2018 Laredo 355RL 2 issues

gimme · 09-15-2023, 01:44 PM

2018 Keystone Laredo 355RL

This morning I was running through everything to make sure of functions as I leave for TN this coming Friday.

Ground Control 3.0 (electric)

All jacks error individually. I retracted each one with the panel. I manually retracted each one with power disconnected to make sure they were at absolute retraction. reset and calibrated for zero, didn't work. someone mentioned a 6" something or other but didn't elaborate at all.

Kitchen Slide

Initiated bringing in the kitchen slide to make sure it functioned. Brought it in 6" and then tried to put back out. Will not extend. Tried bringing it in at various intervals and tried extending it at those intervals. No extension. Now the slide is all the way in, and I cannot extend it. Makes the normal clicking sounds it does when all the way retracted. I assume it's the gear box, but will need help trying to locate it as well as how to manually get the slide back out.

I HAVE TESTED THE BATTERY AND ITS A CRISP 13.66V.

Blown away with these issues. Local repair guy is booked for weeks. And to top it off, popped a nerve in my back bending down to get my laptop to search resolutions for this stuff.

~Daniel

**chuckster57** · 09-15-2023, 02:50 PM

In ground control, you have to have every jack extended at least 6 inches. Then press retract for 2 seconds. If the jacks stop you didn’t extend them far enough.

If you have InCommand, I would locate the BCM and figure out which relays operate that slide. Swap them with 2 known good relays to test.

gimme · 09-15-2023, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

In ground control, you have to have every jack extended at least 6 inches. Then press retract for 2 seconds. If the jacks stop you didn’t extend them far enough.

If you have InCommand, I would locate the BCM and figure out which relays operate that slide. Swap them with 2 known good relays to test.

I will definitely employ the Ground Control method for the legs.

and as for the slide, I do not have InCommand ,just the regular old toggle switch panel. I will keep on searching. thanks so far!

**JRTJH** · 09-15-2023, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimme

I will definitely employ the Ground Control method for the legs.

and as for the slide, I do not have InCommand ,just the regular old toggle switch panel. I will keep on searching. thanks so far!

What kind of slide system do you have? If it's a Schwintec, you may have caused the problem by opening/closing it as you described in the first post. Opening it partially, then stopping and reversing the direction will cause the slide motors to lose synchronization. Once that happens, the system will not function properly and may bind, causing problems as you describe.

On the other hand, if you have a cable driven slide system, you may have a loose cable, possibly a cable that jumped a pulley.

If you have a RAM slide, then you may have "jammed the brass bell stop" and the slide is "locked in the closed position". Easy to fix, but any of this depends on which slide is in your trailer.

So, what kind of slide system ????

gimme · 09-15-2023, 05:25 PM

well, that is what I have been trying to figure out. the type of system I have. Motor/gear is under the carriage, between the frame rails. Not cable at all, or that odd worm gear type just below the top side. After googling, definitely not Schwintek, nor cable. Sounds more like "brass bell" as when I look under the slide, there IS a golden type "bell" against the frame rail

FWIW, I did the same procedure to the living room slide and all was functional.

**JRTJH** · 09-15-2023, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimme

well, that is what I have been trying to figure out. the type of system I have. Motor/gear is under the carriage, between the frame rails. Not cable at all, or that odd worm gear type just below the top side. After googling, definitely not Schwintek, nor cable. Sounds more like "brass bell" as when I look under the slide, there IS a golden type "bell" against the frame rail

FWIW, I did the same procedure to the living room slide and all was functional.

OK You've got the conventional electric ram slide mechanism.

Crawl under the slide, at the outside (furthest from the trailer centerline) of that brass bell, you'll see a lock nut. Loosen that nut about 1/2 turn and screw the brass bell out (toward the trailer sidewall) about half a turn and tighten the lock nut.

While this might not be your problem, there's about a 50/50 chance that you might get your slide to move...

What is supposed to happen is that brass bell stops inward movement of the slide, stopping it from crushing the trailer sidewall. It usually works great and lasts a long time, but occasionally it will "jamb up the works and the ram will get stuck, binding the slide so it can't move. Sometimes, all it takes is just to loosen the bell a touch to get things "unjammed" ...

