I noticed recently that our slide seemed to sag towards one side. So was taking a closer look today to see what the issue is. It looks like a number of screws have broken off. I tried to put the slide in to see if it would bring the pieces together so then maybe I could put new screws in but it barely moved, and in fact I don't think it moved at all on the one side. I'm not sure how long those screws should be or what the are screwing into. After looking at it for a bit longer it seems that the broken screws are probably just a symptom of the real problem. It seems that the one side has maybe come out too far and is therefore maybe an inch lower so then when I try to bring it in, it's unable to slide. I could also feel some movement when I step on it, which I never remember. I'm thinking maybe it needs to be jacked up and adjusted?I don't know diddly about how exactly slides work so I'd appreciate any help or advice you can give me to diagnose and correct this.(I've got t- one week :) I also will post some pictures.Thanks,Tim CzarkowskiTotalTravelers.comThis thing came out of place.A nice gouge mark that I don't remember seeing.Not related but I just noticed this too... Just need to replace or could it just be reattached?Here you can see where the screws broke off and there is now a gap. This is how it looked when I tried to put it in.Another shot of the gap when it was fully out.This is from the side that still moves a bit.This is the side that doesn't seem to move at all. Instead of sitting on the white part like the other side, it's completely off.Just another shot around the middle.

One picture above is of a detached shock absorber. you should be able to extend that and reattach.

The shock is just missing the top rubber bushing, a washer, and the nut. Should be able to pick them up at any automotive parts place.It looks from the first picture that the face frame is not perpendicular to the slide or RV wall. That shouldn't have been a problem but the the nylon skid is loose. By looking at the picture, I'm guessing that it went out 1/4 inch too far or the nylon skid was too far in. It looks like your slide has slid out past the nylon skid plate but it could be that since the screws were broken, the slide pulled the nylon skid plate in then slid past it when you put it back out. Also, That grove in the nylon may be caused by the head of a broken screw or a screw protruding from the bottom of the slide which could also be what broke the screws to begin with.The nylon skid will need to be re-attached before you bring the slide in. You'll have to raise the slide floor first. It's not real heavy. If you have someone to help, he or she can push the nylon under while you pry the slide floor up. If not, a spring board on either side about 6" from the RV wall will lift it and fall away as you run it in. If you aren't mechanically inclined, a spring board for that job would be a 4 or 6" board about 1/4 to 3/8" longer than the height of the slide floor. You can also shim under it to make it long enough. Put it where you want it under the slide and pull it vertical which will raise the slide a bit. Make sure the flat side of the board is facing the RV and it will fall away as you run the slide in.The face frame around the slide is all that holds the slide in the RV so once you have it in a bit you may need to tighten the screws or add 1 or 2 more to keep the face frame perpendicular and tight.

Does look like the slide went too far out. The geared rack underneath mine has a welded on stop to prevent that. It's adjustable. You should check that. One of mine popped off.And yes you'll want to put a board under the slide floor to jack it up and get it back on the nylon blocks.

You're right, I'm not terribly mechanically inclined but it's been rather amazing what I've been able to fix(with the help of people like you of course ;)I'm not sure what exactly you mean by spring board but I'm thinking of using my floor jack, a 4x4, and then my 2 ft long 8x2 to spread the load, and jack it up.Also I'm not sure exactly what you mean by the face plate. The white nylon definitely seems not to run perfectly perpendicular to the slide. However it is currently attached at both ends, it's only in the middle where the screw heads popped off. It's also in the middle where you can see that the slide is just ever so slightly below the white skid plate. It definitely sags a little towards the middle and you can feel it move when you step there. It's this part in the middle that's keeping it from going in right now. It seems like if I can get the little black plastic slide back in place and screw the "skid plate" screwed back down in the middle that would be enoguh to get slid back in. I'm also not sure how to go about reattaching the black slide as it used to be stapled but I'm not going to be able to get at the bottom of it. However that would still leave the one side off of the white nylon when fully extended. I was looking and I don't really see a way to adjust it so it doesn't go quite so far out. Also then it seems that it wouldn't make as tight a seal. It seems like without addressing that it's very likely to just happen again.Sorry for the rambling but since we are still in Tucson my grandfather is going to come by tomorrow to give me a hand with it and I want to have a plan of action. I feel like I've got the general idea but I'm not sure how to address it going out too far.Thanks Again,Tim CzarkowskiTotalTravelers.comThis is the only place where I see an adjustment for how far that side comes out and it looks like it's already adjusted all the way in. Is there something else I should be looking for to make the adjustment?

