March

RV CLINIC >Advice from our Tech TeamSLIDE LUBRICATIONWe have a 2003 Cougar fifth-wheel trailerwith a 12-foot slideout. Some of myfriends have said that the slide needs regularlubrication. Others say not to lube it.What's the scoop on this? My slide mechanismis not the notched rail type. It is thesmooth round rail type. Can you pleasehelp me solve this dilemma?Ron BarillaroPenticton, British ColumbiaGenerally, the argument to not lubricateslideouts is based on the fact that lubricantstend to catch and hold dirt and grit.However, proper maintenance is neededto ensure reliable operation. Slideoutsneed two kinds of lubrication. The tracksand sliding mechanism should be lubricatedwith a product like Protect-All Slide-OutDry Lube. This dries, leaving a lubricantthat will not attract dust and dirt. It alsoserves as a rust inhibitor to protect thetracks. All slideouts should also receiveregular treatment of the rubber sealinggaskets and wipers, such as Protect-AllSlide-Out Rubber Seal Treatment, orequivalent. Do this every two months duringuse and again before you store it, andafter you prep your rig for the spring. Thishelps keep the rubber flexible. – Ken FreundWINTERIZING WOESI have a 34-foot Jayco Designer that worksgreat except for the water system. I am nota big fan of the new control boards for directingwater inflow and winterizing. Theproblems I have are that I can’t get to thewater to bypass the water heater, and thepump will not pick up the antifreeze toclean out the pipes. I bypass the antifreezemethod by blowing out the lines but I havea real concern on sanitizing the unit in thespring since I can’t pump a cleaner into thelines.“All slideouts should alsoreceive regular treatmentof the rubber sealinggaskets and wipers, suchas Protect-All Slide-OutRubber Seal Treatment,or the equivalent.”I spoke to the dealer and he advisedme to flip the intake washer since thepump was not strong enough to pull theantifreeze. I did this and it still will notpump the antifreeze. Would it help to takethe intake washer completely out? Anysuggestions would be appreciated. Likeothers, it’s hard to find the time and it’s alot of trouble to take a unit back to thedealer (the dealer is 100 miles away).Bill McCraw, via emailIs your control board manual or automatic?If it has a series of valves that you need toadjust for a given water flow setup – i.e.,filling with fresh water, running on citywater, winterizing, etc. – the valve labelsmay not be right. A trip to your Jayco dealershipservice department could verify thisproblem and produce a solution. If the systemis automated and controlled byswitches, the same solution applies. Youdidn’t say what year your trailer was built,but we’ve seen mislabeled and misalignedKen FreundJeff JohnstonTo send your questions to RV Clinic, write to2575 Vista Del Mar, Ventura, CA 93001; ore-mail RVClinic@trailerlife.com. No phone calls.water flow valves on all kinds of RVs so thiswould be a likely place to start looking.When you say “pull the antifreeze,” doyou mean you use the RV’s short, separate“winterizing” hose and a specific valvesetting to draw antifreeze from the gallonjug and then pump it through the system?Antifreeze is a low-viscosity fluid anddraws easily using the RV’s pump. If thevalving is correct, the pump would havezero problems with the antifreeze, althougha loose fitting would produce anair leak that would reduce the pump’s abilityto pull the liquid. If the pump operatesfine otherwise and you have no water systemproblems, I’d look at the valves as thecause and the solution. – Jeff JohnstonTILTING SLIDEOUTSI have been reading your column for awhile and appreciate the time you guystake to give people the right answers totheir questions. Now I have one for you;hopefully it will be easy. I have a 2009Fleetwood Formula fifth-wheel with twoslideouts. The slides seem to be tilted inwardfrom the top too much, in my opinion.As the top of the slide touches the side ofthe trailer there are about 2.5 inches at thebottom that need to be drawn in yet. Thefloor of the slide inside the trailer kicks upabout 2 inches as the bottom is drawn in.I looked to see if there is an adjustment butall I can see is a control to adjust alignmentup and down but nothing to adjust the tilt.I called a few of the local Milwaukee, Wisconsin-area RV dealers about my concernand I was basically told they don’t handleFleetwood anymore. I would think the84 March 2012 TRAILER LIFE www.trailerlife.comGo To:.comUser GuideContents