Adele slide-out stops working

mhbraun · 03-24-2022, 05:59 PM

Next to some other issues we have with Adele, it looks like that flame new unit is just not built to be driven and to be used as a home on wheels.

Today we arrived at a wonderful place next to a lake with the mountains in the background and we stopped next to the lake. Boondocking, water tank is full, battery and gas as well... As usually, I wanted to get the slide-out out to have more space inside the rig. It did not work. Standing in the inside, the left side was stopping the operation after 2 inches and then (correctly, to prevent damage) the right side did the same after approximately three inches. I was shocked and pulled the slide-out back in.

Ok, probably a power issue. I started the engine and and repeated the process. Same game. I pulled the slide-out back in.

Ok, probably a levelling issue, as we were not really levelled and Adele was lower on the left (driver) side, where the slide-out is located. I moved the vehicle into a horizontal position and repeated the process.
Same result. I pulled the slide-out back in.

I have a video on the behavior, but it looks like a video upload is not available in this forum.

Then I called Forest River Service. As no-one picked up the phone, I left a message. Curious if there will be any call back.

Anybody has an idea? It worked flawlessly until now and I could not see any debris underneath the slide-out. What else can I check? - And how...

Duckogram · 03-25-2022, 05:59 AM

What type of slide out mechanism is on your 2150SLE?

mhbraun · 03-25-2022, 09:09 AM

I can not answer your question, I do not know. How to find out?

mhbraun · 03-25-2022, 11:25 AM

I talked to Forest River Service. They recommended to use a mobile tech to look after the slide out.
Called 8 mobile techs on our way. None is available before mid of April.
Is this a common thing? Or just a nice phrase for saying "We are not interested in your business"?

camaraderie · 03-25-2022, 01:14 PM

Do you have a gas generator that you can fire up? Or a place to plug into 30 amps? Just a thought BUT the 12V loads to put out slides are heavy. On my G'town, I always have to plug in first OR start up my GENNY to get the converter to supply heavy amps to the batts while slides are placed in or out. My slides will NOT work with the ignition on.
If you haven't checked this possibility...it may be a simple fix to an otherwise tough issue.

mhbraun · 03-25-2022, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Do you have a gas generator that you can fire up? Or a place to plug into 30 amps? Just a thought BUT the 12V loads to put out slides are heavy. On my G'town, I always have to plug in first OR start up my GENNY to get the converter to supply heavy amps to the batts while slides are placed in or out. My slides will NOT work with the ignition on.
If you haven't checked this possibility...it may be a simple fix to an otherwise tough issue.

Thank you for your support.
Yes, I tried both options. Usually the slide out worked on batteries only. But when the unit was stuck I tried with
- engine on
- generator
- 30 amps plus
with no change.
Will investigate further.

mhbraun · 03-25-2022, 08:40 PM

Finally got a solution. I was contacting seven RV service contacts in the area, I just drove into their place and tried to talk to them. Took me hours to drive around those places. They all offered me the earliest appointment to look at the unit in two weeks. The second last on my list was Affordable RV & Marine Service in Las Cruces.
The guy who was working on another unit, came to our vehicle and looked at the system and said that it is one of the weaker ones, but nothing is broken or blocked. This was my fear. They encounter regularly problems with the system and it is a good money maker as they have regular repairs.

He fixed the problem in five minutes. No kidding.

I am describing here the solution for anybody else encountering this problem with the slide out in a Forest River or maybe in other vehicles as well.

Problem:
The slide out does not fully expand. It does stop on the left side (in my case) after 2-3 inches. Then the slide out is bending because the right side is still moving. Then the right side of the slide out does stop as well.

Cause:
Misalignment of the electronics or in other words the motors on the left side and on the right side are not synchronized anymore.

Solution:
Reset the synchronization.
1. Move the slide out until it stops with the first motor.
2. Move the slide out back in until the motors are stopping, then release the push button.
3. Repeat 1. and 2. four times. In total five times. This does reset the electronics which is supervising the activities of the slide out.
4. The slide out then fully extracts and comes back as usual.

As easy as that. Thank you for the generous help. Why is it so difficult for Forest River Service just to give me this information?

Hope this information will help another reader here in the forum as well.

Duckogram · 03-25-2022, 09:13 PM

Glad you got it working. Had you been able to articulate the type of slide out mechanism you have you could have been up and running in seconds without thrashing about the countryside and getting all upset. Your “guy” corrected a common mistake folks make with Schwintek in-wall slide outs. They do not operate them in accordance with the instructions. Here is a link of a post I made less than two weeks ago. IF you follow the proper procedure you will likely not need your miracle “fix” again. I also suggest you do you homework on maintenance for your slide out. Hint: There is a youtube video from the slide out mechanism manufacturer on the subject.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2708293

Here is a link to the owners manual you might want to read:
https://lci-support-doc.s3.amazonaws...cd-0001602.pdf

Operating a motorhome requires some effort. Bashing FR for every little thing that goes wrong and not taking the time to educate yourself is likely to end up with you being miserable and regretting your purchase.

