1997 Odessa Overland Lorado Slideout

[Deano2002]

Good day everyone, I'm back looking at a pristine condition Overland 38' coach but, there's one problem, the slideout is working intermittently. She has taken it to 2 different places now, the 1st on said the switch was bad so, it was replaced, I assume it came home and the problem started again, the second place now thinks the slide out floor is bad which to me would mean it's dragging as it slide causing the motor(s) to overwork and trip a overload protection of some sort? If they are hydraulic I doubt the floor would be the problem unless there were something jamming it up. Anyways I said I would come take a look at it and try to figure it out before I would make an offer on this. First thing I would do is pull the couch and lift the carpet to look at the floor of the slide. Can any of you know if these slides on the Overlands are operated by hydraulic or electric motors?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A look underneath with the slide open should show you that. If it has rack & pinion gear tracks underneath, it's electric powered mechanical mechanism. Hydraulic will show a hydraulic ram. You may also be able to see the mechanism by opening the bay doors under the slide and looking upward. A search for other references to Overland slides show references to motors rather than pumps, so I'll guess it is electric gear driven.

I doubt if you would be able to see the mechanism by trying to see under the lip of the slide from the interior. Might be able to tell if the underside is dragging, though. Slides usually have either rollers or glider (skid) block underneath and either can be broken or get caught on a protruding screw or whatever.

In either case the wall switch merely activates a relay in a slide controller, and the controller relay in turn engages either a pump or a drive motor to either extend or retract. Listening carefully to the sound it makes should give you definite clues as to the type and where to look further..

 

[Kirk]

I believe that most of them used the BAL Accu-Slide Components.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I believe that most of them used the BAL Accu-Slide Components.

Good catch, Kirk! I had forgotten about the BAL Accu-slide mechanism and I think you may be right. That was a common electrical-mechanical system in the late 90's, but it is cable-driven rather than rack & pinion. Still easily distinguished from a hydraulic ram, though.
This video shows what it looks like and how it works.

 

[Deano2002]

I believe that most of them used the BAL Accu-Slide Components.

would they have used this in 97? Most of the comments on this video link were for much later model RV's. I did find that in 97 hydraulic was used also, either way I'll be able to tell the difference. I'm puzzled why the repair shop thinks that the floor of the slide is bad unless they see the bottom of it scuffed up badly. If it is that system I'll no what the controller looks like

 

[Kirk]

would they have used this in 97?

I'm not sure but I do know that some manufacturers did use them that far back and you should be able to tell what type of slide you have by looking at the hardware.

 

[Deano2002]

well another dud, pictures are deceiving, slide motor is good, floor behind drivers seat is rotted causing the track to sink then, binding the upper track. Every single window has the seal creep, the tires looked good but couldn't find the date codes on the Toyo tires, some delam on the slide out. The front drivers corner took a pretty good wack on something and there were plenty of other bumps on the coach, both mirrors where busted up, the guts to the front hydraulic levelers were gone, no feet, didn't bother looking at the back. She wanted 19,900, she paid 19K for it last year from a friend and put 6K into it although I didn't ask where the money went. Never did look at the roof because I had already seen enough. I wouldn't have payed 10K to tell you the truth, it would be like starting all over like ours, at least I know what I have. Like my wife says, something could come along another time

 

[Deano2002]

I'm not sure but I do know that some manufacturers did use them that far back and you should be able to tell what type of slide you have by looking at the hardware.

the RV mechanic says that the slide was operated by a single motor with shafts and gears??