Broken slide motor

[Aloha1]

Hi. I have a 2018 Freedom Elite 30'. Last week as I was driving down the interstate I heard a loud metallic bang coming from inside the coach. I pulled over to look but found nothing. When I reached our camp spot and started to engage the drivers side slide the immediate realization of the bang was a broken slide motor. It is the rear motor closest to kitchen window. It runs but does not engage the track causing it to go sideways. The motor appears to be on the top but I see no way to get to it. I'm assuming it is going to have to be manually pushed out but I see no hand crank option. Any advice?
Thanks
Greg

[Judge]

It is most likely that the set screw sheared off.... a common weakness and issue with the Schwintek Slide mechanism.

To manually push the slide in and out you will need to disengage the other mote from the bearing block. You need to pull the bulb seal back from the inside to access the motor (removing / installing).

Here is the procedure....

[Fish and Dear]

Were you able to do the fix yourself, or did you get a mobile RV tech?

[Aloha1]

Originally Posted by Fish and Dear

Were you able to do the fix yourself, or did you get a mobile RV tech?

I have not been able to get it repaired. Most shops are 2 months out. Mobile repair people have same issue or don't return calls.

[Aloha1]

I'm going to attempt to replace the motor myself. I have 2 questions.

(1) Do they make more than one motor or are they al universal for schwintek?

(2) I have a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 30'. The broken motor is above the kitchen sink in a corner. Do I have to remove the shower and wall to get to motor??

Thanks for any response!

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

I'm going to attempt to replace the motor myself. I have 2 questions.

(1) Do they make more than one motor or are they al universal for schwintek?

(2) I have a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 30'. The broken motor is above the kitchen sink in a corner. Do I have to remove the shower and wall to get to motor??

Thanks for any response!

Replacing the motor is not rocket science but it can be challenging depending on the coach.

There are two different LCI / Schwintek Slide Motors that look identical but one is rated at 300:1 and the other is 500:1. The 300:1 is typically used on very small slldes like a bed slide-out. The 500:1 is used for large and heavy slides like a full-wall slide.

I don't know you model specifically but I would be somewhat surprised if you had to remove the shower and a wall.

To get to the motor, the slide has to be be about a foot extended from the outside wall so you can remove the setscrew at the top. That also gives you enough room inside to access the motors, which are at the top of the wall at each end of the slide. You pull back the bulb seal at the top to see the motor. Then you can unplug the wiring harness and use a large screw driver to pry it up out of the gear block.

[Jimbo56]

Judge, if the motor still spins, and the set screw broke, the motor has probably jumped up and out of the frame. What’s chances he can reposition it and reattach the set screw? Using a slightly larger screw?

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

Judge, if the motor still spins, and the set screw broke, the motor has probably jumped up and out of the frame. What’s chances he can reposition it and reattach the set screw? Using a slightly larger screw?

Hey Jimbo...... that is a possibility. When I had the Schwintek mechanism in my Magnitude, the motor bent the screw up and jumped out of the bearing block. It was not too difficult reseating the motor and I did use a larger screw to better hold it in place.

The key is not to use a screw that is much longer. A longer screw could cause damage inside the motor.

The 500:1 motors with a large and heavy slide create a tremendous amount of torque. When extending and retracting to can see the motor just wanting to lift out. The motor will move slightly towards the wall or towards the slide depending on the direction when the motion begins spinning.

That is one of the 3 or 4 key improvements with the Vroom Slide System. The motor has 4 small bolts that secures it into the bearlng block assembly so it can never move.

[Aloha1]

I'm now at a point to tackle our stuck slide on a 2018 30 Freedom Elite. It's the driver's side rear motor that seems to have broken. It just spins. I can get to the front motor from inside but cannot get to rear due to the "L" shaped kitchen and joining shower wall. Does anyone have experience on this particular setup? I can't move the slide out on rear. Can I remove the outside overlap molding and any suggestions on how to do it without destroying it? Thanks. Greg

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

I'm now at a point to tackle our stuck slide on a 2018 30 Freedom Elite. It's the driver's side rear motor that seems to have broken. It just spins. I can get to the front motor from inside but cannot get to rear due to the "L" shaped kitchen and joining shower wall. Does anyone have experience on this particular setup? I can't move the slide out on rear. Can I remove the outside overlap molding and any suggestions on how to do it without destroying it? Thanks. Greg

If you can't reach over the slide to get to it then it looks like disassembly is in your future. That looks like a heck of a task on that slide.

[craigd853]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

I'm now at a point to tackle our stuck slide on a 2018 30 Freedom Elite. It's the driver's side rear motor that seems to have broken. It just spins. I can get to the front motor from inside but cannot get to rear due to the "L" shaped kitchen and joining shower wall. Does anyone have experience on this particular setup? I can't move the slide out on rear. Can I remove the outside overlap molding and any suggestions on how to do it without destroying it? Thanks. Greg

Hello sir and sorry for your issues. I'm pretty sure you have to disconnect the motors from the controller. Normally they are in the storage bays directly under the slide outs. This will release the braking mechanism on the motors and should allow for you and a couple of your friends to push the slide out from the inside of the coach. Pushing from both sides of the slide at the same time. Good luck

[Aloha1]

Ok. Thanks!

[Aloha1]

Thanks for the information. Will give it a try.

[Elite Washington]

Good luck with the repair! I have the same coach but haven’t had to fix motors. The controller is in the storage next to the generator for that slide. You might be able to get to the motor from the outside. I vaguely remember seeing a video of someone getting to it from the outside but that might had been to just lubricate it.

[Aloha1]

Thanks for the reply. No way to get it removed from outside. Looks like complete slide disassemble.

[Aloha1]

Thanks for the info. We got the slide pushed out and saw the motor definitely not in place. Don't know if it is broken or came loose. Definitely no way to remove from outside. Looks like total disassembly of slide. Horrible design. I definitely will not buy another one of these.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

Thanks for the info. We got the slide pushed out and saw the motor definitely not in place. Don't know if it is broken or came loose. Definitely no way to remove from outside. Looks like total disassembly of slide. Horrible design. I definitely will not buy another one of these.

If you can see the motor then maybe you just need to remove the slide's inside trin/stop boards to get to it. Also definitely the inside trim/wiper seal.

Have you seen the videos on Youtube regarding replacement?

[Aloha1]

The motor closest to driver is simple. The rear has an L shaped cabinet that holds the microwave. It will have to be completely disassembled to get to it. I might have found an easier way by drilling rivets on exterior to remove trim around the slide. Don't know if that will give me enough room yet. Thanks for your reply!

[Aloha1]

So I get the motor swapped out but could not get the shaft to align. I then noticed the rail guide looks bent or broken. I think I know the answer but other than removing the entire slide, is there another way?

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

So I get the motor swapped out but could not get the shaft to align. I then noticed the rail guide looks bent or broken. I think I know the answer but other than removing the entire slide, is there another way?

The H-Column can be removed without removing the slide box.


https://youtu.be/BE8TzyNQ08k