Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-01-2010, 07:46 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Lawfive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lafayette, CA
Posts: 157
391 Main Slide End Dragging

At the end of the four days out on Memorial Day I was buttoning up and bringing in the main slide. The end nearest the driver was fine but the other end was dragging taking the whole slide out of alignment. I stopped, reversed, and then tried again - same result. I checked outside and noticed the gasket around that end was half pushed in and half pushed out. It also had a sticky white residue on it like a glue substance. I played with the gasket and it moved freely as far up as I could reach so I pushed it inward leaving just a bit outward at the top. Tried again and this time it was just fine. I have a new hydraulic motor on the slides cause the original failed. This is a 2007 I bought last year with almost no miles and I am the only retail owner. Have I missed some maintenance on the slide? I'm not going out again without getting this potential disaster taken care of. Any ideas?
Lawfive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 11:37 AM   #2
CLASS "A" Senior Member
 
cfsoistman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Upperco, Maryland
Posts: 3,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawfive View Post
At the end of the four days out on Memorial Day I was buttoning up and bringing in the main slide. The end nearest the driver was fine but the other end was dragging taking the whole slide out of alignment. I stopped, reversed, and then tried again - same result. I checked outside and noticed the gasket around that end was half pushed in and half pushed out. It also had a sticky white residue on it like a glue substance. I played with the gasket and it moved freely as far up as I could reach so I pushed it inward leaving just a bit outward at the top. Tried again and this time it was just fine. I have a new hydraulic motor on the slides cause the original failed. This is a 2007 I bought last year with almost no miles and I am the only retail owner. Have I missed some maintenance on the slide? I'm not going out again without getting this potential disaster taken care of. Any ideas?
I have the same white stuff on my bedroom slide. To me it looks like caulk type stuff they used at the slide, but it never cures. I've cleaned it off of the slide side panels at least 5 times and it reappears after using the slide a couple times. It is all over the side rubber seals and doesn't come off very easily. Most of the time I've used my fingernails to dig it off and then cleaned with Goo Gone. Then I spray the Rubber Seal Lubricant on it. It lasts a while but isn't the permanent fix yet. The other 2 slides are fine and I don't see anything on them. Maybe someone just went over-board with the caulk?
__________________

2007 Georgetown 370TS
aka - RAYNMKR

Driver: Charlie
Navigator: Sheri
cfsoistman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 12:04 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
NWJeeper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Enumclaw, WA
Posts: 2,615
Same on mine. I have also had the wiper seals come off their flanges and pull in or out with the slide. Our bedroom slide is doing it right now. I fixed the front passenger side wiper by removing it, applying silicone adhesive to it and re-installing it on the flange. No problems since then. I just have to do the beedroom slide wipers the same way now.
__________________
"I can fix it, and if I can't fix it, I can fix it so no one can fix it!"
Ed & Wendy
2009 Georgetown 378TS | 1998 Jeep Wrangler | 1998 Skeeter ZX202C
Nights camped in 2009: 53 | Nights camped in 2010: 55
www.nwjeepn.com
NWJeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 12:06 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
flyrotor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 755
Is it grease? Some gear grease is white
flyrotor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 12:40 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
NWJeeper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Enumclaw, WA
Posts: 2,615
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyrotor View Post
Is it grease? Some gear grease is white
No, definately caulking of some type as it is very sticky and located on the side of the slides, no where near any of the mechanism. Almost seems like Dicor or something.
__________________
"I can fix it, and if I can't fix it, I can fix it so no one can fix it!"
Ed & Wendy
2009 Georgetown 378TS | 1998 Jeep Wrangler | 1998 Skeeter ZX202C
Nights camped in 2009: 53 | Nights camped in 2010: 55
www.nwjeepn.com
NWJeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 10:53 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Lawfive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lafayette, CA
Posts: 157
Flange Details