**chuckster57** · 09-15-2023, 07:06 PM

Video on rehoming the jacks:

https://support.lci1.com/videos/grou...0-homing-jacks

wiredgeorge · 09-15-2023, 07:42 PM

Even with OK battery(s), you might want to plug into shore power to operate your slide. On a 5 or 6 year old camper, the slide may not have been lubed and the battery may not have enough umph to move the slide.

gimme · 09-16-2023, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Even with OK battery(s), you might want to plug into shore power to operate your slide. On a 5 or 6 year old camper, the slide may not have been lubed and the battery may not have enough umph to move the slide.

I should have mentioned it in my OP. I am plugged into shore power. But i do understand what you're saying and may just buy a brand new one just to rule that out as a whole.

gimme · 09-16-2023, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

OK You've got the conventional electric ram slide mechanism.

Crawl under the slide, at the outside (furthest from the trailer centerline) of that brass bell, you'll see a lock nut. Loosen that nut about 1/2 turn and screw the brass bell out (toward the trailer sidewall) about half a turn and tighten the lock nut.

While this might not be your problem, there's about a 50/50 chance that you might get your slide to move...

What is supposed to happen is that brass bell stops inward movement of the slide, stopping it from crushing the trailer sidewall. It usually works great and lasts a long time, but occasionally it will "jamb up the works and the ram will get stuck, binding the slide so it can't move. Sometimes, all it takes is just to loosen the bell a touch to get things "unjammed" ...

Thanks for the tip. I will try that. If it doesn't work, I guess I will convert to manually bringing out the slide.

ChuckS · 09-16-2023, 05:21 AM

If you have the electric thru the frame slide then this link is the service manual.. would find the issue and fix it.. don’t just let it go

This is a simple slide system and easy to TS, fix, maintain

https://lci-support-doc.s3.amazonaws...cd-0001614.pdf

dutchmensport · 09-16-2023, 05:41 AM

The thing they don't tell you in that video about rehoming the jacks, if you have the 6 point electric system, the middle jacks can NEVER be extended separate (by themselves) .... UNLESS the system is in an error. Then and ONLY then can the middle jacks be extended the 6 inches as described in the video.

If you notice in the video, there is a LF error on the panel. LF stands for Left Front (jack) is errored. Again, when in an error, this is the ONLY time the middle jacks will extend. If self leveling manually and you are not in any error, you will only be able to deploy the 4 corner jacks. The middle will never move. I finally got this information directly form Lippert. It caused me frustration for over 3 years!

(Of course, Auto Level will bring down all 6 jacks), but manually you can't unless it's in an error.

**chuckster57** · 09-16-2023, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

The thing they don't tell you in that video about rehoming the jacks, if you have the 6 point electric system, the middle jacks can NEVER be extended separate (by themselves) .... UNLESS the system is in an error. Then and ONLY then can the middle jacks be extended the 6 inches as described in the video.

If you notice in the video, there is a LF error on the panel. LF stands for Left Front (jack) is errored. Again, when in an error, this is the ONLY time the middle jacks will extend. If self leveling manually and you are not in any error, you will only be able to deploy the 4 corner jacks. The middle will never move. I finally got this information directly form Lippert. It caused me frustration for over 3 years!

(Of course, Auto Level will bring down all 6 jacks), but manually you can't unless it's in an error.

Try pressing front and side or rear and side (been a while, so I’m not sure if it’s front or back) to operate the middle ones.

gimme · 09-17-2023, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckS

If you have the electric thru the frame slide then this link is the service manual.. would find the issue and fix it.. don’t just let it go

This is a simple slide system and easy to TS, fix, maintain

https://lci-support-doc.s3.amazonaws...cd-0001614.pdf

I appreciate that link! I don't think I would be okay not completely fixing the issue. I will be moving the trailer every 13 weeks on average (work).

Searcher · 09-22-2023, 10:27 AM

I had a similar issue with the slide in my 2018 Laredo 285RLS 5rh wheel. It turned out it was a broken tooth in the slide gearbox. The new gearboxes are supposed to be more heavy duty. I R&Rd it at a camp site. (Setting the cable tension correctly is a pain if you messed with it while troubleshooting.)

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