Slide nightmare

[Jamesap]

We bought a 2018 Eagle 330rsts in May of 2017 and have had only fixable problems until now. Our main living room slide stopped working about 2000 miles from home and discovered on our own that the left Schwintek motor had a cut wire. We bought a replacement on the road for an exorbitant price, but slide still not working. After viewing YouTube tutorials, we are now desperately trying to locate the slide control panels. The Jayco manual promises they are somewhere in this trailer, but it and the Dealer offer no more help than that. Can anyone out there provide a clue? Thanks!

[triplebvalp]

I don't know anything about your unit but on my 2017 Eagle HT 27.5 RKDS, the control panel is behind the battery cut-off switch. You have to remove a panel to access the module.

[Jamesap]

Thanks for tip but no luck. Have removed every panel except two next to sofa at rear of trailer. This requires unbolting sofa to gain side access. Seems highly unlikely given its remote position. I wonder if the controller was never installed.. don't know if slide motor will work without controller?

[herewego]

I know where there are I sent you a PM,or you can send me a pm with contact info,

[Murff]

Originally Posted by herewego

I know where there are I sent you a PM,or you can send me a pm with contact info,

Why wouldn't you just post here, where they are?

Others may want to know, also.

Murff

[Tunce the traveler]

Originally Posted by Murff

Why wouldn't you just post here, where they are?

Others may want to know, also.

Murff

X2

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by herewego

I know where there are I sent you a PM,or you can send me a pm with contact info,

Why is it a secret? No one benefits from a PM...

[Jamesap]

Slide motors have very fine, flimsy wires connecting them to power supply. And they are NOT SHIELDED or protected from slide action. I suspect one of the wires eventually got caught by the slide and pulled from the connection fitting. Unfortunately it is right at the connection point, so no way to repair. Will take someone with very fine soldering equipment to repair or will have to replace the electrical cap that sits atop the motor. I will wrap/insulate these wires and tack away from slide to prevent this in the future. These wires should have been properly secured or installed in a housing box during manufacturing, but were not. Would recommend that if you have a Lippert/Scwhintek system to inspect and properly secure to prevent this happening to you. Have quite a story how I had to move the heavy slide manually. Will tell that later.

[norty1]

I also have had a Schwintec slide problem a while back. The indication was one side would not move. I found a small connector at the very bottom inside of the slide on one side that had caught on something moving and disconnected itself. I re-connected it and secured it to one side with a small tie wrap.

No more problems. It was very tight in that area. I would have had to take the bed platform apart if I wasn't double jointed in several places?

[Jamesap]

So, after the left motor on the kitchen area slide seemed to fail, was in a fix. We were "cold camping." So here I was with a slide halfway out and seemingly "stuck." After reviewing several You Tube reports I was able to release the motors from the drive shafts, STEP 1. Motors must be disengaged from drive mechanism to move manually. I took my wheel choks and used them on each side to push the slide out to full position. This is aided by some handy 2 x 4's to reach maximum extension. This could be a problem if slide is completely in the closed position. You will have to pry the slide far enough to position the choks. Once released and fully extended then what? How do you retract?? Heavy slide holds residential fridge, stove, fireplace, pantry, you get the idea. Went to Home Depot and purchased two nylon winches. After several trial and errors I was able to secure the hooks on the winches just inside the walls on either side of the slide opening. Frankly, I got lucky. The winches I bought had hooks that were just small enough to secure to the wall supports just inside the slide opening. If larger ones were used, the underside of the frame might work. There must be a strong support wherever attached. Attaching the other end of the winches on the slide ends I could then ratchet the slide back into the closed position. It took some gentle shoulder slams at time, but I got it closed slowly working from side to side. Then the motors must be reinstalled into the drive slots to secure in a "locked" position. If this isn't possible, use 2x 4's on top of slide to prevent it from moving during transit. This can be tricky because the motor drives have notches that must match the drive mechanism. I had to manually move the notches on the drive shaft that have to match the drive bar mechanism. But it is doable. Believe me, this is not fun to move a heavy slide manually with NO manual lever, etc. Someone smarter than I should invent and patent a device to attach to the slide rails to ratchet the slide out and retract. The other option is to never buy a RV with this sort of slide mechanism. Frankly, if I trade or buy another RV, I will NOT NOT NOT have a mechanism like this Lippert/Schwintek. The older under frame mechanisms with the easy release and then ratchet hand crank are far more reliable and easy to use when the power systems fail. They are heavier, but seem far more reliable and easy to use when the power system fails. Expect to be sore for a day or two.