Happy Trails

NMWildcat · 03-25-2022, 10:40 PM

I wish you would of said where you were and I would of immediately told you to go talk to John or Tom at Affordable RV and Marine in Las Cruces!!!!
These guys are my goto source for anything RV. Not only are they actually affordable, very experienced, but also very fast, and very honest.
I have called them up when on the road with a problem and they talk me through it. Once, they even talked an unassociated mobile tech in a different state through a problem when he didn't have a clue. All with no charge! Hard to find service like that any more.

Glad they got you fixed up!

mhbraun · 03-26-2022, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckogram

Glad you got it working. Had you been able to articulate the type of slide out mechanism you have....
Happy Trails

Duckogram, I really appreciate your help. However you are missing the point.
Who else but the manufacturer could have told me the component they built into the vehicle? FR was unable to provide this information. There is no marking visible on the components of the slide out to identify a manufacturer or type.
No chance to find out.

And as I can see in the link you shared, I am not alone not getting the information needed. Hence this is a structural issue of Forest River.

If you have access to the needed information, education is easy.

Thank you for the documentation. Really helpful. It does confirm on page 9 the solution I posted above.

mhbraun · 03-26-2022, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I wish you would of said where you were and I would of immediately told you to go talk to John or Tom at Affordable RV and Marine in Las Cruces!!!!
These guys are my goto source for anything RV. Not only are they actually affordable, very experienced, but also very fast, and very honest.
I have called them up when on the road with a problem and they talk me through it. Once, they even talked an unassociated mobile tech in a different state through a problem when he didn't have a clue. All with no charge! Hard to find service like that any more.

Glad they got you fixed up!

Next time I will ask you first

Duckogram · 03-26-2022, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhbraun

Duckogram, I really appreciate your help. However you are missing the point.
Who else but the manufacturer could have told me the component they built into the vehicle? FR was unable to provide this information. There is no marking visible on the components of the slide out to identify a manufacturer or type.
No chance to find out.

That is entertaining.
So on the ForestRiverInc website there is this:
https://forestriverinc.help/#/forest...nseeker/browse

You also SHOULD have received a usb drive with all the info a GnuB would need to get going. That would be from your dealer provided by FR.

You knew how to get here and post grievances yet you failed to read the sticky thread which contained a link to everything and more. See all the topics in the screenshot below.

In the next photo you can see the data sticker from LCI. It should be affixed to the left side of the interior frame. In the top left corner of that sticker is the LCI logo.

So I missed the point? The manufacturer did not tell you? No markings and no chance to find out?

In every sales brochure FR advises you to buy locally. You ignored that and drove 300+ miles to a wholesale dealer. You wonder why it takes forever to get service?

Good Luck
再见

mhbraun · 03-28-2022, 01:19 PM

Really appreciate your help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckogram

That is entertaining.
So on the ForestRiverInc website there is this:
https://forestriverinc.help/#/forest...nseeker/browse

You also SHOULD have received a usb drive with all the info a GnuB would need to get going. That would be from your dealer provided by FR.

You knew how to get here and post grievances yet you failed to read the sticky thread which contained a link to everything and more. See all the topics in the screenshot below.

In the next photo you can see the data sticker from LCI. It should be affixed to the left side of the interior frame. In the top left corner of that sticker is the LCI logo.

So I missed the point? The manufacturer did not tell you? No markings and no chance to find out?

In every sales brochure FR advises you to buy locally. You ignored that and drove 300+ miles to a wholesale dealer. You wonder why it takes forever to get service?

Yes, I got a USB stick with three different documents which is more a list of what's available but a documentation for my vehicle.

As there is no sticker on my unit visible, I double checked it with your pictures of course, I am wondering why you got it but I did not. And why can't Forest River Service tell me what they built into the vehicle? Did I got a lemon? But that's another conversation.

And you are totally correct, I regret buying from RVNation. The 'nationwide service network' was a compelling argument for me, as we are traveling nationwide. So it did not matter to me where the dealer is, as we are not close to that dealer anyway. We bought the unit to use it, not to stay close to a service station. Now I learn the hard way that there is no service available if you need it.
I can assure you, I will not buy from RVNation again.

Thank you for the link. It lists way more documents than I have on hand.

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