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Old 10-22-2011, 11:59 AM   #1
NSTS1470
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In need of opinions

Where to start. Over the season I would see soot coming out of the exhaust of the heater. If heated fine, no problems at all. It's at the rv center now and they claim now that when they ran it there was no soot. They say from outside all looks and runs good. But then told me that it would cost 2hrs labor (roughly $150)to take it out and inspect. but they assured me they saw no soot. My question is, could this be possible that it now no longer blows soot?


Question 2, in regards to my slide out. On occasion(prob 1 out of 5 times) when I go to extend it it makes a ratchet type sound but doesnt move. Give it a push and then it will go. Once started it goes out fine and never has a problem retracting. Dealer told me that I need a whole new actuator/motor and they will have a price for me on tues once they call Keystone. Holy ****, that seems a bit much considering it is only on the initial start of extending. so does this seem correct.

I dont know enough about these things and hate to get screwed by the rv center. Any help on these things would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 10-23-2011, 05:56 AM   #2
NSTS1470
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anybody, Please help?
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Old 10-23-2011, 06:44 AM   #3
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I am relatively new to sliders so I think I will defer to others.

But, I do know a bit about RV furnaces. There are two initial causes of soot from the furnace that I would look into before taking it to a RV shop for expensive repairs.

First, the orifice and burner tube needs to be looked at and cleaned. Any obstruction in the tube alters the air/fuel mix and can produce soot. There are some insects that just love the propane and/or the captene in it so they will nest there when they can.

Second, the combustion chamber should be inspected and cleaned. Repair shops use a long cleaning tool that resembles a brush for cleaning test tubes but bigger. I've used my shop vac by removing the plastic end and just shoving the flex hose into the chamber and stack. Some feather dusters or similar can be adapted to work. I can even envision a swiffer duster being modified to work.

BTW, the above generally applies to the fridge and water heater, too.

Looking at Suburban's website, they don't offer manuals unlike Atwood or Dometic. Every FAQ they have there wants you to go to your dealer or a qualified RV tech for any service at all. http://www.rvcomfort.com/suburban/

I know I'd be getting my tools out and taking a look-see for my self before dragging my trailer back to the dealer and paying money for them to look at it, but that is a decision you'll have to make.
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:43 AM   #4
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Steve's advice is sound on the cleaning and repair of your furnace. Spider webs have a nasty way of making things not get enough air... A baby bottle brush and a shop vac are usually all that's needed. And to answer your question, yes it is possible to have a small blockage in the vent, develop soot and when the furnace gets hot enough, to burn away the blockage and not have any further soot.

As for the slide, it sounds more like an adjustment problem on the travel switch rather than an actuator problem. If you look at the Lippert website, (or do a search here for the links) you'll find pretty simple and clear instructions on how to adjust the travel on your slide. In fact, I think there's a topic on here complete with pictures and step by step instructions on the adjustment. It's pretty simple, just need to take your time and not "overadjust" on the first few tries, it's better to do it 3 or 4 times than get it too far the other way and lose your reference. I'd guess yours is set to travel in a little too much, and when it contacts the side of your RV, it moves further in, just enough to bind the actuator. When you push against the slide, you free the actuator and it works properly. It doesn't happen all the time, so it's not critically far out of adjustment, rather just needs a slight tweeking.....

If your RV is in warranty and the dealer is going to repair it for free, that's up to you, but if you're paying for the repair, if it were me, I'd wait until it actually breaks (which it probably won't if you adjust the travel switch). But, just to be sure, I'd run through the manual operation instructions and be sure you know how to manually retract the slide, just in case..... It's always better to be prepared rather than caught by suprise !!!!!
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Old 10-23-2011, 02:33 PM   #5
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My friend has a 326 and had that problem with his slide and all he had to do was make an adjustment(not sure what) I would check around on this site before I spent alot of money. They seem very helpfull on here for the most part
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Old 10-23-2011, 04:07 PM   #6
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thanks for all the advice. I will be speaking with the rv center on tues and will bring this point up on the slide. I will also try cleaning the furnace myself. thanks again
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Old 10-25-2011, 07:24 AM   #7
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Well just got off the phone with the rv center. They told me there not sure what type of slide unit it is but gave the part number to keystone and gave me a price of $750 to replace the actuator/motor. They told me there was no way to adjust the travel of the slide. I have no idea if the r blowin smoke up my *** or what. But I told them not to do the service. Being that it only happens 1 out of 5 times I figure if I'm gonna pay that price I will wait till it fails completly. so I just better make sure I figure out how to manually open and close it. And I will try and find the make of the unit and see if I can find the travel limit adjustment.
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Old 10-25-2011, 07:40 AM   #8
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Your slide is probably made by Lippert and if you go online to their website, they do have various slide manuals that you can download. Try this site: www.lci1.com
You might also try obtaining additional information on the Lippert Electrical Slideout System by calling 866-524-7821. Hope this helps.
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Old 10-25-2011, 07:43 AM   #9
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Thanks, appreciated!
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Old 10-25-2011, 08:30 AM   #10
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The "generic" electric slide mechanism owners manual is located here:

http://www.lci1.com/images/Flyers/Ow...ideout-web.pdf

Go to page 11 and read the part about adjusting the room so it seals in the IN position....

