Water leak in slide lock Latitude - Page 2

ChiefJohn · 03-25-2010, 08:18 AM

RVs and water, synonymous with "ducks and water" -- where there's one, you'll find the other.

rca · 03-25-2010, 06:45 PM

Thanks Greg! That's the info I was hoping for.
You'd think that after all the design time and tooling expense they devoted to this, they would have installed the bits properly! Oh well!

mikenmo · 04-12-2010, 06:48 PM

I finally found this thread!
I've been plagued by this leak for a while now and the best friend I've got, she is getting pretty uptight!
My drain hole seems to be clear, I can blow into it and it passes through easily, of course that really doesn't mean it is clear when it rains.
My question is how difficult is it to remove the slide awning to get at this from above? Can one person do this or is it a job only for two? How much tension is on the roller? Can I release the tension and then remove the cover,( just setting it back up on the slide), do the work and reinstall and retension the spring?
We'll be at the factory in the fall but that is a loonng time to put up with this leak and the accompanying musty odor.
As always, thanks for shareing all of this knowledge. I hope someday I will be able to be on the giving end!
MikenMo

ChiefJohn · 04-13-2010, 06:14 AM

MikenMo,
Our DWs must be related -- mine, bless her heart, only knows a couple of words that I hear daily, "musty smell" - "can't wait till they (factory) fix the problem" -"what were they thinking (placing a hole in the top of the slideout)?".

mikenmo · 04-13-2010, 07:00 AM

ChiefJohn
LOL, how true but I wouldn't have her any other way!
I've been going back and forth by PM with a member and he sent me a great link showing detailed manufacturer instructions for removing the awning and reinstalling it. I love this forum!!
Thanks to all who have responded, we hope to meet you all on the road someday.(Escapade in the fall, then ??)
MikenMo

gbs2320 · 04-13-2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikenmo

I finally found this thread!
I've been plagued by this leak for a while now and the best friend I've got, she is getting pretty uptight!
My drain hole seems to be clear, I can blow into it and it passes through easily, of course that really doesn't mean it is clear when it rains.
My question is how difficult is it to remove the slide awning to get at this from above? Can one person do this or is it a job only for two? How much tension is on the roller? Can I release the tension and then remove the cover,( just setting it back up on the slide), do the work and reinstall and retension the spring?
We'll be at the factory in the fall but that is a loonng time to put up with this leak and the accompanying musty odor.
As always, thanks for shareing all of this knowledge. I hope someday I will be able to be on the giving end!
MikenMo

Not difficult but two people are a must. The tension on the awning roller is significant so you must lock it by inserting a pin on each end through the locking hole. I had to move in slide in a little until the locking holes lined up to allow insertion of the pin. I use a piece of wire hanger for my pin and had it long enough that I could bend the wire over on each end after insertion to keep it from falling out. Then I unbolted the awning arms directly from the body and then the two of us lifted the awning up and rested it on top of the slide while I worked on the slide lock opening and leakage issues. In your case I would first pour water directly into the lock opening to see if the leak is from that area (i.e., loose drain, clogged or kinked drain etc.). Use a flashlight and mirror inside your cabinet around the leaking lock (take off plastic cover first of course). If not leaking from water directly poured into lock cavity then your seals around the lock cavity may be bad so pour water on slide top around that area to see if a leak develops. If so disassemble and reseal. Good Luck. Greg

JimO · 06-02-2010, 10:17 PM

Well I am back again. After this weekend and one night of rain the leak came back. It was so bad that it ran from the slide cabinet, rather than drip. Back to the dealer for the 5th time. This is so stressful and expensive. I have to travel 70 miles round trip to take it in and then back to pick it up and at 6 miles to the gallon thats expensive and time consuming. This time my adult daughter was with us and had to go somewhere else to stay. It took 24 hours and four fans to get it to a damp state from a drenched one.

KennethM · 06-03-2010, 05:19 AM

We are at Forest City presently and took the tour yesterday and standing in "Big Bertha" stop number 3 I noticed the slight modification in the slide locks on the roofs. The have raised the slide lock assembly about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch above the slide roof with a self leveling white caulk as a water dam and seal around the rectangle. Water could not get that deep on the slide roof without running off either end not that helps any of us without a 2011 motor home but someone will figure out how to make the mod and report back.

ChiefJohn · 06-03-2010, 07:39 AM

Since my last post to this thread, we've had our roadside slide-out leak repaired by the folks in Forest City. The slide-out ceiling and lock mechanism were replaced. Service advisor also recommended using pipe cleaners to keep the weep holes open -- we have included this item on our monthly checklist.

ChiefJohn · 06-03-2010, 03:06 PM

We just received our June/July 2010 "WIT Club News" and on page 20 is a new "Service Tip" addressing the slideout room electric locks use/maintenance.

Thanks to the editors, Neal Flugum and Marv Nieman.

jimandsue60 · 06-08-2010, 05:35 AM

I had the same leaking slide locks. I disabled the locks by removing the power wire from the circuit breakers. I then removed the slide toppers. Using thin aluminum flashing (for homes) I fabricated covers for the top of the slide locks. 3M 4200 adhesive was used to glue the aluminum patches to the opening of the slide locks.

This slide lock system is one of the most ignorant systems I have ever seen. It seems to have been installed to create water leaks. I think having to get on a ladder to clean the weap hole on a regular basis is also ridiculous. This should be included in some sort of service campaign for replacement or redesign.

Jim

ChiefJohn · 06-08-2010, 05:45 AM

"This slide lock system is one of the most ignorant systems I have ever seen. It seems to have been installed to create water leaks. I think having to get on a ladder to clean the weap hole on a regular basis is also ridiculous. This should be included in some sort of service campaign for replacement or redesign."