NWJeeper, can you give me a bit more detail on the removal of the flange etc? While I'm a bit mechanical there are times when I hesitate to try something off my normal radar.
Lawfive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 11:31 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
NWJeeper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Enumclaw, WA
Posts: 2,615
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawfive View Post
NWJeeper, can you give me a bit more detail on the removal of the flange etc? While I'm a bit mechanical there are times when I hesitate to try something off my normal radar.
The wiper seals are just installed over a flange that runs around the slide opening. You can easily peal the wipers off of the flange, my slides are doing it for me in fact. I then shot the silicone sealant/adhesive into the pocket on the back of the wiper seal and installed it back onto the flange. This way the wipers are glued to the flange not just an interference fit. No problems so far with the one seal I have done this way, it hasn't pealed off the flange since.
__________________
"I can fix it, and if I can't fix it, I can fix it so no one can fix it!"
Ed & Wendy
2009 Georgetown 378TS | 1998 Jeep Wrangler | 1998 Skeeter ZX202C
Nights camped in 2009: 53 | Nights camped in 2010: 55
www.nwjeepn.com
NWJeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2010, 11:53 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Lawfive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lafayette, CA
Posts: 157
Slide Drag

Thanks for the response but its kinda Greek to me. Did you pull the seals out at the bottom? How did they reseat? I've pulled gaskets out before and had dickens (he used a term here fit for family reading when he really, really meant a stronger word) getting them back in. I don't mean to be a pain but I need more help. Should I punt this job to a shop?
Lawfive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2010, 12:32 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
NWJeeper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Enumclaw, WA
Posts: 2,615
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawfive View Post
Thanks for the response but its kinda Greek to me. Did you pull the seals out at the bottom? How did they reseat? I've pulled gaskets out before and had dickens (he used a term here fit for family reading when he really, really meant a stronger word) getting them back in. I don't mean to be a pain but I need more help. Should I punt this job to a shop?
These aren't "gaskets" they are the wipers that wipe water off the sides, top and bottom of the slide room when you close them. They tend to pull off on their own on many rigs so it isn't hard to pull them loose from the flange. No tools are needed, you can simply grab hold of the wiper and pull them off the mounting flange. You just press them back onto the flange after shooting some silicone in the pocket of the wiper. Since the wipers are soft pliable rubber they aren't hard to pull out of their position. I've included a diagram: Click on it for a bigger view.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	wiperseals.jpg
Views:	277
Size:	31.3 KB
ID:	2565  
__________________
"I can fix it, and if I can't fix it, I can fix it so no one can fix it!"
Ed & Wendy
2009 Georgetown 378TS | 1998 Jeep Wrangler | 1998 Skeeter ZX202C
Nights camped in 2009: 53 | Nights camped in 2010: 55
www.nwjeepn.com
NWJeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2010, 12:43 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Lawfive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lafayette, CA
Posts: 157
Slide Drag

Okay, even I can figure out this diagram. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to draw a picture. I'm now more confident to give it a try.
Lawfive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2010, 12:49 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
NWJeeper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Enumclaw, WA
Posts: 2,615
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawfive View Post
Okay, even I can figure out this diagram. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to draw a picture. I'm now more confident to give it a try.
Keep us posted on how it goes. If I had our rig in the garage right now I would fix mine tomorrow and take pictures to post here of the process. It really is quite easy. Open the room almost all the way but leave it just shy of full open to remove the wipers and once you have re-installed them leave the room open to allow the silicone time to set up before you close them again.
__________________
"I can fix it, and if I can't fix it, I can fix it so no one can fix it!"
Ed & Wendy
2009 Georgetown 378TS | 1998 Jeep Wrangler | 1998 Skeeter ZX202C
Nights camped in 2009: 53 | Nights camped in 2010: 55
www.nwjeepn.com
NWJeeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2010, 06:09 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Lawfive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Lafayette, CA
Posts: 157
Fixed Slide Wall Wipers

I removed the rubber wipers from the main slide. Thanks to NWJeepers' advice it was a piece of cake. I used OOPs, a latex paint remover from Home Depot, to take off the caulk stuck to the gasket. I used a penetrating oil that's supposed to be good for gaskets to recondition the wipers. When I get out to the rig I will use more OOPS to remove the caulk on the side walls of the slide, silicon caulk the inside of the gasket where it fits into the motorhome wall. That should ensure it isn't pulled loose when the slide goes in and out. Will post results immediately and over time. Seems that this may be a recurring maintenance issue especially in rainy climates. You want the slide coming in dry and the gasket staying limber. There must be some folks out there with years of experience who've dealt with this stuff. Any comments?
Lawfive is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:59 AM.