Slide jerking

gearhead · 04-16-2016, 02:45 PM

After the spring wash and wax and some interior cleanup I thought I would lube the slide seals. I even climbed on the roof and hung upside down spraying the top seal. I may have sprayed them 3 or 4 times in the past 2 years. I have cable operated slides. No toppers. I had the slides out for some interior cleanup and decided to put them in today. The bedroom and dinette slides worked fine. The kitchen slide (stove, oven, refer, & TV) jerked a good bit coming in. So I put it back out and it jerked again going out and back in.
I got the DW to operate the switch while I looked underneath while being operated. They were short little 1 inch jerks with a flapping rattling noise. I sprayed some more lube on the bottom seal and the bottom of the slide with no improvement. I need to look some more but I thought I would just post and get some ideas as well. Used "search" and didn't find much.
edit: I went back to the 5th and looked it over again before the rain gets here. Operated the slide, same thing. The cables appear snug and not jumping around. Motor sounds consistent. The rattling noise is on bottom. Looking underneath from the outside I can't see anything, no rollers, etc. Can't see anything underneath from inside unless I take the bottom trim off. I sprayed some more Protectall seal lube on the seals and the floor from the exterior and the sidewalls as well. No difference. Climbed up the ladder to look at the slide roof...no dead cat or anything. And...I was hooked to 110 volts.
I'm thinking I shoulda left well enough alone. Maybe the seals are too slick! Dang if I'll try to do right again! Just drive it like you stole it.
Naaaa.

Spring · 04-17-2016, 02:42 AM

could be the gear box on the cable slide motor. I had two fail me and had them replaced by the dealer, out of warranty of course, this is a BAL Norco slide system on a 2014 Raptor 332ts. I think the gears are nylon and prone to strip.

gearhead · 04-17-2016, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spring

could be the gear box on the cable slide motor. I had two fail me and had them replaced by the dealer, out of warranty of course, this is a BAL Norco slide system on a 2014 Raptor 332ts. I think the gears are nylon and prone to strip.

Hopefully not. Motor assembly sounds and looks good during operation.
It's just such a coincidence that this occurred after I diligently sprayed the seals, exterior walls and exterior floors with Protect All slide seal lube. All I can think is it is so slick that the entire slide is jumping ahead of the motor.
The other issue is the conversation on another forum with the same 5th as mine that did the same thing after spraying the seals. His dealer said to clean with 409 and water. A Laredo owner there had the same thing happen. I couldn't find any 409 this morning so I diluted some Super Clean and cleaned the seals and walls with that. Spritzed it all down with tap water. Left the 2 big slides out. Weatherman is saying they will get a good rinsing this week.

koko · 04-18-2016, 07:39 AM

I fought same problem for months. Called Bal K & L manufacture tec rep. Issue was twofold. First, used a slide lube other than Slideout Rubber Seal Treatment by Protectal, Inc. made in USA (follow directions on can). Had to wash sides and rubbers thoroughly, but jumping still existed. Do not remove rubber seal flap at bottom - does not allow access to anything. Run slide fully out. Thoroughly wash black plastic bottom of slide. Purchase Zap or newly available WD40 Specialist Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE spray (found mine at Home Depot). Soak bottom black plastic of slide. Run in and out a few times. Resoak. Run in and out. Should improve. Mine was so bad I had to get more aggressive. Ran slide 90% out, balanced on two large blocks and jacked up. Moved entire slide room up about 4". Reached in and cleaned hard rubber "solid rubber roll edge" (not a roller) thoroughly soaked with lube. Problem solved. Ours was so bad one of the cables jumped the roller. Be sure to check all cables and rollers. You will have to take the side plates off to do this (from the interior). Ours works perfectly now. Good luck. It is annoying when these things happen. We were on an extended trip at the time.

Edit: Positive note: Now have a real good working knowledge of our slide.

gearhead · 04-20-2016, 01:51 PM

^^^Great info. Thanks.
What did you wash with?
Where did you support the bottom of the slide when you jacked it up?
Are you saying to use the Protect All, or not use it?
Is Zap a lubricant like the WD40?
This is crazy. My slide bottom and sides are clean and slicker than snot. I wonder what is different about the Protect All slide lube I used and WD40?? I was trusting the Protect All name. Was.

