While there are a couple of different types of RV slides out there, one of the most common is the Schwintek slide. This type of slide uses whats called worm gear to move the slide in and out as you need it to. These slides are operated from a control panel inside your motorhome or travel trailer and are very easy to use.
However, sometimes slide experience issues. In the video above, our product specialist and all-around knowledgeable RV enthusiast, Ian Baker is here to share some tips and tricks on what to do if your slide doesn’t move when you want it to or if you have one side moving and other staying put.
What is a Schwintek Slide?
A Schwintek slide as we said above is a type of slide-out that’s commonly used on motorhomes and towable RVs. The slide is unique in that it uses some worm gears to make the slide out move in and out of the RV.
There are motors to either side of the slide that help the slide move when you want it to move, and there’s a panel inside the RV that allows you to control the motor. Schwintek slides are generally easy to use and that’s why you’ll find them on a wide variety of RVs out there.
What Could Make a Slide Fail to Move?
Well, there are any number of issues that could be plaguing your slide-out. However, Ian says the most common one is out of sync slide-out electrical motors. If the motors are out of sync, the slide may not move at all. Othertimes just one side may move, which will cause a bind in the gears and not allow it to retract or extend all of the way.
Other issues with the slide could be a faulty part, such as a burned-out motor or faulty wiring. However, those are far less common, so you should take some time to check to make sure the motors are synced up before troubleshooting anything else.
How to Fix a Stuck Schwintek Slide
If you have a Schwintek slide that’s stuck, don’t worry. There are things you can do to get the slide back on track and operating properly. Here are some things to try.
Make Sure the Electric Motors are Synced Up
As we noted above, Ian says that the number one issue with Schwintek slides is that the motors are often out of sync. This can cause issues when you go to move the slide from the control panel inside the RV.
As a preventative measure, you should hold down the button to retract the slide for a couple of seconds after the slide is retracted all of the way. This will allow the motors to sync up. Ian says to do this a couple of times to make sure the motors are synced and then you should be able to operate the slide-out properly.
An important thing to note here is that you need to have the right amount of power. Hook up to shore power or make double sure your battery is topped up before trying to operate your slides.
Use the Manual Override on the Control Box
If that doesn’t work, or you’re still experiencing issues of some kind, then you need to go down into the basement of your RV and find the control box. The control box should be right underneath the slide-out.
On that box, there will be a manual override button. You can press that six times and then you push and hold on the seventh time and it will trigger a manual override so you can try to get the side in. From there, you really should take your RV in to have it check out by a service center.
Additional Things to Try
What if neither of those things works? Beyond those two things, there are some physical things you can do to the slide-out and control box. First, you can move the slides manually. Ian doesn’t touch on this in the video, and if you’re doing this, you really need to get your RV to a service center ASAP.
In order to do this, you’ll need to disconnect the cables for the slide from the control box. This will disengage the brake or lock and allow you to move the slide by simply pushing on it. Make sure to push the slide in evenly. From there, you’ll need to reconnect the wires for the motors to the control box so the brake or lock reengages.
If that still doesn’t work, and you have a slide stuck out, then you need to take the screws off on the exterior of the RV at the top of the slide. From there, you have access to the motors for the slide. You should be able to move them up about half of an inch, which will disconnect them. Then you should be able to push the slide in. Replace those screws, and then either use a slide lock or a wooden 2×4 cut to the right length on the inside of the RV to make sure the slide doesn’t slide back out.
To learn more about these other two methods, you can check out this video put together by Thor Motor Coach. It walks you through the steps well.
Do you have any questions about Schwintek slides or have any ideas for other topics that should be covered in our How To series? Leave a comment below, or hit up Ian on Instagram!
I have a 2016 Thor windsport, the slideout would not extend so I reset the control panel and still nothing. Then I tried to get slide to operate by changing the motor connections from 1 to 2, that enabled me to work the slideout but it worked in reverse. What could be the problem?
Hi Rick,
I’d recommend contacting our service department to schedule a slide diagnostic. Here’s a link to help you find the service center nearest you: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv-service-maintenance#js-anchor-locations
Is it normal to need to put the slide out a little and then back in to get it to extend fully? We rented an RV, and they told us that if the slide doesn’t go out all the way, then bring it in and then out. Repeat several times until the slide is either in or out all the way. Hope this makes sense.
Hi Kathryn,
From my understanding, this is normal operation for Schwintek slides, as this action helps to sync the motors responsible for extending or retracting the slides. As Ian suggests, holding down the button to retract the slide for a couple of seconds after the slide is retracted all of the way allows the motors to sync up. Ian says to do this a couple of times to make sure the motors are synced and then you should be able to operate the slide-out properly.
Hope that helps!
Hi,
Do you have any videos or can you just tell me how to lubricate my schwintek slide?
Thank you!!
SPower
Hi Stacey!
Schwintek systems are designed to work without any lubrication, in fact lubing them can ruin them. Should lubrication be required in an extreme case, only dry film silicone spray should be used.
I’d highly recommend bringing your RV into a service center to have the slide inspected by a certified technician if it’s not functioning as expected. Here’s where you can contact our service department: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv-service-maintenance
Hope this helps, but let us know if you have any other questions!
Hello! Need help ASAP… and of course camping world is closed???? . We have a 2023 Thor Magnitude sv34. We can not get the slide to retract or extend more than a couple inches and then motors will stop. We tried resetting the system with the manual override to extend all the way and retract all the way. But it hasn’t worked. Another time it has done this the RV technician adjusted the white T brace underneath the slide. Not sure what they did but it was a quick adjustment and it made the slide work properly. Wondering if anyone could give us directions on how he might have adjusted the white T brace to see if this might be the same problem
Hi Steve!
