Schwintek Slide-out Motor Replacement Long Post

[Mach428]

I have a 2012 FR Forester with two slides, one of which is a bedroom wall slide. This thing has given me fits since I've owned it. The motors would scream when operating; it would get off balance from side to side, it wouldn't move at times; it was so unreliable. Enough!

I called a local RV dealer here in town to get an estimate to replace the motors....$1,000. Uh I don't think so.

So I called Camping World and they wanted $265 EACH just for the motors. Uh I don't think so.

So I found Lippert brand motors exactly like the ones removed, online for $142 each and installed them myself. It's not that hard at all.

I moved the BR slide out halfway, which gave good access to the inside and outside.

Pull back the weatherstripping on the outside at the top and there is a screw near the top that locks the motors into place. Remove the screw.

If the motors have been in a while (like mine) they won't simply lift out like the YouTube video shows. I pried up a bit from the bottom and they popped up and out of the coupler.

Inside, pull back both sets of weather stripping to reveal the motors and disconnect the wire plug.

Push the motor up the rest of the way from the coupler and remove.

Install the new motor, paying particular attention to the small hole that the set screw goes into from the outside. This needs to be pointing outward.
I made a pencil mark exactly 180 degrees to use as reference to position the new motors.

Slide new motor down into the coupler. Now here's the important part.

IF you haven't moved the slide, they should drop back into the same position. If the slide did move, you will need to hold the motor so that the setscrew hole is facing outward and move one side of the slide (slightly) back & forth. This will align the D shaped motor shaft to the coupler. Once that is done, the motor will drop into position.

Here's the second important part. Go back outside and use an awl or pointed tool to ensure that the set screw hole in the motor is aligned with the setscrew hole on the outside of the coach. If it is, put set screw back to secure the motor in place. If not, turn the motor slightly back and fourth until the awl falls into the hole. Replace the setscrews.

Once you do this on both sides, reconnect the motor wires, reinstall the weatherstripping, and cycle motors.

You will need to cycle them closed, then open about 6 inches, then closed again. Do this 3-4 times. Same thing on the open cycle. This establishes a zero position for the controller.

So, for less than $300, I replaced what the dealer wanted over $1000, AND they are so smooth and quiet!!

Next is carpet replacement, which I had a quote to do for $1600. Uh I don't think so

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Mach428

I have a 2012 FR Forester with two slides, one of which is a bedroom wall slide. This thing has given me fits since I've owned it. The motors would scream when operating; it would get off balance from side to side, it wouldn't move at times; it was so unreliable. Enough!

I called a local RV dealer here in town to get an estimate to replace the motors....$1,000. Uh I don't think so.

So I called Camping World and they wanted $265 EACH just for the motors. Uh I don't think so.

So I found Lippert brand motors exactly like the ones removed, online for $142 each and installed them myself. It's not that hard at all.

I moved the BR slide out halfway, which gave good access to the inside and outside.

Pull back the weatherstripping on the outside at the top and there is a screw near the top that locks the motors into place. Remove the screw.

If the motors have been in a while (like mine) they won't simply lift out like the YouTube video shows. I pried up a bit from the bottom and they popped up and out of the coupler.

Inside, pull back both sets of weather stripping to reveal the motors and disconnect the wire plug.

Push the motor up the rest of the way from the coupler and remove.

Install the new motor, paying particular attention to the small hole that the set screw goes into from the outside. This needs to be pointing outward.
I made a pencil mark exactly 180 degrees to use as reference to position the new motors.

Slide new motor down into the coupler. Now here's the important part.

IF you haven't moved the slide, they should drop back into the same position. If the slide did move, you will need to hold the motor so that the set screw hole is facing outward and move one side of the slide (slightly) back & forth. This will align the D shaped motor shaft the the coupler. Once that is done, the motor will drop into position.

Here's the second important part. Go back outside and use an awl or pointed tool to ensure that the set screw hole in the motor is aligned with the set screw hole on the outside of the coach. If it is, put set screw back to secure the motor in place. If not, turn the motor slightly back and fourth until the awl falls into the hole.

Once you do this on both sides, reconnect the motor wires, reinstall the weatherstripping, and cycle motors.

You will need to cycle them closed, then open about 6 inches, then closed again. Do this 3-4 times. Same thing on the open cycle. This establishes a zero position for the controller.

So, for less than $300, I replaced what the dealer wanted over $1000, AND they are so smooth and quiet!!

Next is carpet replacement, which I had a quote to do for $1600. Uh I don't think so

Thanks for the info. Why did you replace both motors? Did they both die at same time?

[Mach428]

I replaced both because they both were screaming. Also, they have both ran an equal amount of time and I didn't want to replace one only to have the other fail

[ependydad]

Now, lube them regularly- I try to do mine about every 2 months can tell a marked improvement when I forget.

[rockfordroo]

Maybe you have this info already, but if not, here it is.

[benchmarks]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Now, lube them regularly- I try to do mine about every 2 months can tell a marked improvement when I forget.

How does one know if you should lube the motor? I have read there are some you do and don’t. Is this true? My thought is if it moves lubricate, but on the flip side heard that this can also attract dirt and create the problems. Dunno.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by benchmarks

How does one know if you should lube the motor? I have read there are some you do and don’t. Is this true? My thought is if it moves lubricate, but on the flip side heard that this can also attract dirt and create the problems. Dunno.