koko · 04-21-2016, 07:24 AM

Use Rubberseal by Protectal, but only on sides and top. I used another brand when my problems began. Couldn't find the Zap lubricant that Bal recommended, so I got on line and was given the "special" WD40 called Specialist Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray - it's in a yellow, black, silver can. I cleaned the black plastic bottom with acetone. It was slick, didn't look dirty, but rag did have grease. I lifted the slide room with a long wood plank and placed hydraulic jacks on each edge of the room. Took two or three attempts to get it exactly centered where the room would balance and move up equally. That's why I used a wider plank. Had raised it about 3 inches. It looked like it could raise almost 6. I observed the top gap as I raised it. It was high enough that I could get my hand with a stiff rag and acetone to clean the black tube roll slide surface. First in and out saw definite improvement. Soaked it down with WD40. Next one better still. Third time, problem solved. If I see mud or dirt build-up now, I wipe clean with a rag and add a little WD40. I stress, my side looked clean to me, but the groove on the inside must have been where the problem really was. It was soaking down with WD40 and going in and out that finally lubricated the glide path that can't be seen.

Skippy38 · 01-12-2020, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koko

I fought same problem for months. Called Bal K & L manufacture tec rep. Issue was twofold. First, used a slide lube other than Slideout Rubber Seal Treatment by Protectal, Inc. made in USA (follow directions on can). Had to wash sides and rubbers thoroughly, but jumping still existed. Do not remove rubber seal flap at bottom - does not allow access to anything. Run slide fully out. Thoroughly wash black plastic bottom of slide. Purchase Zap or newly available WD40 Specialist Dirt and Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE spray (found mine at Home Depot). Soak bottom black plastic of slide. Run in and out a few times. Resoak. Run in and out. Should improve. Mine was so bad I had to get more aggressive. Ran slide 90% out, balanced on two large blocks and jacked up. Moved entire slide room up about 4". Reached in and cleaned hard rubber "solid rubber roll edge" (not a roller) thoroughly soaked with lube. Problem solved. Ours was so bad one of the cables jumped the roller. Be sure to check all cables and rollers. You will have to take the side plates off to do this (from the interior). Ours works perfectly now. Good luck. It is annoying when these things happen. We were on an extended trip at the time.

Edit: Positive note: Now have a real good working knowledge of our slide.

So did you coat the entire bottom of the slide with the WD40 Dry Lube? My slides appear to be just 3/4" plywood covered with some kind of carbon fiber material. Did you spray the dry lube on the solid rubber roll edge?

Deereequipment · 01-14-2020, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy38

So did you coat the entire bottom of the slide with the WD40 Dry Lube? My slides appear to be just 3/4" plywood covered with some kind of carbon fiber material. Did you spray the dry lube on the solid rubber roll edge?

make sure you are using the wd40 with the ptfe. Its not just dry lube.
The Zep or WD40 both are with the PTFE

KPeters · 02-22-2018, 09:04 AM

Well, it is a known design/engineering issue with the slideout extending or retracting... which will result in the lower wearbar wearing and possibly create other issues. Keystone has mitigated the problem on newer 2017 models by adding 3-4 rollers under the slide out to ease operation... works great! Keystone has acknowledged the problem and has authorized service repair on one of my slides by adding the rollers to my 2016 Raptor this past year (2017), again it works great! I started having the same problem on the other slide out (same design), and it is now in for the service upgrade at present (February 2018). Good luck all. : )

**JRTJH** · 02-22-2018, 09:24 AM

Welcome to the forum. More information about your repairs would be appreciated. Who did the work, who paid for it, what process did you use to get the work approved, who is paying for this new (apparently out of warranty) repair on the current slide problem, how did you address that repair and was it approved under warranty, as a "good will repair" or part of a recall??? Inquiring minds want to know.......

KPeters · 02-22-2018, 12:03 PM

The corrected work on the slide out was done at the dealership and authorized through Keystone under "good will". The fix, installing rollers and re-adjusting the cabling really did the trick... thank you Keystone! Note: newer models today come with rollers under the slide. As you may be aware "good will" by a manufacturer gives them the flexibility to address the problem, or not. Recalls are generally those items deemed as mission critical or safety related. Thanks.

**JRTJH** · 02-22-2018, 12:26 PM

Since it was a "good will" repair, how did you or your dealer document it in such a manner that Keystone approved the repair? What "secret" did you (or the dealer) use that motivated Keystone to approve the work? It's been the experience of the vast majority of owners (and dealers) that after the warranty period had ended, most have been denied any approval for "factory funded repairs". Do you have any advice for others that might help them get work approved on their slides?

