Slide out goes out but not in. Help?

[Bs106]

Hey everybody,

About 2 weeks ago I put my BAL cable slide-out out but when I tried to put it back in, it only made a grinding noise like its trying to come in but couldnt. Been like this ever since.

So I did a little bit of research and came to the conclusion it had to be my gear box so I ordered a new one, swapped the old one for new (not a fun time) and tested it and same issue.

Fuses are good, don't know what else it could be. Could it be the motor? I didn't replace the motor since it's able to put the slide out, just won't go in -so I figured it must be good. Cables are all tight. Any recommendations much appreciated!

Thanks,
Brett

 

[dagst1]

There is a BAL Manual in the documents section under the manuals that may help.

Also if you include the year make and model of your camper that helps others know what you are working on. The best way to do this is to add a signature with that information.

 

[Bs106]

Yes I read it and tried a couple troubleshooting but to no avail. My situations weird because of the fact it goes out but doesn't come in.

It's an Norco accuslide BAL cable system on a 2015 Sunset trail 290qb.

I'll have to make a signature at some point. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[dlakeman]

If it was my trailer I'd take it immediately to the dealer when the problem first occurred. Not knowing what you are doing could cause more harm than good, especially when it comes to proper cable adjustment and slideout alignment. I am a licensed aircraft mechanic. I can fix a B-747, however I wouldn't attempt to cure a slide problem.

 

[Bs106]

Problem is there's no dealer near me. And there's alot of troubleshooting help out there. Called BAL and they were perplexed as to how it could not be the gear case. These systems aren't very complicated when you look at the manual. They are sending me a new high torque gear case and motor. One of the best customer service companies I've ever dealt with. Hopefully this fixes it.

 

[dagst1]

Sounds like you have some direction. Hopefully it fixes it. Please let us know the outcome.

 

[Wit]

Just a thought, I had a similar problem and the in cable had slipped off of one of the pulleys. You had to get up close to see it. It was jammed and wouldn't move. I found out that my cable was too tight which was putting too much tension on the pulley which caused it to run off. I've found it's better to have a little slack in your cable than have it too tight. This might not be your problem but it doesn't hurt to check.

 

[Bs106]

Great point! I will check for that! The only thing is then it wouldn't go out either right?

 

[Wit]

The way I understand it, two cables pull out and the other two pull in. Mine " in" cable must have slipped off the pulley on the way out because I could hear noice. It must have gotten pinched between the pulley and the bracket at that time on the way out and cinched up on the way in. It was the top right cable of our bed slide. I'm certainly not an expert, I just thought it wouldn't hurt to check it before going any further. I have since loosened all my cables just a little to ease the tension and everything worked well on 6 trips this past summer. If it happens again I can just loosen the cable and put it back on the pulley and re- tighten. Good luck and post what you find out.

 

[Bs106]

Gotcha, I checked and it appears the cables are all on their pulley like theyre supposed to be. I know you don't want to tighten them too much because it could put too much of a strain on the motor. When i replaced the gearbox i marked all the nuts and bolts with a sharpie so that after I loosened them to get the chain off and onto the new gearbox, I could return them to the same level of tightness they were previously. I am at a lost for what this could be. Im hoping that after installing this new high torque motor/gearbox, it'll solve the problem.

 

[Bs106]

Well got the new gearbox(same model as others I just replaced) and high torque motor. To possibly avoid having to loosen cables and go through the trouble of stabilizing the slide-out, I just initially swapped the motors, this would tell me if it was a motor issue which it wasn't. So then I swapped the whole thing and bingo it fixed it which tells me the last replacement gearbox I had ordered was defective

 

[Lloyd S]

Good deal.
That had to make you feel good I'll bet.
Thanks for the report.

 

[dagst1]

Glad you got it fixed. Could be the motor was weak in that direction. Who knows.

 

[Bs106]

Yes, for future reference, if you're like me and think 'theres no way the replacement for a defective part is also defective - what would be the chances', just remember this case