Slide comes in crooked

[Pfun 1]

The slide on my 2009 Prism gets hung up on one side when coming in.I go outside and push it in easily.Looking for suggestions.

 

[Jeff]

What model of slide do you have?

 

[Pfun 1]

I didn't know a slide has a model name.The slide includes the dinette and fridge.The fridge side sticks.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The slide mechanism comes from one of 3-4 major component manufacturers, e.g. Power Gear, Lippert, etc.  Since most of us aren't familiar with the PRism, it would help if the component could be identified.

If it moves in easily by hand, it doesn't sound as though it is actually "sticking".  I suspect you have two gear "racks", one on either end of the slide, driven by one motor (a long shaft drives the second gear rack). I'm wondering if it may have jumped a tooth or two on one side and simply runs out of track before it is all the way in. Are you sure it is square when all the way out? Measure the distance from corner of slide to sidewall on each end when extended to verify that it is fully out on both sides (not cockeyed).

 

[Motor]

Take a look under that side, especially at end when slide all the way out of for any scrape/rub marks, as well as look at floor on that end to see if it looks like anything catching coming in. Does it start to hang up right from start, or half way in, or close to closing ?

 

[John From Detroit]

There are 3 kinds of slides that I have come accross,  Theory has it there is a 4th but I've not seen one.  Need to know which kind you have then can advidse

Hydraulic (I do not think you have this but if you do it's not one I can help with, others here are much better with hydraulics however so do post)

Rack and Pinion.  (This kind has a long toothed bar (or two) under the slide.

I know more about those than I ever wished to learn.. The hard way, and thus can help.

Cable cars: Well,,, I do not know QUITE as much about cable cars, this kind has 4 cables (really 8) you can see two, each, on the foreward and rearward sides of the slide  when it is extended.. I need to work on one of mine, I am hoping for loose nut.

I can  help with those too.

 

[Jeff]

Our electric-powered PowerGear front slide has four shear bolts that connect the two torsion bars that extend from the motor to the slide gears, two at the motor end and one each at the slide gears. If one shears the slide still operates but one end will lag the other as you have described.

I can usually troubleshoot this by looking on the floor of the bay for the sheared off head or nut of the bolt.

 

[max49]

The slide mechanism comes from one of 3-4 major component manufacturers, e.g. Power Gear, Lippert, etc.  Since most of us aren't familiar with the PRism, it would help if the component could be identified.

If it moves in easily by hand, it doesn't sound as though it is actually "sticking".  I suspect you have two gear "racks", one on either end of the slide, driven by one motor (a long shaft drives the second gear rack). I'm wondering if it may have jumped a tooth or two on one side and simply runs out of track before it is all the way in. Are you sure it is square when all the way out? Measure the distance from corner of slide to sidewall on each end when extended to verify that it is fully out on both sides (not cockeyed).

Hi Gary, I don't want to hijack this thread but it's been idle for a few days now and my Powergear slide is that way. It works OK and it seals enough when fully closed or open, but it is at least one tooth out of sync. It's out a little farther on one end.  In movement, one side leaves an inch between it and the flap or gasket and the other end squishes and pushes the flap in while it is not supposed to. When it's completely closed or open, the gasket seals against the wall and it does'nt leak so it's not an emergency for now.  I believe it's been like this since it was new, but I did'nt notice it while under warranty.
  I have looked underneath before and tried to figure how to get one end to skip a gear on the rack and pinion to get back even with the other side but could'nt figure out how to do it.  I even tried to put a hydraulic jack under it to get a space between the rack and the gear but was unsuccessful.
  Since it does'nt leak , and moves in and out for 7 years without any problems, I decided to just leave it alone for fear I may make it worse, but I would like to have it straight if I could do it.  It obviously is "cockeyed" but only an owner would notice it and then it took a couple of years.
  Do you know of a way to get these gears aligned evenly the way they should be?

 

[Ernie n Tara]

To adjust the rack, you could remove one of the shear pins/bolts from the coupling between the two racks and manually move that side of the slide in by the required amount (the pin should be readily accessible with the slide out). The problem might be that the shear pin can't be installed in the new position and you'll wind up back where you started. I'd measure the distance moved for one tooth; you might find that its small and you could rotate the drive a half or full turn to improve the alignment and then replace the shear pin.

The other option would be to loosen the bearing block that (I presume) supports the drive shaft at the far end (and perhaps the center one as well) and lift the shaft enough to move the slide in the required amount. Reinstall the block and you are back in business.

Hope this helps,

Ernie

 

[BruceinFL]

Don't mess around. Take it to a pro and have it adjusted.