Slapping Noise in Driver's Side Slid-out wall

Hard to say what that bracket is. Its partially hidden in the picture. Can you post a better shot of it?

Koodog said:

Hard to say what that bracket is. Its partially hidden in the picture. Can you post a better shot of it?

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Here are pictures of the bracket & the topper retractor mechanism.

I have a slapping sound right above my head....I'm not sure what it is, but I THINK it's coming from the compartment area above my drivers window....maybe something INSIDE the wall/front cap.  These things are frustrating, and hard to find. 

Sorry...no clue. Anyone else?

Yes, the awning can unroll a bit and then snap closed at highway speeds, especially in a cross wind.

I'd try a wrap of a bungee cord on the forward end of the awning to see if that cures the noise.  On my WB Adventurer I'd have to wrap a bungee cord on the slide awning in stiff cross winds.  My current WB Journey, I had the slide topper noise only once, I'm thinking the awning spring is a little stronger.

Best Regards!

Old Snipe said:

Yes, the awning can unroll a bit and then snap closed at highway speeds, especially in a cross wind.

I'd try a wrap of a bungee cord on the forward end of the awning to see if that cures the noise.  On my WB Adventurer I'd have to wrap a bungee cord on the slide awning in stiff cross winds.  My current WB Journey, I had the slide topper noise only once, I'm thinking the awning spring is a little stronger.

Best Regards!

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I'll try the bungee cord this week on a short trip before taking it to the dealer next week. My problem could be what you are describing together with a broken spring since I can hear noise in the tube when I rap on the outside of the tube with my fist. If there are two springs as some have said, one being loose or broken might make it easier for the wind to pull it out a bit as you describe. But I hear the noise to a lesser extent even at slow speeds. It does get louder & more constant with speed & especially with strong cross winds.

Good luck, hope the bungee cord helps locate the problem. 

Best Regards!

After my memory showed back up on our drive today, I remember testing a large unit that had a broken spring on the drivers side window awning. It rattled no matter how fast I drove.  I reached up with a broomstick and tapped the awning and it rattled. I'm 99% sure that is what your noise is.

FrontrangeRVer said:

After my memory showed back up on our drive today, I remember testing a large unit that had a broken spring on the drivers side window awning. It rattled no matter how fast I drove.  I reached up with a broomstick and tapped the awning and it rattled. I'm 99% sure that is what your noise is.

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Well, I was reaching that conclusion but I'm on the road now & after putting a bungee on the front of the slide topper to make sure it wasn't opening slightly the noise is still the same. I am now am back to my original theory that is something in the slide front wall slapping against the wall. I can actually feel it on the wall above & behind my head while driving. We'll see what the dealer says next week.

Keep us updated!

Well that's good, you've eliminated the slide awning.  Sometimes troubleshooting goes slowly.

Best Regards!

Took it to the dealer for the first time yesterday for warranty service on the slapping noise & a few other small items & the service manager was confident he knows what it is & can fix it. He said they have had a bunch of new Class A's (not just Winnebagos) come in recently with the same problem. Apparantly they changed the mechanism for operating the slideouts recently on many motor homes & the cables in the slide wall can slap against the wall as I have experienced.

I'll report back when its fixed.

Cass Sumrall said:

..Apparantly they changed the mechanism for operating the slideouts recently on many motor homes & the cables in the slide wall can slap against the wall as I have experienced....

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Ah-so, very interesting.  Keep us posted.

Well, I don't have it back yet but I talked to the technician who is working on it today & he said he has two slides fixed & one more to do tomorrow. He said Winnebago has issued a fix for all slides on recent coaches with the new "improved" operating system to secure the motor & operating rod in the sidewall so it cannot slap against the wall with vibration. He says they have fixed a bunch of them - not all Winnebagos - apparently a number of other manufacturers are using the same new mechanism.

I should find out if its really fixed in a couple of days - wish me luck! 

Interesting, who is the manufacturer of the mechanism?

John Canfield said:

Interesting, who is the manufacturer of the mechanism?

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I don't know but I'll try to find out when I pick it up.

I am told that it is not the mechanism but how it is mounted that is the problem.

I will try to get more details from the technician when I pick it up

John Canfield said:

Interesting, who is the manufacturer of the mechanism?

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Well, I worked all morning on it with the technician & cleared up the problem.

The operating system is Schwintec made by LCI that has been used for some time on 5th Wheelers. Winnebago, Thor & some others just started using them on Class A's recently. They didn't have the problem with the 5th Wheels because you don't ride in it on the road.

The mechanism is not actually in the slide wall but in the coach wall next to it & operates from a small 12 volt motor sitting atop a long rod that runs from the top of the slide to the track at the bottom. The rod is flexible aluminum & the motor is able to somewhat freely move back & forth as mounted, so road vibration gets the heavy little motor on the long flexible rod vibrating back & forth , apparently contacting the sleeve the rod is in & the top of the slide next to the motor, creating the noise that radiates through the slide wall which acts as a drum as heard from inside the coach.

The fix we came up with was to wrap both the motor & the middle of the rod casing with foam. I can still barely hear the vibration occasionally but at a greatly reduced sound level & only occasionally. Really much quieter than other road noises in coaches going down the road - I really have to listen for it to even notice it. I think a total fix would probably be to line the entire rod casing with foam.

Cass Sumrall said:

The operating system is Schwintec made by LCI that has been used for some time on 5th Wheelers. Winnebago, Thor & some others just started using them on Class A's recently. They didn't have the problem with the 5th Wheels because you don't ride in it on the road.

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Very interesting!  So they applied the "fix" to your slide(s) and you're good to go now?

John Canfield said:

Very interesting!  So they applied the "fix" to your slide(s) and you're good to go now?

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Yes, at least for the 20 mile trip home it was very quiet.

They had wrapped the motor in foam when I got there but in test driving it I still heard the noise. That was the Winnebago fix. But I suggested double wrapping it & also adding foam around the shaft in its sleeve & that seemed to do the job.

Wonderful Cass - thanks for keeping us informed throughout your odyssey.