[Jamesap]

And I still have not located the dang control panels for the slide. AMAZING. And I am no idiot when it comes to this sort of troubleshooting. But I have come to expect these sorts of problems in RV World. I will be in contact with both the manufacturer and the dealer when I return home, but I don't want to ruin my time away messing with this sort of thing when there is too much fun to be had.
Dealing with professional liars will come in due time. Enjoy wherever you are.

[John from Central Florida]

James,

Your story makes one want to commit justifiable homicide...

[oldmanAZ]

Thanks for the info! We don't have that type of slide, but I have no doubt someone here will be in your position someday.

[CampNow]

Originally Posted by Jamesap

. . . Once released and fully extended then what? How do you retract?? Heavy (Schwintek) slide holds residential fridge, stove, fireplace, pantry, you get the idea . . . The other option is to never buy a RV with this sort of slide mechanism. Frankly, if I trade or buy another RV, I will NOT NOT NOT have a mechanism like this Lippert/Schwintek . . .

Sorry you had to go through all this---very frustrating situation.

Unfortunately, Schwintek slide mechanisms are very popular. There are very few manufacturers that don't use them. IMO, the trick to lowering the chance of a Schwintek failure is to purchase a trailer that only uses them on smaller slides. The entire weight of a slide (that uses a Schwintek or cable mechanism) is supported by the wooden floor underneath the slide. Not a big issue for lighter, smaller slides; however, on larger slides the higher weight causes alignment problems when the wooden floor starts to sag and move over time (and use). IMO, rack and pinion slides are the best option for larger slides---where the entire weight of the slide is supported by steel beams inserted directly into the side of the frame.

When we were looking at new trailers last year we would only consider a trailer with Schwintek mechanisms if they were used on a smaller slide, in say a bedroom, where it supported at most, a small, built-in dresser or closet---with a maximum slide extension of 18-20 inches. If a Schwintek mechanism was used on a larger slide that held any furniture or appliances, that trailer was a no-go. For these larger slide applications we'd only accept a rack and pinion slide mechanism.

[PlayersZ28]

My 361REQS has a Schwintek for the bedroom and also for the kitchen which carries the fridge/mwave/range. So far only sync issues on the kitchen slide and I fixed that with the dbl push method after putting up with push assisting it in and out for two weeks. My controllers are in the basement mounted to the underside of the floor.

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by Jamesap

And I still have not located the dang control panels for the slide.

I mentioned my controller behind the battery disconnect switch ... I should have explained that a little better. My battery disconnect switch is on an interior wall in the basement ... drivers side. I have to remove the basement wall, that the battery switch is attached to, to reveal the slide controller. The slide controller is directly below the bedroom wardrobe slide but it's hidden from view until I remove the wall panel in the basement.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by Jamesap

And I still have not located the dang control panels for the slide. AMAZING. And I am no idiot when it comes to this sort of troubleshooting. But I have come to expect these sorts of problems in RV World. I will be in contact with both the manufacturer and the dealer when I return home, but I don't want to ruin my time away messing with this sort of thing when there is too much fun to be had.
Dealing with professional liars will come in due time. Enjoy wherever you are.

That stinks! Sorry for your troubles. Good luck.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by herewego

I know where there are I sent you a PM,or you can send me a pm with contact info,

I guess the top secret location didn't pan out as here we are 2 days later and the OP has still yet to find the panel.

[Jamesap]

triplebvalp: thanks. I removed the panel holding the battery disconnect and did not see the controllers. My disconnect is on passenger side. Maybe they are behind the wood panel on the driver's side?? Will check. The 330RSTS has a curved fiber front cap, so not sure what they would be attached to in there. The unit uses a DC/AC inverter, which is attached to the ceiling of the basement. One might think the controllers would be nearby.

[Jamesap]

Campnow: right on. I already reached that conclusion, but obviously a little too late.