Ditto Jim!! My thoughts exactly and what I conveyed to the folks at the Customer Service facility while at Forest City. My question was why weren't owners advised of the "weep holes" and the need for preventive maintenance. I'm not sure if I'm ready to disable the lock mechanism and cover the hole in the top of the slide. There have been other folks that went this route and had problems with the slideouts creeping out during travel.

jimandsue60 · 06-08-2010, 05:58 AM

Hi John, we have at least 15 thousand miles on the coach since I put the "tophat" on my slide locks with no issues. So if the slide starts to creep all I have to do is hit the retract button which is easy for our left slide and my wife would have to walk into the bedroom to hit the retract button for the right slide. Maybe if Winnebago sees people doing this they might step up to the plate for a proper repair!

Jim

mikenmo · 06-08-2010, 09:01 AM

Since I chimed in last I 'think' I have fixed my leak problem.
Here's what I did......
First I removed the slide awning, I did this by myself so it is possible with some planning and back and forth with the ladder, but it would have been easier with two people. I just set the awning back towards the coach out of my way. I then cleaned out the 'well' of the lock as good as possible, I engaged the lock to raise the mechanism to get under it, and cleaned the drain hole. Then I cleaned the whole top area. I spent some time just studying the lock and I agree with everyone that it is a poor design but it isn't going to change on my MH! So I figured if I could keep as much H2O out as possible that would help. I built up a 1/2" high curb all the way around the well with silicone. (I think I just read where someone else had done a similar fix). I flushed the roof after it all firmed up and the water would have to be seriously deep to enter the well now.
Since then we have had very heavy rains here in S Alabama and no leaks and no moisture on the ceiling inside the cabinet. Now if I can get rid of the musty smell......
When I get another whole weekend I plan on doing the other slide as PM.

Thanks to all who helped.
Mike and Mo

PS Staying at Bella Terra Resort in Foley, AL, Niiiicee

JimO · 06-08-2010, 10:05 AM

I just got mine back after the 5th time it has been in for repair. Evidently when they replaced the boot the last time it was not installed properly and the main seal of the slide was never sealed properly. They did have a Winnebago rep look at it to authorize the work. It is still under warranty because the problem started during the normal warranty period. He did not authorize replacement of the cabinets. My concern with the wood, is the smell is so bad from the laminating glue getting wet. It is dry now and the dealer rep assures me that the smell will go away. I don't trust them but have no choice to wait and see. We are leaving for the summer on a two month road trip in a few about three weeks and two trips in between. We are going to the Winnebago GNR rally at the factory in July. This has caused so much trouble for us, and I am tired of the excuses. I cannot understand how we can be asked to drag a ladder monthly to clean this weep hole, and to clean out the lock boot the slide cover must be removed. A large share of owners would have to pay to have this done because of physical restrictions.

JimO · 05-12-2011, 05:43 PM

After storage all winter our first use this year it leaked again. They built a curb around the well with silicone and sealed everthing up there the last time. The night it leaked it rained all night, but I asked other people if thier Motor homes leake and they did not. This is so upseting and frustrating. Why has Winebago ignored this?

Journey39n · 05-13-2011, 02:19 AM

We have a 2010 Journey 39n, and during our wet, wet, Seattle winter, did experience a leak, twice, in the dining/livingroom slide. (January and February)

In reading about this problem on this forum, I tried the pipe-cleaner, and some canned air to clear the weep hole. It was leaking through the cabinet frame, near the roof lock, but upon checking, found the lock depression was actually dry.

To stop the immediate leak, I used a windshield squeege to get the water off the top of the slide roof. Then dried out the cabinet frame with several days of space-heater directed into the cabinet gap at the slide lock mechnism. Our slide-lock frame is raised about 1/2" above the surface of the slide roof, and it would take a lot of water to leak over that edge. But possible with the right wind conditions I guess.

I thought the problem might be the slide-topper drooping with snow and ice build-up causing water to weep over into the lock depression, but apparently not the problem.

My dealer found the problem to be the caulking at the outside edge of that slide roof, did a great job re-caulking the joint, and no more leaking through many, many more rainstorms this spring. No leaks at the two bedroom slides.

Just thought I would offer this as a possible source of leaks for others.

Yorker · 05-15-2011, 02:33 PM

I have a question for the group. Is your leak at the point of the locks or does it show up in other places. We had a leak in the middle of the driver side slide. It showed under the fridge, over the microwage in in the first cabinet in front of the microwave.
When I called Forest City, they talked about cleaning the weep holes, but I haven't had the opportunity to try that yet. There is a seam in the rubber gasket where the leak actually is but they don't think that's the problem. Any way, is anybody experiencing the leak in the middle of the slide.

jackrobinryan · 05-15-2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yorker

I have a question for the group. Is your leak at the point of the locks or does it show up in other places. We had a leak in the middle of the driver side slide. It showed under the fridge, over the microwage in in the first cabinet in front of the microwave.
When I called Forest City, they talked about cleaning the weep holes, but I haven't had the opportunity to try that yet. There is a seam in the rubber gasket where the leak actually is but they don't think that's the problem. Any way, is anybody experiencing the leak in the middle of the slide.

The leak I had travelled from the lock area, thru the foam backing behind the head liner in the slide overhead and exited into and thru the cabinet above the dinette. But originated at the lock mechanism...

safe travels

pameridan04 · 05-16-2011, 09:44 AM

Hi guys:

I have a water leak in my 36G 04 Winnie slide, road side.

It drips right on my sleeper couch seat. My dealer recaulked the roof, no difference.

This is the FIRST time I am ever hearing about Slide Locks and Weep Holes.? Where the heck are they?

Anybody have a pic on where these are located?

Thanks... PAM