Sorry for the delay. I reached out to our technical team with your question and here’s their answer:
These are great systems, but they have some personality quirks. First, they operate with 2 or more motors per room. They communicate to a central controller how many rotations they have made using Hall sensors and wiring harnesses. The controller will speed up and slow down each motor as needed to keep the room straight. If the in/out button is released immediately when the room reaches it’s full stroke, any remaining numbers in the controller will be forgotten. Over time, this can make the room crooked and it will not move far.
The Lippert website has a procedure for resetting the room’s timing. To avoid this issue, simply continue to hold down the button after the room stops for 2-5 seconds. You may notice that one end of the room bumps in or out just a bit. The controller finished using up the leftover numbers so the room can stay in time.
Another issue is that the controller is programmed to protect the coach and it’s user by limiting the force that the motors can exert. Although this can be easily adjusted, it should only be done as directed by Lippert so as to not cause harm or void any warranties. This adjustment is usually required when the room fits the opening with more friction or drag than is optimal, causing the amperage limiter to open and stop the room.
If adjustments to this potentiometer are authorized, less is more…the least increase necessary to keep the room moving is all you want. Otherwise damage or personal injury may result. Schwintek systems are designed to work without any lubrication, in fact lubing them can ruin them. Should lubrication be required in an extreme case, only dry film silicone spray should be used.
If you’re having further issues, I’d highly recommend bringing your RV into a service center to have the slide inspected by a certified technician. Here’s where you can contact our service department: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv-service-maintenance
Hope this helps, but let us know if you have any other questions!
hi gerard here ,i have a 2021 salem cruise lite when slideout is 2 ft from closing it will dip down shake , n make cracking sound then return back up and close tight.
Hi Gerard,
I’d recommend having your slide-out inspected by a certified RV technician. Here’s a link to help you schedule an appointment at one of our service centers: https://rv.campingworld.com/rv-service-maintenance
hi there, one side of my slide out is skipping and tilting and not opening fulling. any advise would be greatly appreciated
Hi Craig!
It sounds to me like the electric motors aren’t synced on your slideout.
Have you tried any of the methods suggested in this article or the video?
Heya! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all
your posts! Carry on the superb work!
Thank you so much!
How do I get the slide out out if only one side is working and I can’t get to the locking screw. Please help Arch
Hi Arch!
Can you tell me what steps you’ve already tried to reset or re-align the motors on your Schwintek slide?
Also, you may find the content on this article useful: https://cwblog.cwmkt.app/learn-to-rv/how-to-manually-operate-rv-slideouts/
Let me know and I can hopefully offer a more detailed solution!
I bought a Winnebago Micro Mini recently with a Schwintek slide and immediately the slide quit working. No lights to the controller, no movement from the motors, the reset doesn’t reset and calling their customer service was of no use really when I spoke to them. Short of having my trailer sitting in an RV service center for 4 to 8 weeks I won’t have use of it till the fall.
The slide moves in and out smoothly and evenly when in manual mode but will not do so in auto mode. The controller has been timed several times (and with Tiffin factory guidance) w/o any improvement. Does this imply a faulty controller?
Hi wade..great info..we learned early on about these slides on our Grand Desgin Reflection. You noted about having power to pull slide in/out. We have not dry camped with our rig due to us and we are bummed. We do have an external Honda generator. Would this helping giving power boost to slide?
I have a 2018 Forest River Sunseeker 2800QS and the slide behind the driver seems to be loose and rattles and knocks a lot when traveling? It is sealed and I can’t access any of the parts to look for loose parts or to tighten anything? Got any suggestions what I could do? Thanks
Our slide is stuck out. Both motors are dead how do we get it in. ? Need help asap
My slide out leaves a small pile of aluminum chips every time I extend it, can someone explain whats going on ?
My. Schwintek slideout is stuck all the way in, only 1 motor is working. There is no way to get to the bad motor, is there any way to extend the slideout manually, enough to reach and access the faulty motor?
Excellent info,,,just got me out of a issue with kitchen slide on new 2021 Alpine 3790FK. Dealer was of minimal help. Thanks to you wife is happy
Regards
Ron
Hi Dan,
I’m so sorry to hear this. Have you tested your RV’s coach battery and/or circuit breaker panel?
Or is this problem persisting whether you’re connected or disconnected from shore power?
Hi Gary!
The controller could certainly be the culprit, but there are too many variables to say the controller is faulty with 100% certainty. I’d really recommend taking it to a service center for a complete diagnosis.
They’ll need to see what codes are flashing, check that all measurements are correct, make sure shoes are intact and undamaged, and look for other damaged components causing drag and increasing amp draw. In our experience, we’ve also seen broken hall effect wires cause slides to have issues in auto mode while working fine in manual mode.
So, again, your best bet is to get a complete diagnosis to really know what you’re dealing with. Hope that’s helpful!
Hi, Cecilia! Yes, the generator should provide enough power to operate the slide. However, I would recommend stopping by your local Camping World’s Service Center so a service technician can troubleshoot and remedy any other potential issues.
Thanks for the comment, Roger. I’m sorry you’re having an issue, but without seeing it in person, it’s hard to diagnose the cause. If you have time, stop by a local Camping World Service Center and one of the service technicians can take a look. With their knowledge and experience, they’ll have you fixed up and on the road again as quickly as possible!
Hi Charlotte, here are a couple of resources:
https://youtu.be/VAgMqwaSo2c
https://youtu.be/lh3_EoBHf14
If these don’t help, you can call the service center at a Camping World location near you.
Hey Chuck. It sounds like it might be off the track or something is grinding. I’d take it in for service. It might just need lubed up, but it could be something more serious.