Slide out Shake and jerking issue

opfor · 10-24-2021, 07:09 AM

Hey Folks have a 2014 Bullet Premier 19FBPR and recently my slide started do this weird shake shimmy dance upon opening and closing. Showed dealer my short video and he said that my seals needed to be lubed with something called protect all providing link here

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did the seals on top, bottom and both sides on the inside and out and still has not helped the issue. Can anyone offer a suggestion and I'm concerned this is going to cause a stress on the system and possibly fail. Link here on the issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvnTOPo3NE0

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 07:21 AM

Boy howdy, have I got to hear that little song a lot over the years.

First I would mention the "Protect All"; depending on what you got some of those "protect all" products don't work too well. Having issues with the jerking, my SM got under the slides with a Protect All product and liberally sprayed the seal and wear bar.....that lube then turned into a thick liquid that attracted dirt of every kind. I had to completely clean the seals and wear bar....

You need to go look under that jerking slide to see if there is any damage to the covering under the slide (probably darco, a mesh looking plastic fabric). It could be frayed, torn, or catching on the wear bar. Post back on what that fabric looks like.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 07:28 AM

Thanks for the reply. I noticed in other threads others talking about this mesh material but have never seen anything like this on the bottom of mine. Don't know how to describe other than to say its just the white solid material of the slide, it glides over a black seal near the frame. I can take a photo the next time I'm out but there is no mesh of any kind on my unit.

Explored the cable thing as well and all seem to be in good shape and no slop.

Curious if the protect all was bad advise and maybe I need to clean and try something else?

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 07:37 AM

Check the seals where you applied it. It only happened once to me and after it sat several minutes you could run your finger along the seal where it was sprayed and it was sticky. If yours was more of a cleaner/lube it probably didn't hurt anything.

Sounds like you have a solid bottom side which is a good thing. Do you have cable operated slides? Can't tell from the video but sure sounds like my trailers with cables have sounded plus the sound seems to be coming from above the slide where I would expect a cable slide motor to be.

That "black seal" near the frame is probably the bottom seal. Pull it down and see if there isn't a 1/2" or 3/4" bar across the bottom under the slide. Is anything caught in/on it? You can also try cleaning the bottom of the slide and waxing it if the material is conducive to that.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 07:43 AM

Yes, did exactly as you say. Ran my fingers along the seals and they were not sticky, felt very loose and smooth.

Yes, that has to be it then, I have a solid bottom slide, was not sure what to call it.

Very hard to get to the seal on the bottom as I have maybe 1" to fit a finger in there and apply the lube, no way I can see under it but that was also a concern is that something got pulled under this area, no idea how I will ever be able to see.

Yes I have the cable on the inside and all appear to have no slop, when deployed the cables do not droop.

Just watching it makes me think its coming from the bottom side. Definitely will try waxing this area as it looks like it would take an hold with it being solid material.

tomd · 10-24-2021, 08:01 AM

I have same issue, started after a detailed washing and wax. Went away for a while did it again. Okay when dealer serviced slide, but now doing it again. I decided to live with it.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 08:06 AM

Interesting you say that it happened after a detailed wash and wax, I had just done what I thought were a few things to help take care and maintain the system and then got this for my thanks. Occasionally maybe one out of 10 slides will result in the old way of quiet perfection and easy of operation. I really miss that sound and determined to get it back if I can.

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 08:23 AM

Depending on the cause there are things you can do. Since you don't have darco on the bottom and it's not causing it to bind some other thoughts;

waxing as we talked about to see if it improves. WD 40 Specialist "dry lube" with PTFE - pull down the bottom seal and spray the lube on the wear bar where it contacts the bottom of the slide...may take quite a bit. Bar soap; you can clean the bottom of the slide then just rub bar soap on the bottom of the slide to try to smooth things out. Once this starts I've never found a "permanent" solution other than uhmw strips but all of mine have had frayed darco on the bottoms so different ballgame.

Just came to mind; on one occasion I did use about a can of Sprayway glass cleaner sprayed behind the seal on the wear bar, slid the slide back and forth about a foot each way to clean the wear bar, wiped off the bottom and wear bar and repeated. Let it dry then waxed the bottom of the slide. Worked for a while but with the darco not long. Might give it a shot with yours, the top of the wear bar may have accumulated dirt and debris causing it to drag on the bottom of the slide.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 08:43 AM

Definitely love to put my eyes on these wear bars.

We have owned the camper since 2015 and use it about 4x a year for trips lasting 7-12 days, guess we are due for something like this seeing how we are in a rig built in 2013.

