Author Topic: Bedroom slide inoperative (Update with pictures)  (Read 1218 times)

Rick Vyncke

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 128
  • Thanked: 11 times
Bedroom slide inoperative (Update with pictures)
« on: May 15, 2026, 01:25:36 AM »
2004 Beaver Marquis Garnet
3 slides (front slides are hydraulic) the rear bedroom slide has gears, chain and electric motor.

Put the bedroom slide out this morning and no problem whatsoever.  When I tried to retract it there was a loud pop and then for a brief moment it made a bit of a grinding sound.  Following that there seems to be no power to it and it does not move.  It is in the extended position.  Any information regarding make and model of that slide would be greatly appreciated.  It would be fantastic if I could put hands on technical or repair documents.

I removed the lower half of the bed so I could get a good look inside, but I don't see anything obvious and given my lack of knowledge of how it works I don't want to make things worse.  Any help would be appreciated.

In the first photo it appears that a bushing has broken or come out.  It is where the intermediate rod (I think it is called) mounts into the frame.  It seems to me that the chain might have excessive slack in it as well.  I assume this is the root of the problem... any guidance on repair? 

One final question, I read that there should be an inline fuse for the motor... I cannot find that and none of my circuit breakers are tripped.  Any idea where I might find the source of the tripped power?

Thank you!!!
« Last Edit: May 15, 2026, 03:45:59 PM by Rick Vyncke »
Rick V
2004 Beaver Marquis, Garnet (3 slides)
43'
C12

David T. Richelderfer

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1774
  • Thanked: 492 times
  • OSU, Class of 1971, OR native, RVing over 50 years
Re: Bedroom slide inoperative
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2026, 03:22:52 AM »
Your bedroom slide setup, I think, is exactly like ours.  Our slide moves a king size bed out the street side of the coach.  We have had two "experiences" with our bedroom slide. I will try to explain what we did.

1st experience (Nov 2015):  We parked in a RV park in North Houston, the Forest Retreat RV Resort.  We were preparing the RV for the night when the bedroom slide would not move out.  It was dead as a doornail!  After our friend, AL, and I tinkered with it the next day for an hour, he called his son who worked on airliners for United Airlines at Bush International Airport.  Before Al's son arrived, Al and I had the bottom half of the bed propped up to allow entry under the bed enough to reach the motor, drive sprockets, chain, and wiring.  I explained to Al's son how it worked.  He started by checking for power at the wall switch.  The power was good in both the IN and OUT positions at the switch.  Next he checked for power at the wiring under the bed going to the motor.  The power was good.  He next gave the wires attached to the motor an easy tug.  One of the wires came off the motor!  He securely hooked it back to the motor and the bed worked again as it always had.  While there, Al's son "redid" the wiring and connections to better than new.  He also adjusted the IN and OUT stops.  He found the problem, fixed it, adjusted the stops, and "redid" the wiring in about 20 minutes!

2nd experience (Summer 2024):  More recently and for a couple of years, as the bedroom slide moved IN and OUT, it would POP and momentarily, for about 1/2 second, stop moving.  It would do that several times each time we moved the slide.  If the coach was parked with a tilt to the left or right, then the slide when moving downhill would move with fewer POPS and momentary stops.  But if the slide was moving uphill, then it would POP and momentarily stop every few seconds.  It sounded like the drive chain was jumping over the sprocket teeth.  Because a slide will move much easier downhill, there would be less strain on the drive chain.  And vice versa moving the slide uphill. Does that make sense?  It made sense to me.  lol  Having raised the bed several times to inspect what might be POPPING, I noticed the axle coming out of the chain drive mechanism attached to the motor was crooked.  By crooked, I mean it was not a 90 degree angle.  On the end of that axle is the drive sprocket for the chain.  The drive sprocket and receiving sprocket are only a few inches apart, so the chain going around the two sprockets is only 15 to 20 inches long, I guess.  So, anyways... I had a repair shop change out the drive motor and drive sprocket (all come as one piece, I think), and the slide moves perfectly again!

Hope this helps some...


« Last Edit: May 16, 2026, 02:20:46 PM by David T. Richelderfer »
2004 Beaver Marquis Sapphire
Cat C-12, 505 hp
I had a dream... then I lived it!

Rick Vyncke

  • BAC Member
  • *
  • Posts: 128
  • Thanked: 11 times
Re: Bedroom slide inoperative
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2026, 01:29:39 PM »
Thank you for the detailed response David!

My issue most closely aligns with the second issue in your post.  Mine is definitely not only electrical (although I might have tripped a breaker or blown a fuse).  The popping and grinding noise I heard sounds like it might have been a chain that jumped the gears... perhaps something is binding.

I thought I read a bulletin about a similar issue and that bulletin (can't find it now) said to replace the nylon bushings that hold the gear axle in place with special brass ones.  The hole in which the axle goes is off-center which allows a person to move that axle and gear up and down slightly by the way in which it is turned during install.

In any case.... I've got further investigation to do.  First to find out why the power is no longer on and then the root cause of that popping sound.

Thanks again!!
Rick V
2004 Beaver Marquis, Garnet (3 slides)
43'
C12