Troubleshooting a Lippert Slide-Out: Motor Runs But Room Slides Slowly

Slide rooms are high on our list of must-have upgrades for a more comfortable RV experience. Whether you’re taking a weekend escape or a cross-country tour, it’s nice to add a little extra space to your living quarters with the push of a button. However, despite their convenience and ease of use, slide rooms are susceptible to the occasional malfunction, which can be a pain if you’re miles from a repair shop and are unsure how to troubleshoot the problem. In this lesson, we teach you how to solve one of the most common issues: when the Lippert slide-out motor runs like regular but the room extends and retracts slowly.

Testing your Lippert slide-out motor

You find the ideal spot to set up camp after a long drive, and you go to extend your slide room so you can move comfortably throughout your RV. You activate the Lippert slide-out motor, and although it seems to be fully functional, the room inches out slower than normal. All you want to do is kick back and relax, but the room is taking its time. There could be a number of reasons for this.

To help you diagnose what’s ailing your slide room, RV expert Dave Solberg walks you through a quick troubleshoot demonstration. He shows what to look for when you pop open the hatch to asses your Lippert slide-out motor, so you can eliminate all other options and find your specific cause.

First things first, Dave reminds you that a Lippert slide-out motor is attached to your RV’s house batteries, so if they’re not completely charged, the motor isn’t going to run at full capacity. In addition, the batteries must be operating at the maximum 12 volts. Next, he teaches you how to check for loose connections in the grounding, which can also lead to an inefficient Lippert slide-out motor.

Finally, Dave talks about the effect extreme climates might have on your Lippert slide-out motor, and particularly the oil its hydraulic system relies upon to push and pull the room. If you utilize Dave’s tips for troubleshooting your slow slide room, it should only take you a few minutes to find the issue and figure out a solution!