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 08:49 AM

I am "assuming" you have wear bars. If you have rollers you can see them right there under the slide. You can pull that seal down and should be able to see it with a flashlight. Problem for me was pulling it down with one hand and then trying to spray/clean was very....."irritating" and slow. Ended up with DW down there with me and we both held it down to get an acceptable length visible then both cleaned and sprayed. I know, I know.....she IS great!

jasin1 · 10-24-2021, 08:55 AM

If I remember correctly CHuckS had a thread where he added a wear bar or replaced it in his slide…might want to pm him or look up his past posts…probably around Jan or feb

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasin1

If I remember correctly CHuckS had a thread where he added a wear bar or replaced it in his slide…might want to pm him or look up his past posts…probably around Jan or feb

I recall Chuck added uhmw strips to cover the darco and go over the wear bar but not replacing/adding a wear bar. That can get pretty involved. He will be able to clarify.

jasin1 · 10-24-2021, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

I recall Chuck added uhmw strips to cover the darco and go over the wear bar but not replacing/adding a wear bar. That can get pretty involved. He will be able to clarify.

Yes your memory is better then mine..that does sound familiar

opfor · 10-24-2021, 10:42 AM

Will reach out, thanks for the heads up.

LHaven · 10-24-2021, 12:35 PM

That ProtectAll product looks like an Armor-All knockoff -- "UV protection, all-surface care," etc., not anything designed as a lube.

It's difficult to tell from the audio, but it sounds to me more like a gear with a missing tooth than the entire slide vibrating from surface friction. It's too regular and percussive. Then again, if "in real life" you can see the travel of the floor surface hesitating and then jumping again and again (can't tell from the video), then lube rises on the list.

It may be worth spraying some Zep 45 into the underfloor mechanism, but it's not where I would start from what I see and hear in the video.

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 01:06 PM

LHaven brings up a good point. When I watched it I thought I saw the light "shimmering" in the upper left corner of the facia like the slide was hopping. At the end the "hopping" sound decreases/stops as it gets close to full extension. The title of "shaking and jerking" if indicative of the symptoms would lead me to think of all the issues I've had with them. Opfor an easy way to check that is to just bring it in several inches, get a stool so you can get near the top of the slide (inside) then have them extend it. If that is a gear issue you will hear it audibly from the gear box on top of the slide.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 04:39 PM

Really don't believe its a gear issue since as I mentioned earlier about 1 out of 10 slides will actually go back to the way it use to be, smooth and quiet.. If it were missing a tooth this would do it 100% of the time I would think.

A bit hard to see but it you look at the 9 second mark of the video you will see that the slide does skip and grab across the floor, sort of lunges as it goes out, as if the rubber seal is grabbing it.

I've heard WD-40 Dry lube and now Zep 45 for the mechanism but still have not heard anyone say what they would use for those seals?

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 05:19 PM

I clean my seals first and let dry. Depending on what gets on them I've used water (just loose dust), alcohol etc. I just don't want anything that leaves a film. Others use other things I'm sure. After it is dry I swab all the seals with Aerospace 303. I let it soak a bit before wiping off excess. Other members use various products as well. The point is to keep them clean so they don't bind and keep some sort of UV protectant on them to keep them from drying out then disintegrating.

An engineer with BAL AccuSlide (cable) said they recommended Zep45. It was very difficult to find at the time and had to buy a case. Since then I believe there have been some places you can buy it if I recall some of our posts. The WD40 Specialist Dry Lube was recommended on this forum by a member and I tried it. Seemed to work about as good as the Zep45 (still have 6 cans after using it and giving 3 away) and was cheaper.

I'm hoping in your case (no darco) that a good cleaning of the wear bar (contaminants DO get on it) and then some ptfe worked on/into it will fix you.

opfor · 10-24-2021, 05:25 PM

I have aerospace 303 myself. So my game plan will be to clean the PROTECT ALL off, apply the 303, wax the bottom of the slide and try to locate this mysterious wear bar.

Just to confirm on the wear bar, with slide fully out, go underneath and try to peak thru the 1" gap where the black seal is on the bottom. I will be amazed if I can see anything thru this gap but will try. If nothing else spray the heck out of the area (behind seal) either with the WD or Zep product.

**sourdough** · 10-24-2021, 05:39 PM

To just "see" the wear bar I've always been able to pull the slide in several inches (a foot) and just look at the floor a few inches inside. It's a polymer (plastic looking) hump either 1/2 or 3/4" tall that runs across the width of the slide. Someone I believe posted the other day that they had 3 sections? of wear bar vs a continuous strip. From the outside pull the seal down and peer under there with a flashlight; yes, it is a small space but you can see a "bar" under there.

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