My slide out opens while driving!
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6779
Printed Date: 03 May 2024 at 10:28am
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Topic: My slide out opens while driving!
Posted By: Jay in Maryland
Subject: My slide out opens while driving!
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:02pm
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I recently finished a 6 week maiden voyage from MD through the west. On our last day driving east, as we left the campground I experienced a scary malfunction -the slide out came out while i was driving. First time I thought human error (I did not see it coming out), but within 10 minutes it came out again. I pulled the slide motor fuse out to get home. Recently I tracked the problem to the switch. I removed the switch face plate screws and pulled it slightly out so it could wiggle when thumped, then I observed my slide out start out/in just by thumbing the side of the switch with my finger nail -That is I was thumping the plastic face plate an inch or more away from the actual button! The good news is installing a new switch is a relatively easy fix, the bad news is what this says about quality (of a brand new 2015 179) to discover such a potentially catastrophic failure (think of on coming traffic). I would have expected this switch to be bullet proof in terms of activating the slide out while your bouncing down the road. I was at least lucky this occurred on the last day of a long trip. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this kind of malfunction to be expected in some units, -is my frustration here an issue of unrealistic newbie expectations about quality? ------------- Jay r-pod179 05 Tacoma PreRunner |
Replies:
Posted By: JohnBG
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:13pm
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Yikes! That aint good... ------------- 2010 R-Pod RP-171 2010 Honda Ridgeline TV |
Posted By: CoastalCal
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:25pm
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Wow! Now I have one more thing to worry about! (Not a fan of towing anything, but after 23 years I'm getting slightly less nervous, or I was!) FYI....I'm not driving! ------------- 2015 178 R-Pod Ford F-250 4x4 Diesel 2014 Indian Vintage 2010 HD Ultra Classic |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:39pm
| How did you access the fuse? |
Posted By: Jay in Maryland
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:43pm
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In my 179 the 12V 30Amp fuse dedicated to the slide out motor is in the lowest 12V fuse position when you open the cover of the r-pod electrical panel/converter located just inside the door (under the pantry cabinet) and it is labelled along with the other fuses. ------------- Jay r-pod179 05 Tacoma PreRunner |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 12:45pm
| Great. Thank you that is good to know. I'd wondered about the potential of that happening and am suprised that there is no latch or lock to avoid this type of thing. |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 2:20pm
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I'm thinking, it wouldn't be a big deal to cut a 2x4 and wedge it in the top of the slider when travelling. Of course I'd have to be sure to remove it when it came time to open the slide. I wonder if anyone else has taken that or a similar precaution. |
Posted By: SNO4ME
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 2:32pm
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That would might burn out a motor or a gear case...........Or just pop a fuse/breaker. Removing/cutting the power would be better. ------------- Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod (and Brewer too) 2011 RP 177 |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 3:13pm
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Yes it might burn the motor but it would keep the slide from opening. Otherwise you're essentially putting a switch on a switch. |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 3:32pm
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I would expect a small percentage of failure of any given part. I've never heard of a failure of a slide-out switch so I think yours qualifies as that small percentage. I agree that you should not put a wedge in there. The mechanism is designed to lock it in place - the problem is the faulty switch. Once you replace that I wouldn't worry about it. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: JohnBG
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2015 at 4:05pm
I'm glad I have a 171 and don't have to worry about stuff like this.  ------------- 2010 R-Pod RP-171 2010 Honda Ridgeline TV |
Posted By: im20agn
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2015 at 6:02pm
| Put a switch on the dedicated fuse and mount the switch next to the door as you come in. |