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2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Yahoo Message Number: 109334
Did a search and found that Mark with a 2007 Inspire had a problem with his generator slide that was solved by replacing a load-carrying bearing. I don't think that's my problem though.

My slide does not budge. Flipping the switch to "Out" energizes the motor which apparently rotates, given the clatter of the clutch that drives the worm screw/gear. It's as though you flipped the switch to "In" when the slide is already "In". The noise is exactly the same that occurs when the slide reaches its limit, either extended or retracted.

Talked to Butch Williams and he suggested applying outward tension to the slide while flipping the switch. I did that but the result was the same. If that does not work then it's possible that the gears in the screw drive are bad. They are no longer made but Butch said that Kevin may have a replacement that could be retrofitted with some modification. Sounds expensive.

What gives me hope that the gears are OK is that the clutch is clattering which implies that the gears are transmitting sufficient force to rotate the screw but that the slide/screw assembly is jammed/wedged in place and prevented from moving out.

Thoughts?

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109339
Like to be included in this thread please as I am having the exact same issue.

Alex Ritchey 2000 CC Affinity B&B 42' tag #5773

Alexritchey65@...

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109340
On my Magna there is no motor. There are just rollers and you pull it in and out by hand no big deal. I would imagine you have rollers as well. Perhaps you could just remove the motor and do it the Magna way. There is a locking mechanism however which of course you would need. There's a switch for that in the electrical Bay

Rich 2002 Magna

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109342
If I may step in here a minute, I had the same issue with my gen slide not moving. I replaced all of the load bearing bearings with RBC cam follower bearings S40LW 1 1/4 dia. with 1/2 inch shaft. I bought them from Amazon for about $22 each. The bearings CC put in are not sealed and you can imagine how much abuse they take! These bearings are sealed and I recommend installing a zerk fitting in the shaft end! My gen slide works like new!! Just my two cents!

Dennis '09 Allure 470 Crane Prairie 31700
As an Amazon Associate Country Coach Owners Forum earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109347
Thanks for the responses. One of the things I will try next is disconnecting the drive mechanism thus freeing the generator to move using manually applied force. It's not an easy thing to do given the constraints of space.

Not sure about any lock. The owner's manual and electrical wiring diagrams have no references to locks. There is one switch in the front run bay that says "out" and "in". The "out" position extends the generator and the "in" position retracts the generator. I looked in vain for a locking mechanism. A screw drive mechanism by its very nature makes a lock unnecessary. The sliding part cannot move without the screw part rotating. Not saying one does not exist, just saying it would not be necessary and I could not find one.

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109348
You do realize that when the generator slides in the last thing you here is the snapping of the lock mechanism. Located under the generator to the outside edge there is a bar that in the retracting system pulls the latching bar down. Just thought I would pas this along.

Buddy Bordes 08 Allure 31597

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109351
Thanks, Buddy. Would that be the driver's side, passenger's side, front, or back "outside edge".

I don't remember hearing anything except the screw drive turning until the generator hit its limit of travel and then the clutch slipping until the switch was released.

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109352
I notice twould limit stop switches for full out and full in positions. Right now when I push the switch for out or in it makes the same sound as when it hits these switches.

Alex Ritchey 2000 CC Affinity B&B 42' #5773

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109353
It is a bar that has latches on the front bottom of the generator frame. Hard for me to explain but it is the width of the tracks. When it gets all the way in it drops or pulls down to latch. When it going out it pulls the latch up to allow the generator to go out.
Good luck.

Buddy

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109426
No solution yet but I did get a call back from Winnebago/Country Coach in Junction City in response to a message I'd left requesting information about the generator slide. Spoke with a very knowledgeable and helpful fellow named Art.

The slide actuating mechanism, a geared worm drive, can be obtained. So if the existing one cannot be repaired, Country Coach can get us a new one for $426.00. Given the complexity of the beast, that did not sound too bad.

He confirmed that some coaches had a latch and some did not which explains why I could not find one on mine. I put a car jack under the generator slide and lifted much of the weight off the rollers and pulled out on the generator while actuating the switch. No movement.