The nice wooden molding shown in your first picture is the face frame. It is fastened around both sides and the top of the slide.That is all that keeps the slide from going out further.It does look as though the slide ram is adjusted all the way in. When you get the slide in a bit you might try loosening the two adjusting bolts and see if you can push it in another 1/8 or 1/4 inch. Even just an 1/8 will help.

Slide won't come in! | Good Sam Community

11 Replies

buylow12
Explorer
Jan 18, 2016
Thanks for getting back to me. I didn't see your post until after I had purchased a new one. I actually was able to get the part number off the old one. After calling a few places Orielys had the part in stock.

It was tough getting the old one off because the bolt was rusted but the new one went easy as pie. I also ended up changing out the pressure valve on my hot water heater because it was making, and I didn't even have to ask for help on here, lol ;) Onward to Baja!

Anyways, thanks a lot

Tim Czarkowski
Totaltravelers.com
j-d
Explorer II
Jan 16, 2016
Sorry... I was out all day... That Shock - I'd suggest removing one of the ones that is working, and match that one to a new one. Why? Well, a shock compresses to a certain minimum length (when the suspension bottoms out) and you want a new one that compresses at least that "short." And, it also extends to a certain maximum length (when suspension tops out) and you want a shock that extends at least that "long." By removing a good shock, you can also tell if it's gas-charged. With the Long and Short of the shock, whether gas or not, and the diameter of the piston chamber (the small end), you should be well on the way to a decent match.
buylow12
Explorer
Jan 15, 2016
I thought it seemed odd that it was stuck down like that, lol. I guess that means I need to get a new one. I assume I can pick one up at an Autozone or somewhere similar. Is there any particular type or size that I should be looking for?

Thanks again,

Tim Czarkowski
Totaltravelers.com
j-d
Explorer II
Jan 15, 2016
About that shock absorber, most but not all modern shocks are "gas charged." They contain pressurized gas (nitrogen I think) to help keep the fluid from foaming when the shock is being worked hard.
That means that most shocks will default to Fully Extended, not Fully Compressed like yours looks. If you cannot pull the piston rod out to reach that bracket, I'd venture the shock is stuck in the compressed position. Not a common failure but it occasionally happens. I've seen it.
buylow12
Explorer
Jan 15, 2016
So I got the hardware to reattach the shock absorber but now I'm not sure how to get it to extend so I can reattach it. What do I need to do to get this thing to extend?

Tim Czarkowski
Totaltravelers.com
buylow12
Explorer
Jan 12, 2016
I figured I'd give ya'll an update in case any one else has the same trouble. First we jacked up the side with an off road jack my grandfather had but the middle was still sagging below the slide plate. So I used my floor jack and a 2x8 vertical and a 2x8 horizontal to spread the load. It picked it up like it was nothing. Then we screwed the slide plate back down and that was enough to keep it from sagging again. I also reattached the other small plastic slide with just a few screws into the slide below it.

It seems like the slide may have come out too far and then all that weight caused the screws holding the slide plate down to break. Therefore I really wanted to adjust it in some, especially the one side. However it was fully adjusted in on that side so I made a different adjustment that looks like it adjusts the whole slide. I only moved it in maybe a quarter of an inch and hopefully that will be enough so it doesn't happen again. It didn't seem to affect the seal either thankfully.

