Slide Maintenance

[Cate&Rob]

I wonder if the change of heart from Lippert regarding the use of lubrication is that possibly owners were using the wrong type which caused its own issues. Maybe they figured using none causes less problems then using the wrong lube ?

I don’t know that Lippert has changed their perspective. I do know the Grand Design technicians (who fix LCI stuff all day long) . . . use a dry Teflon lubricant on almost anything that moves . . . I do the same.

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Dry Teflon and spray on Graphite are my best friends. I use those 2 things on everything.

[Carl2295]

I don’t know that Lippert has changed their perspective. I do know the Grand Design technicians (who fix LCI stuff all day long) . . . use a dry Teflon lubricant on almost anything that moves . . . I do the same.

Rob

Confused. Thought you had previously posted that you attended a Lippert meeting and they said the Schwintek does not need any lubrication??

[ncitro]

Confused. Thought you had previously posted that you attended a Lippert meeting and they said the Schwintek does not need any lubrication??

The Lippert techs said not to, but the Grand Design repair techs said a dry lube was appropriate. Robs thinking (shared by all of us that were there) was this was a difference between "those who designed it" and "those who fix it".

[Lonestar]

I wonder if the change of heart from Lippert regarding the use of lubrication is that possibly owners were using the wrong type which caused its own issues. Maybe they figured using none causes less problems then using the wrong lube ?

Yes, maybe. They originally recommended CRC Power Lube. I bought and used this and it is not a dry lube.

https://youtu.be/gXw9I_DoAvI

Considering the area and parts that are being lubed I can't see that it's that big of an issue. The gibs and gear parts are well shielded behind the rubber seals. I just can't see how they would be that subjected to dirt and debris.

[Bob W]

I have a problem with my Schwintek slide. From the first day we bought it, the slide was not fully closing on one lower corner. You could look from the inside and see the ground. We talked with Grand Design customer service and tried manual override and motor re-sync with no change. Now after doing this several times the motor on one side starts fine but struggles half-way in and slows down then continues. In addition, now both lower side of the slide do not fully close. Does this sound like something a dry PFTE lube would help?

[howson]

I have a problem with my Schwintek slide. From the first day we bought it, the slide was not fully closing on one lower corner. You could look from the inside and see the ground. We talked with Grand Design customer service and tried manual override and motor re-sync with no change. Now after doing this several times the motor on one side starts fine but struggles half-way in and slows down then continues. In addition, now both lower side of the slide do not fully close. Does this sound like something a dry PFTE lube would help?

Honestly--no. From the description it sounds like a physical installation issue. There's a few checks to verify the installation you can do yourself that are easy. All it takes is a tape measure or ruler.

Go to https://support.lci1.com/in-wall-slide-out From there select the Manuals tab. Click on the in-wall slide-out service manual (or download the PDF). There's a chapter with the title Visual Inspections. Do these inspections and report back what you find.

Oh--and welcome to the forum. Check out the Welcome Letter when you get a chance, too. https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Howard

[StephenO]

I have a problem with my Schwintek slide. From the first day we bought it, the slide was not fully closing on one lower corner. You could look from the inside and see the ground. We talked with Grand Design customer service and tried manual override and motor re-sync with no change. Now after doing this several times the motor on one side starts fine but struggles half-way in and slows down then continues. In addition, now both lower side of the slide do not fully close. Does this sound like something a dry PFTE lube would help?

Just checking, when you mentioned that you could see the ground from the inside, is it possible that you could see the ground through the drain ports that are part of the drainage cups? These ports are directly below the vertical bulb seals. You can see them in this picture, the part that is covered in dust in the corner....

[eagledad]

While I been looking for some dry lube is there a big difference on the brand of lube, quality? I seen several brands ranging in price, don't know how one compares to others? Thanks

[howson]

While I been looking for some dry lube is there a big difference on the brand of lube, quality? I seen several brands ranging in price, don't know how one compares to others? Thanks

I tend to buy the CRC brand (it's what I saw the GD techs using so just copied what they were doing) but that was probably because of price (at the time). I suspect all the major brands are similar.

[glowblue]

Just read this thread and thought I'd mention that I checked the owners manual for my 2022 GD 315RLTS on slide lubrication and for the through-frame slide system, the manual says that slide lubrication is NOT necessary. This may be just parroting what LCI says but its in the Grand Design manual for my rig. It does say to make sure the slide tracks and gears are clean and debris-free. I don't see where some dry PTFE lube would hurt anything either. I'm doing some annual undercarriage maintenance so I may apply some dry lube anyways.