Have an appointment with Premier RV in Junction City tomorrow afternoon.

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109442
The guys at Premier in Junction City, got it repaired. They disconnected and removed the screw-drive actuator and bench-tested it. It worked fine.

Even with the actuator out the slide would not move until they used pry bars to leverage the slide out. It was very difficult to move, even with two guys bearing down on it. Eventually it moved about an inch and then popped free. At that point it traveled out and in freely using only hand pressure. Near as can be figured, there must have been a pebble or other foreign object lodged between the frame and the sliding tray.

They cleaned and lubed the rollers, installed the actuator, and tested. All good and all for two hours labor which amounted to $220. Worth every penny to me. We also got two nights free "camping" inside the shop. That was worth a lot right there since the outdoor temps were in the teens at night.

In about 4 hours we'll head south over the Siskiyou's and hope to thread the weather needle.

FWIW

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109445
Good luck with the Siskiyou crossing. We barely found a few hours "window" to jump them on December 9th, and it's been pretty ugly since then.

A suggestion if you're not already there: stage at the Seven Feathers RV Resort in Canyonville OR, just before the passes begin. Best RV Park we have EVER found and very reasonable prices. Then you can watch the pass weather and jump at the first chance...

Don Hutchins

'08 Allure 470, 40' Tag, Cat C9, Cat tranny
Don Hutchins
'08 Allure 470 #31613
40' w/tag, Cat C-9 & Cat tranny

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109447
The staging at Seven Feathers is great advice. Also, be sure you have tire chains in the rig. We carry ours during the winter, but stop travelling at the nearest RV park when it looks like they would need to be installed. Oregon law requires the chains. It has been our experience that between 10 AM and 2 PM Siskiyou is generally passable.

S Brandt, '06 Intrigue, #11964

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109451
If you are going to cross the Siskiyou's, remember to carry a set of tires chains, even if you never intended to use them. It is a $500.00 fine if you get caught without them. Each year I go to Les Schaub Tire and purchase a set for the coach, and in April, I return them for my money back, per their policy.

Jim Hill

2008 Tribute 260
81138

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109462
We threaded the Siskiyou needle just fine. It may have been a whole lot sketchier a day later. Seven Feathers is just not in a convenient spot for us to spend the night.

We usually travel from Sequim to Junction City the first day. Have whatever work needs to be done performed. Then leave for Mountain Gate (Redding) in the morning following service work in Junction City.

We do stop at Seven Feathers for fuel and if it's near noon we'll go into their new rest stop and have lunch in the coach. This time we just topped off the fuel tank.

Am hep to the Les Schwab loaner highway patrol repellent chains. They're in the basement right now. That said, I'll do everything practical to avoid putting the chains on. If ODOT is requiring the chains to be mounted, we stop at the Holiday RV Park in Phoenix, OR until that condition passes. It''s cheap thus not very fancy. We've only had to do that twice for one night each time.

Our only weather related potential problem was leaving Redding headed for Patterson, CA. It began snowing just as we were leaving and started to accumulate rapidly. There were three different locations where vehicles lost control and wound up in the median or sideways. Entering Sacramento there was a three-car crash that really destroyed two of the vehicles. I'm sure there were injuries but no emergency units at the scene as yet. There were motorists not involved in the crash standing nearby on their cell phones.

We're currently ensconced in Bakersfield at Orange Grove where DW is out picking oranges and I'm sipping a pretty good Zinfandel and getting the potatoes ready to bake and the steak to come up to room temperature for the grill. It's 75* outside, winter is just an unpleasant memory and life is good!

Dave M. 2002 Affinity #6103
Dave & Cathy M, 2002 Affinity #6103, 2018 GMC Acadia, Linux Mint 19.2
 

Re: 2002 Affinity Generator Slide Will Not Extend

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 109468
Good to hear you had a safe journey. We leave the Reno area tomorrow morning and head to the Oregon Coast. Will be driving a 4-WD Dodge Ram instead of the coach. Will go through Susanville, to Shasta and on up to Medford and Roseburg. Should be an interesting trip, but tomorrow looks like the best weather window.

S. Brandt, '06 Intrigue, 11964