Flagstaff Classic Bedroom Slider Adventure
After a 300-mile drive into the North Carolina mountains, we got set up at our campsite and Carolyn went to extend the bedroom slider containing closets. It immediately went catawampus and jammed. I discovered I could “muscle” the slider out enough to see what was going on.
The Accuslide system uses cables to lock the unit in the in or out position. I discovered the two front cables disconnected from their outside stand-off brackets and disappeared into the holes. Since it was usable with a little muscle, I figured I’d wait until we got home to deal with it.
Their website was excellent and provided all kinds of information from parts to installation instructions.
https://balrvproducts.com/products/o...de/index.shtml
I removed fascia and the front side shield, but it still wasn’t obvious as to how to find the ends of the missing cables. Finally, I dropped a dime on Michelle at Accuslide and she said the cables would be accessible if I “pulled off the tabs” where the cables go through on the outside wiper. I did that and saw the ends of the cables which I was able to extract with small needle nose pliers. The swaged ends were in perfect condition so the mystery was how did they slip out of the keyway in the stand-off brackets?
I found the answer in the parts manual. There are supposed to be rubber grommets which snap into the keyway preventing the cables from sliding out and all 4 were missing! I ordered grommets and connected the cables to their stand-off brackets.
I remembered the way the cables and pulleys looked before the cables slipped off and concluded the installation must have been the Forest River installer’s “first rodeo”. The cables were way too loose to start with and the motor was mounted with a downward tilt rather than straight so the chains could pull without twisting on the cog.
Accuslide tried to explain how to adjust the cables, but at 75, I couldn’t figure it out. I finally found a video that did make sense to me and I finally got everything adjusted.
The grommets came in and I inserted them in the keyway to prevent losing the cable ends again. Next, I cleaned off the rubber wipers inside and out, wiped them down with alcohol and cleaned the frame where they attached. I bought a tube of 3M adhesive, spread it with a popsicle stick and pressed it together when it got tacky. I had bought a 2” SS roller to apply Eterna Bond with and I rolled everything to make sure it sealed.
Final thoughts: The Accuslide mechanism looks intimidating but once you get a feel for it, it makes sense. I think they could improve on the adjusting process, but it is clearly manageable for a reasonably competent DIY guy.
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