04-13-2023, 06:58 AM
After speaking with Newell tech support, I was relieved to find out that the motor replacement is done from inside the coach and basement access isn't needed. They also suggested replacing motors on both ends of the slide. Since my coach was purchased used from Newell in late 2021 and still under the two year warranty, they sent me the replacements and only charged me the maximum $100 per incident. Yes, the premium Newell charges on used coaches is starting to seem worth it. I was expecting only the motors, but the motor comes as an assembly with the gears. This is a very robust assembly and I'm sure the normal price is up there.
No heavy lifting needed with this project, as skinny arms and flexibility are your friends here. Access to the motor/gear requires removing the slide bearing cover. The slide must be retracted and the floor lowered.
Under the front edge of the bearing cover is a hole cutout that gives you access to a 1/4" (7/16" head) bolt and washer. Use an inspection mirror here to make things easier. Remove the bolt with an extension or nut driver. After removing the bolt, the bearing cover should be able to slide out another 6 inches or so.
This will now give you access to the two wood screws on top that secure the bearing cover to the drawer-like rails that it rides on. One is on the front end and the other is toward the rear accessed by the now visible cutout. The bottom of the bearing cover is secured to the drawer rails by (4) phillips head machine screws. You'll need to reach under to access these. The bearing cover should now be able to be removed.
This will now expose the motor/gear assembly. First step is to remove the (2) bolts that secure the drive arm to the gear assembly.
And this is where things started to get difficult. The bolts are 3/8" with a countersink 7/32" allen head. They would not budge with an allen wrench. Next up was my 3/8" impact which did nothing also. My next attempt and I knew it was a no-no, was my 1/2" impact with an adapter and impact socket. This impact could not loosen the bolt, but it did succeed in shearing the impact socket into two pieces. No amount of torque on this small head was going to break it loose. These bolts were chemically frozen in by either too much or the wrong strength Loctite. The manual calls for 242/243, but I'm thinking it might be red that was used. I thought about using heat next, but the close proximity to the bearings and multiple plumbing lines suggested otherwise. So I pulled out the drill and started to go through a set of titanium bits. The countersink allen heads finally snapped off with a 3/8" bit. After removing the drive arm, I was able to easily remove the (3) 3/8" bolts that secured the motor/gear assembly to the slide bracket. These bolts had a small amount of blue Loctite.
Going back with the new motor/gear was pretty straight forward. The motor replacement is covered on page 150 of the Valid service manual. I did need to jog the motor some to get the mounting holes to line up with the slide drive arm. The motor position and synchronization is covered on page 30. These adjustments are carried out in the Valid touch panel in service mode. A call to Newell or Valid might be a good idea if this is your first time using the service mode. In service mode, several of the safety features are disabled and damage might occur if you aren't familiar with the options.
The Valid part # for the motor/gear assembly is VSS20A-044-L-01 and VSS20A-044-R-01. There is a left and right motor. Left and right are determined if you are standing outside facing the coach. The Valid control panel identifies the motors as "a" and "b" instead of left and right.
No heavy lifting needed with this project, as skinny arms and flexibility are your friends here. Access to the motor/gear requires removing the slide bearing cover. The slide must be retracted and the floor lowered.
Under the front edge of the bearing cover is a hole cutout that gives you access to a 1/4" (7/16" head) bolt and washer. Use an inspection mirror here to make things easier. Remove the bolt with an extension or nut driver. After removing the bolt, the bearing cover should be able to slide out another 6 inches or so.
This will now give you access to the two wood screws on top that secure the bearing cover to the drawer-like rails that it rides on. One is on the front end and the other is toward the rear accessed by the now visible cutout. The bottom of the bearing cover is secured to the drawer rails by (4) phillips head machine screws. You'll need to reach under to access these. The bearing cover should now be able to be removed.
This will now expose the motor/gear assembly. First step is to remove the (2) bolts that secure the drive arm to the gear assembly.
And this is where things started to get difficult. The bolts are 3/8" with a countersink 7/32" allen head. They would not budge with an allen wrench. Next up was my 3/8" impact which did nothing also. My next attempt and I knew it was a no-no, was my 1/2" impact with an adapter and impact socket. This impact could not loosen the bolt, but it did succeed in shearing the impact socket into two pieces. No amount of torque on this small head was going to break it loose. These bolts were chemically frozen in by either too much or the wrong strength Loctite. The manual calls for 242/243, but I'm thinking it might be red that was used. I thought about using heat next, but the close proximity to the bearings and multiple plumbing lines suggested otherwise. So I pulled out the drill and started to go through a set of titanium bits. The countersink allen heads finally snapped off with a 3/8" bit. After removing the drive arm, I was able to easily remove the (3) 3/8" bolts that secured the motor/gear assembly to the slide bracket. These bolts had a small amount of blue Loctite.
Going back with the new motor/gear was pretty straight forward. The motor replacement is covered on page 150 of the Valid service manual. I did need to jog the motor some to get the mounting holes to line up with the slide drive arm. The motor position and synchronization is covered on page 30. These adjustments are carried out in the Valid touch panel in service mode. A call to Newell or Valid might be a good idea if this is your first time using the service mode. In service mode, several of the safety features are disabled and damage might occur if you aren't familiar with the options.
The Valid part # for the motor/gear assembly is VSS20A-044-L-01 and VSS20A-044-R-01. There is a left and right motor. Left and right are determined if you are standing outside facing the coach. The Valid control panel identifies the motors as "a" and "b" instead of left and right.
Rob
2016 Newell #1536