While your slide may not be the specific one that's in this manual, essentially all of Lippert's electrical slide units operate and adjust very much the same way.

What I think is happening is that on your slide, it is travelling in too far and making the motor pull too much torque before it stops moving and starts to ratchet (the clicking you hear when it stops moving). Since it travels in a bit too far, the motor is not strong enough to push the slide out past that "stuck point". If you adjust the slide so it doesn't move in quite as far (maybe only 1/8" or so) it won't bind and will work better...

Read the above link on page 11 and see what you think. If you're not mechanically inclined to do the adjustment yourself, maybe you can find someone to help you??? Or just crawl under your RV and look around, take the manual out there with you and make notes, Once you have a better understanding of what's there and how it works, it really is a simple system.

GOOD LUCK !!!!!

I just reread the Lippert manual. I see your trailer is a 2010. Lippert's warranty is for 3 years from date of sale for the actuator assembly, It might still be covered by the Manufacturer's warranty. Do some checking on your own before you approach the dealer with that bit of information. Read the warranty information on the link I posted above, it may be your solution to this issue (if asjustment isn't the answer).
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Old 10-25-2011, 09:02 AM   #11
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Followup on the heater:

I found a website that has all kinds of manuals online including Suburban:

http://www.bryantrv.com/docs.html
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Old 10-25-2011, 09:22 AM   #12
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I just had another "thought revelation" (Sorry, couldn't resist) about today's repair facilities.... We've come a long way since the Model A and the Model T, but sometimes that's not a good thing. Dealers look for ways to maximize profit, simplify work requirements and minimize customer returns. The unit replacement method is one such way to do that. On this actuator assembly, if anything at all is wrong with it, there's only one small part that's defective. Say, the motor has brushes that won't connect to get it moving in one specific location on the commutator, or a bad winding in the motor, or a limit switch/ratchet lock that is not working properly. To have an electric service rewire the motor is probably a $50 service, to change out the limit switch is $25 with parts costing $5 ot $10.

The dealer changes out the actuator assembly for $750, customer is on his way, won't return because of a "loose bolt" or other issue and the RV is repaired... But, at what cost and to who?

I'd do some crawling around under that slide before I paid for that kind of repair. Maybe the actuator does need to be changed out, but is there a more efficient way to repair it? Check it out and make an informed decision...
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Old 10-25-2011, 09:28 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveC7010 View Post
Followup on the heater:

I found a website that has all kinds of manuals online including Suburban:

http://www.bryantrv.com/docs.html
WOW !!! Thanks, Steve. That link is definitely one to put in the favorites. Much appreciated...
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Old 10-25-2011, 10:15 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
WOW !!! Thanks, Steve. That link is definitely one to put in the favorites. Much appreciated...
Got a couple more:

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm?nowritefs

http://www.rvingthemidwestconnection.com/index.htm

http://gasrefrigeration.net/service_manuals.htm

http://www.dometicmanuals.com/PROD/M...f?Opendatabase

http://www.aerocoachinc.com/ownManual.php

http://manuals.heartlandowners.org/

http://www.nwrvsupply.com/manuals.htm

I have dozens and dozens of bookmarks stored away from 12 years of owning our last trailer and much, much more.
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Old 10-25-2011, 10:39 AM   #15
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When we retired and moved to Michigan, we were actually going to stay in one place and just do the "motel/hotel/air" type of travelling. Well, that lasted almost 6 months before we started looking for another RV. Because of the move and getting out of RV'ing for a time, a lot of this kind of information was either thrown away in the move or just got misplaced and I can't find it.... Occasionally, I'll run across a file folder with the owner's manual for a jackstand or a inverter, etc. I even found the sales receipt for the VW Campmobile that started all of this back in 1971... It actually cost $2600 NEW LOL Imagine that!!!!!

Thanks for the links, I'm sure many of us will find them useful...
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Old 02-26-2012, 12:47 PM   #16
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stuck slideout

I had a failed actuator, leaked oil everywhere. Was totally shocked to se the price on a new one. They are nothing more than typical hydralic units on any piece of machinery. I took it to John Deere and it was fixed for under fifty dollars. Works perfect. Not so with hydralic motor. It stops 2 or three times during slide in or out procedure. 4 slides, But the motor stays very cool and doesn't appear to be over working. I have had weak thermal overloads on other motors, I haven't tackled this one yet.
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