locked in place or use some slide locks to keep it in place until you can get it home or to a shop. I use slide locks on my coach because I think going around bends just puts too much force on the motors alone to hold a full wall slide in place and slide locks help take the strain off the motors.

If the slide is closed and a motor is dead, I think you are SOL and it is going to be next to impossible to push the slide out an inch or two to get the retaining screw out. Fortunately, my motor would still spin and was only damaged at the sensors that count the revolutions used to keep the motors in sync.

Either there should be an access hole on the outside trim of the slide so you can get to the retaining screw when the slide is stuck in (this would be very easy to do during assembly) or they should mount the retaining screw inside the coach. Then you would never need a ladder and could do it all from inside the coach fairly easily. I may take another good look at the inside and see if I can move the retaining screw there and then permanentaly remove the ones on the outside of the slide.

The Controller was defintely out of whack after the revolution sensors got put out of service from the screw sticking out of the slide. Lippert Support had me move the DIP switches in the Controller and then go back into override mode to get the slide all the way out. Then I reset the Controller back to normal mode. It took about 7 or 8 cycles (instead of the typical 3 or 4) with the slide fully extended and then retracting about 6 inches but I finally got the motors to sync properly.

I have had the slide in and out a couple times now and it seems to be working normally.

If Thor gets back to me, I am going to let them know a screw improperly installed at the factory took out the new motor they installed and probably the orginal motor. I am going to ask if they will send me a new slide motor to replace my spare.

I can't blame the tech at the Service Center in Wakarusa who installed the new motor. If the first motor failed with the slide open when they were doing my warranty work, he would have never saw the screw sticking out of the slide. He would have just saw the top of the motor damaged and think it was a freak thing. I only saw it was the screw damaging the motor because the slide was stuck in and I could easily see how the screw was sticking out ~1/3" or so and at an angle that was a perfect postion to keep hitting the top of the motor everytime the slide went in and out until it damaged the top of the motor.

I'm just relieved I don't have to take it back to Wakarusa or try to find a local shop given how backed up service is everywhere. There are not any mobile RV techs in the immediate area but with the slide stuck in I could have at least drove it somewhere if i had to. The DW is thrilled that I "did it again" and fixed something else to keep us up an running and away from the dealers.

I have lost count of how many times we thought we were sunk and I managed to fix things on our last two coaches. I just don't know how someone owns a motorhome these days if they are not mechanically inclined and willing to roll up their sleeves and tackle problems on their own.

Now I just have to increase my list of spare parts to carry when we do our 7 week trip out to Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas later in the summer and early fall.

I'm going to carry a spare slide Controller and motor. I have a spare mainboard and exhaust fan motore for the tankless water heater (I may look for a used control panel to have as well). The list keeps growing!

[halfprice]

Great write up thanks.

I've been thinking about drilling a hole in the slide where the set screw is and putting a rubber grommet in the hole. Just to access the set screw if the motor dies with the slide in

You might have the same problem if you move the screw to the inside and the slide is out. The inside trim piece blocks the motor I believe

I spoke to a thor tech rep at a rally and he said to change the rear bedroom motor on the 29m the trim piece has to be removed just to have enough room to work. There's only about 6" space from the rear wall and the slide

Jerry

[Judge]

Originally Posted by halfprice

Great write up thanks.

I've been thinking about drilling a hole in the slide where the set screw is and putting a rubber grommet in the hole. Just to access the set screw if the motor dies with the slide in

You might have the same problem if you move the screw to the inside and the slide is out. The inside trim piece blocks the motor I believe

I spoke to a thor tech rep at a rally and he said to change the rear bedroom motor on the 29m the trim piece has to be removed just to have enough room to work. There's only about 6" space from the rear wall and the slide

Jerry

Thanks Jerry.....

On my Magnitude I don't have to remove any trim. I only need to pull down the seal to access the motor. I saw a piece of metal behind the seal where I might be able to drill a hole and put a screw in to secure the motor.

I do like your idea of a rubber grommet. I just worry about getting the hole perfectly aligned to drill through the slide so it is right on top of the screw.

Thor could easily drill a hole, seal the circumference of it and then put a plug in that could be removed to access the screw if needed. It would be such a small design change but make such a big difference in serving the slide if it a motor dies when it is closed.

[halfprice]

I thought about putting paint or caulking on the screw then closing the slide. This would mark the screw spot to drill. Might have to add something on the screw or slide like foam because I don't think the screw actually touches the slide. Hope this makes sense

The inside of my slide has a 6" trim as I mentioned above. It blocks the area of the slide motor

Jerry

[Scubawise]

Great job fixing your slide and providing details.

#1 when in montana or near any problems call Kurts rv repair in billings and mention us.
This guy will get you in the same day.

You can use locktight on the screws
"*I ended up having a screw with the same threads that was a little longer but not too long to go to far into the motor to cause damage. I am going to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not lossen up."

Where does one get slide locks?


Where did you buy your spare slide Controller and motor?

[Bob Denman]

Judge,
I'm glad to,see that there's a happy ending to this story!

[cupajoe147]

Great detailed description as usual! BTW, how many slide locks do you use for your SV34 full wall slide?

[paulwadley]

Thanks Judge for the information and I am glad you were able to figure it out.


Paul