Forum Discussion

allnight's avatar
allnight
Explorer
Sep 03, 2015

Hydraulic slideout not moving

I have a FunMover with an HWH hydraulic slide-out mechanism. The slide-out has stopped working, in that it won't move any more. The pump does spin with the normal sounds that it made when it did work. It refuses to move when I hit either the extend or the retract position on the rocker switch.

I've checked to make sure that the reservoir has plenty of oil in it, and it does. There is some sort of cylinder under the rv mounted to the frame, that I have previously seen move when the slideout has reached the end of its travel and the switch isn't released immediately. That is not moving now.

Any idea what might be wrong?

My thought at this point, is that since the motor is spinning, there's something wrong with the impeller. I question that though, since I've never heard of a hydraulic pump's impeller failing.

Also, when we first bought the unit, the slideout didn't operate and the dealer replaced a solenoid and that fixed it. When the bad solenoid was in, the pump motor would not operate at all, so this isn't that problem.
  • allnight wrote:
    I have a FunMover with an HWH hydraulic slide-out mechanism. The slide-out has stopped working, in that it won't move any more. The pump does spin with the normal sounds that it made when it did work. It refuses to move when I hit either the extend or the retract position on the rocker switch.

    I've checked to make sure that the reservoir has plenty of oil in it, and it does. There is some sort of cylinder under the rv mounted to the frame, that I have previously seen move when the slideout has reached the end of its travel and the switch isn't released immediately. That is not moving now.

    Any idea what might be wrong?

    My thought at this point, is that since the motor is spinning, there's something wrong with the impeller. I question that though, since I've never heard of a hydraulic pump's impeller failing.

    Also, when we first bought the unit, the slideout didn't operate and the dealer replaced a solenoid and that fixed it. When the bad solenoid was in, the pump motor would not operate at all, so this isn't that problem.


    We just got back from vacation, 14 days of opening & closing the slides. Now the bedroom slide won't move. I removed the bed platform to find the bracket on the end of the ram had broken its spot welds from the slide mechanism.
    Luckily I have a welder and some extra metal to fix it
  • Thanks for the idea, but I did check that out. All parts of the entire mechanism are completely whole. Also, if the ends of the cylinder heads had separated like you suggest, then the plungers in the cylinders would still operate, and they aren't.
  • In addition to the pump solenoid there are two solenoids for each slide out, one for extending and the other for retracting. Check for power at the solenoid when operating the switch. No power means a bad fuse or bad switch. The switch sends power to both the pump and the solenoids, so don't rule out the switch just because the pump runs. The cylinder you see might be an equalizer cylinder depending on the slide design. You can call HWH and they may walk you through it.
  • If the pump is operating and the cylinders have no movement in either direction, a ono-operating spool valve would be a likely cause. I would assume the valve is controlled by a solenoid. I have no "hands on" with slide mechanisms but have worked on more hydraulic systems than I care to remember.
  • Hmm...I had never heard of selector valves before, but looking them up, I wonder if that's it. This would mean that whatever is supposed to make it operate when the switch is toggled in either position isn't doing its job. Thanks for the pointer!

About Technical Issues

Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,187 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 14, 2025