All in all it was a pretty easy fix, once I had a decent understanding of how it all worked and now I have everything to fix it again if it happens again in the future. So now I can check off fixing the slide, only a few hundred more things to go and I'll be a pro myself ;)

Thanks again,

Tim Czarkowski
TotalTravelers.com

This is where I made the adjustment.
Joe417
Explorer
Jan 09, 2016
The nice wooden molding shown in your first picture is the face frame. It is fastened around both sides and the top of the slide.

That is all that keeps the slide from going out further.

It does look as though the slide ram is adjusted all the way in. When you get the slide in a bit you might try loosening the two adjusting bolts and see if you can push it in another 1/8 or 1/4 inch. Even just an 1/8 will help.
buylow12
Explorer
Jan 09, 2016
You're right, I'm not terribly mechanically inclined but it's been rather amazing what I've been able to fix(with the help of people like you of course ;)I'm not sure what exactly you mean by spring board but I'm thinking of using my floor jack, a 4x4, and then my 2 ft long 8x2 to spread the load, and jack it up.

Also I'm not sure exactly what you mean by the face plate. The white nylon definitely seems not to run perfectly perpendicular to the slide. However it is currently attached at both ends, it's only in the middle where the screw heads popped off. It's also in the middle where you can see that the slide is just ever so slightly below the white skid plate. It definitely sags a little towards the middle and you can feel it move when you step there. It's this part in the middle that's keeping it from going in right now.

It seems like if I can get the little black plastic slide back in place and screw the "skid plate" screwed back down in the middle that would be enoguh to get slid back in. I'm also not sure how to go about reattaching the black slide as it used to be stapled but I'm not going to be able to get at the bottom of it. However that would still leave the one side off of the white nylon when fully extended. I was looking and I don't really see a way to adjust it so it doesn't go quite so far out. Also then it seems that it wouldn't make as tight a seal. It seems like without addressing that it's very likely to just happen again.

Sorry for the rambling but since we are still in Tucson my grandfather is going to come by tomorrow to give me a hand with it and I want to have a plan of action. I feel like I've got the general idea but I'm not sure how to address it going out too far.

Thanks Again,

Tim Czarkowski
TotalTravelers.com

This is the only place where I see an adjustment for how far that side comes out and it looks like it's already adjusted all the way in. Is there something else I should be looking for to make the adjustment?
brulaz
Explorer
Jan 09, 2016
Does look like the slide went too far out.
The geared rack underneath mine has a welded on stop to prevent that.
It's adjustable. You should check that. One of mine popped off.

And yes you'll want to put a board under the slide floor to jack it up and get it back on the nylon blocks.
Joe417
Explorer
Jan 08, 2016
The shock is just missing the top rubber bushing, a washer, and the nut. Should be able to pick them up at any automotive parts place.

It looks from the first picture that the face frame is not perpendicular to the slide or RV wall. That shouldn't have been a problem but the the nylon skid is loose. By looking at the picture, I'm guessing that it went out 1/4 inch too far or the nylon skid was too far in. It looks like your slide has slid out past the nylon skid plate but it could be that since the screws were broken, the slide pulled the nylon skid plate in then slid past it when you put it back out. Also, That grove in the nylon may be caused by the head of a broken screw or a screw protruding from the bottom of the slide which could also be what broke the screws to begin with.

The nylon skid will need to be re-attached before you bring the slide in. You'll have to raise the slide floor first. It's not real heavy. If you have someone to help, he or she can push the nylon under while you pry the slide floor up.

If not, a spring board on either side about 6" from the RV wall will lift it and fall away as you run it in. If you aren't mechanically inclined, a spring board for that job would be a 4 or 6" board about 1/4 to 3/8" longer than the height of the slide floor. You can also shim under it to make it long enough. Put it where you want it under the slide and pull it vertical which will raise the slide a bit. Make sure the flat side of the board is facing the RV and it will fall away as you run the slide in.

The face frame around the slide is all that holds the slide in the RV so once you have it in a bit you may need to tighten the screws or add 1 or 2 more to keep the face frame perpendicular and tight.