Lippert has videos on YouTube for how to do it and even recommends specific lube. IMO, it should be done (and I absolutely can tell you they work better after lubing).

I also lube the carp out of the rollers under the slides. I want to keep them rolling nicely.

At my last full slide replacement repair (4th in 4 years), I had the repair shop add aluminum runners to the bottom of my slide. As the slide failed each time, it dug more and more into the under side of the slide and gouged the wood.

Gouges:
https://flic.kr/p/LBrzWR

[benchmarks]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Lippert has videos on YouTube for how to do it and even recommends specific lube. IMO, it should be done (and I absolutely can tell you they work better after lubing).

I also lube the carp out of the rollers under the slides. I want to keep them rolling nicely.

At my last full slide replacement repair (4th in 4 years), I had the repair shop add aluminum runners to the bottom of my slide. As the slide failed each time, it dug more and more into the under side of the slide and gouged the wood.

Gouges:
https://flic.kr/p/LBrzWR

Thanks. Could it have been that damage was due to something that got stuck underneath and continuously kept dragging? Is a “full slide replacement repair” a common ordeal on slide outs?

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by benchmarks

Thanks. Could it have been that damage was due to something that got stuck underneath and continuously kept dragging? Is a “full slide replacement repair” a common ordeal on slide outs?

No- each time it was almost like the slide track or slide out itself shifted and made it drag on the roller. It happened almost yearly, so it didn’t seem like anything we were specifically doing.

The Schwinteks are funny. I think design/theory-wise, they’re a decent system but require a fairly precise install. As we all know, these manufacturers are anything but. For instance, my motors are so tight that it takes me hours to remove them and I’ve always just paid someone to reinstall them.

And when the motor does start significantly slipping, it starts to damage the rack (the set of tracks mounted to the slide wall). These are about $1,500 for a slide and take 3 weeks to get from Lippert. I actually drove to a Lippert factory in Indiana to pick mine up to save a week of shipping time. Ironically, my buddy needed the exact same thing and I picked his up at the same time.

IMO, Schwintek slides are problematic. I’ll avoid them in the future if I can.

[benchmarks]

Bummer. Thanks for the insight.

[Sterlingsilver]

Been there, done that. Wear problems are related to lube or crap stuck in the gear tracks. Also, wear on the bottom of he slide out over time causes the room to settle and the tracks need to be adjusted on each side or the mechanism binds and destructs. I replaced one track for about $200 from Lippert through a dealer. Finally, motor problems are related mostly to the cheap Hall Effect sensors on top of the motor. The better sensors are available for just over a dollar each from Honeywell. Replace those and the motors run forever but you have to be good with a solder iron.

[Brewster McFrisk]

Can you please tell us more about the "Hall Effect Sensors" where to purchase and where it is on the motor itself. Pictures would be great for a visual.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Sterlingsilver

Been there, done that. Wear problems are related to lube or crap stuck in the gear tracks. Also, wear on the bottom of he slide out over time causes the room to settle and the tracks need to be adjusted on each side or the mechanism binds and destructs. I replaced one track for about $200 from Lippert through a dealer. Finally, motor problems are related mostly to the cheap Hall Effect sensors on top of the motor. The better sensors are available for just over a dollar each from Honeywell. Replace those and the motors run forever but you have to be good with a solder iron.

That info sounds like a great YouTube video or a special series of posts with pictures and details on where to get the parts.

[Sterlingsilver]

Originally Posted by Brewster McFrisk

Can you please tell us more about the "Hall Effect Sensors" where to purchase and where it is on the motor itself. Pictures would be great for a visual.

You would be looking to purchase a pair of Honeywell SS41 Hall Effect Sensors per motor. They can be had from Arrow Electronics for a few dollars although the minimum order may be $20 for free shipping. I got a bunch of them and threw the rest on the shelf after I fixed the 2 original motors and a spare I bought on Ebay that didn't work when I got it. I now have spare sensors and a working spare motor.

The sensors are the 2 3-pin transistors that are on either side of the rotating magnetic disc on the end of the motor shaft. Pop off the plastic cover to see. I actually think the wiring is such that only one sensor is in use. Replace them both and if you do a good job the motor will not return sensor error codes to the controller.

Incidentally, The external alignment screw whose access requires the slide to be partially out to get at, is only used to keep the motor from jumping out of it's coupling. To get proper alignment to reinstall the motor, I had to jumper the motor with a small battery to get it to rotate until it dropped into alignment and coupled up.

[Brewster McFrisk]

Thank you SterlingSilver, I will look into this.Great info! I have a used motor that was sluggish which caused the slide to bind. I'm going to replace the sensors and see if it helps.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Brewster McFrisk

Thank you SterlingSilver, I will look into this.Great info! I have a used motor that was sluggish which caused the slide to bind. I'm going to replace the sensors and see if it helps.

Make sure you take pics and report back! Thanks.

[Brewster McFrisk]

Sterlingsilver, how is the best way to get the round magnet off without breaking it?
Thank You

[Sterlingsilver]

Pry or pull it off. There is no alignment. It's just jammed on the end of the motor shaft.

[Brewster McFrisk]

Perfect Thank You

[Brewster McFrisk]

Sensor is out, question is do you have to reinstall the white cover on old sensor, mine are stuck on