Cardcathrn · 07-06-2019, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KPeters

Well, it is a known design/engineering issue with the slideout extending or retracting... which will result in the lower wearbar wearing and possibly create other issues. Keystone has mitigated the problem on newer 2017 models by adding 3-4 rollers under the slide out to ease operation... works great! Keystone has acknowledged the problem and has authorized service repair on one of my slides by adding the rollers to my 2016 Raptor this past year (2017), again it works great! I started having the same problem on the other slide out (same design), and it is now in for the service upgrade at present (February 2018). Good luck all. : )

I have a 2018 Cougar TT and this issue still remains. No roller on mine. Jerked so bad it snapped cable. I will definitely try this cleaning!

gearhead · 02-22-2018, 06:37 PM

I had my Mom & Pop RV service shop investigate a small water leak last fall. They replaced the bulb seal on the sofa/dinette slide. They apparently checked the other slides and told me the refrigerator/TV (curb) slide needed rollers. $2400. Yeah that is the jerking slide. When we get back from the April trip I guess I'll talk to the Houston mega dealer.

**sourdough** · 02-22-2018, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

I had my Mom & Pop RV service shop investigate a small water leak last fall. They replaced the bulb seal on the sofa/dinette slide. They apparently checked the other slides and told me the refrigerator/TV (curb) slide needed rollers. $2400. Yeah that is the jerking slide. When we get back from the April trip I guess I'll talk to the Houston mega dealer.

Brent,

When I was having my issues I looked at adding rollers as well. After talking to Bal? about how that would go and digging into alternatives on the internet I added Teflon like glides to the bottom of my slides. This is the first year but 1) there is no jerking and 2) they seem very stable. The wearing of the Darco has, as would be expected, stopped. I paid $2200 for 2 slides about 12' long or so; kitchen and dining/living room. It might be something to consider before delving into a new trailer.....although I'm working on DW to do the same.....so I can get a 1 ton diesel.....

gearhead · 02-23-2018, 05:27 AM

That's a pretty good idea putting Teflon on the slides. How thick and wide are the Teflon strips? Are they just screwed to the bottom of the slide? Of course I'm thinking how I could "redneck" this myself.
For the time being I'm going to clean the seals and spray some more WD40 Specialist and ProtectAll. Leaving the 1st week of April for Tennessee, N Carolina, Virginia. No time for the 5th to be sitting and waiting for repairs. We're pretty booked up until October.

**sourdough** · 02-23-2018, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

That's a pretty good idea putting Teflon on the slides. How thick and wide are the Teflon strips? Are they just screwed to the bottom of the slide? Of course I'm thinking how I could "redneck" this myself.
For the time being I'm going to clean the seals and spray some more WD40 Specialist and ProtectAll. Leaving the 1st week of April for Tennessee, N Carolina, Virginia. No time for the 5th to be sitting and waiting for repairs. We're pretty booked up until October.

We didn't install pure Teflon strips. I believe the cost at that time was approx. $800 lin. ft. We used a material much like it (I'll have to look it up - I've posted it before but don't remember at the moment) which was much cheaper but just as good from what we could find. It is 1/8" thick with 3 countersunk screws on the front end out far enough so that they do not cross the wear bar. They are approx. 12" wide and long enough to extend past the wear bar when the slide is extended. They are attached to the bottom of the slides with adhesive. They had to raise and hyper extend the slides to get them on and secured then kept it for about 10 days to let it cure and work the slides multiple times a day to seat the strips.

SkiSmuggs · 02-23-2018, 05:41 AM

My cable slides were working fine until I read a recommendation to use silicon spray on the bottom. After that, I got the same jerking described by the OP. I have washed once which helped a little, but will need to get more aggressive with it and look at suggestion on first page.

gearhead · 02-23-2018, 12:43 PM

Y'all know what I'm thinking don't ya?
Those Teflon strips made for boat trailer bunks. Maybe use some good double sided 3M tape.
For now, I'm thinking clean it and spray it.

CT Wanderer · 04-21-2018, 06:14 AM

I've had the jerking slide problem also. After much research on this and other forums I've found a solution that worked for me. Here is my post from another forum.

"I cleaned the bottom and the bearing strip with 90% alcohol. Tested and saw no noticeable improvement. I saw on another forum that after cleaning to apply WD-40 Specialist Dirt & Rust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray. Don't use silicone. I immediately noticed an improvement. Except for jumping when it first started to slide in it ran smooth as new. I then sprayed behind the bottom seal, let it dry and tested. Except for sticking a little before beginning to travel it operated smoothly with absolutely no jumping. Others have said it will get better with use.
Glad to have my slide operating as new again.
__________________
2016 Montana HC 305RL
2013 GMC 3500HD Denali SRW"

My slide operates like new again.

So what I've learned is the cause of my problem was getting SILICONE on the rub strip under the slide. Mine started with using seal conditioner with silicone and then I compounded it with spraying silicone under the slide to try and help the problem. This only made it worse.

Now I'm looking for a seal conditioner without silicone to use going forward.

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