04-07-2023, 03:22 PM
TJ came to my place for us to do his slide seal. he has posted some info under wittmann slide seal party.
pestes has a write up on doing his at a shop using a fork lift. i thought i would do a writeup with some pictures to show what we did on TJ's.
for those that dont know, there are two hydraulic side setups on our vintage newells. as best i can tell, up to 2001 or 2002 was one setup and after that a different config on the slide rams. my 2002 and tonys 2003 which we did have a different setup than tj's 98. the difference is how the rams are connected. there are 2 rams to push the slide in and out. on the 2002 and up (maybe 2001) to be able to disconnect the rams you do it by dropping the floor and unscrewing the threaded rod end of the cylinder under the floor. the nut is welded to the slide and you spin the rod.
on TJ's, it is much simpler and easier. the threaded rod end of the cylinder is on the passenger side of the coach with a nut holding it on a bracket. one is in the front passenger wheelwell directly above the tire. accessible by removed a panel with screws or rivets. the other is in the bay behind the entry door in the ceiling. you remove the foam ceiling to get at it. both are right near the outside of the coach and the threaded rod goes through a bracket. there is a 1 1/8" nut on each one. i took a 1 1/8" open/box end wrench and cut it off so it would fit in the front one.
ok, so here are the steps we did. no guarantee they are right or the same for you....btw....we installed the vacuum pump mod on the seal before we did any of this. and kept the seal sucked flat during all of this
.
1. we raised the coach up using the leveling system and put 4 jackstands under it and let it all the way down onto the stands. that way when the slide cart is under the slide, there is no chance of the suspension leaking down and causing problems.
2. next, with the slide still in, we took off all the interior trim that would allow the slide to be pushed out through the opening in the coach. each coach will be different based on what trim or couch or chairs or ceiling or valences, etc. on his it was the overhead long valence, the metal strip with the hook on it under it, the 2 metal pieces bolted at the top of each end, the metal plate on the back of the trim at the front of the slide, the wood and corian piece at the end of the couch and the leather covered panel at the window. every coach i have done is different. that takes some time to find all the screws holding everything together. took about 90 minutes on his.
3. then we put the slide out.
4. put the slide cart underneath and firmly supported it with the jacks on the slide cart. if putting in a new seal, be sure to put it around the slide before putting the cart underneath or you will regret it....ha
5. accessed the hydraulic cylinders by taking the panel above the tire off and the ceiling in the bay behind the door.
6 accessed the microswitch that is in the ceiling close to the outside in the bay in the middle of the slide on the drivers side. without taking the stop bracket off the slide will not come out.
7. started taking the nuts off. the one in the bay you can see, the one above the tire you have to do it by feel. they wouldnt come all the way off without moving the slide out an inch or two.
8. to move the slide out we used a couple of prybars and gently did each side a small amount at a time. prying between the drop floor (which was up) and the fixed center floor of the coach. you can find a spot that doesnt ruin the flooring. do it at each end. you will have to adjust where you are prying and maybe use a wood block to help. it will be obvious as you do it.
9. it doesnt take much force to pry the slide out...once out enough to be able to get the nuts off the rams do so. the cylinder may spin as you take the nut off and you might have to use a ratchet strap or pliers or something to hold it. and maybe not.
10. now you make sure the slide is moved out enough to have total access to the seal on the 2 sides and top. the bottom you have to do from the outside.
11. if replacing the old seal, now remove it. it snaps into a plastic track all the way around. on the bottom you do it from the outside after using the cart to raise it up enough to access it. of course disconnect the fill hose of the seal first. on TJ's his seal was fine, but had almost completely rolled out so we were just putting it back in. the bottom was still in the track, but the one side and top was totally out.
12. once the old seal is out, clean the track as best you can but i wouldnt go crazy doing it
13. with doing a new seal on the front salon drivers side you will not need to cut it. newell sells one size seal and for smaller slides you cut it. start at the bottom in the middle and start going out both directions. newell uses e6000 clear adhesive. thats what we used here. on tonys we tried a black different one and it was a mess. e6000 is easy and not messy. we only do adhesive every foot or so but do as you wish. the bottom is the hardest as there is not alot of clearance under the slide.
14. now comes the part where you have to massage the seal. if you work your way up both sides and then across the top, you will likely feel like the seal is about 6-12 inches too long. it isnt. we did the sides and top initially without adhesive. we went up and kind saw how much too long it was. then i took it back out on the top and one side and split the difference in the middle. and then again on each side, letting it droop inbetween. with some finesse you can mush the seal around and split the difference enough times to get it to fit. once we got it in everywhere we went back and pulled a 6 inch section out and put a few inches of adhesive in and snapped it back in. and did that across the tops and most of the sides.
15. we let it set for a few hours but you can decide how long to wait if at all.
16. now for the part of pushing the slide back in. tj and i tried it by ourselves and it wouldnt budge. not alot of leverage with the slide being so high. tj called mark at newell to see if there were any secrets to getting it back in. on my 2002, it pushed it pretty easy . on tonys 2003 it was very hard. mark said, no problem, have 8 guys there, 6 pushing and one at each ram to line the rod up with the hole. so i called a bunch of buddies and at 730pm we pushed it in. i did put my scissors lift in front of the slide to push off of. that said the front went in very easy. the back went an inch or two and had a hard stop. we were able to get both nuts on but the back one wouldnt tighten. that is where tj's post comes in. it ends up that there is a rectangular piece of metal sticking out on the side of each cylinder on the drivers side. the cylinder has to be clocked just right such that the cylinder doesnt hit the frame of the coach, stopping the slide from coming in. pictures below.
once the nuts are on and tightened, you can put the microswitch stop bracket back on.
17. if you think you need to, you can inflate the seal and see if it holds air. we didnt. btw, we had the air depleted in the coach.
18. put all the interior trim and pieces back on.
19. now you are done.
i think that is all the steps. i will attach a bunch of pictures.
tom
pestes has a write up on doing his at a shop using a fork lift. i thought i would do a writeup with some pictures to show what we did on TJ's.
for those that dont know, there are two hydraulic side setups on our vintage newells. as best i can tell, up to 2001 or 2002 was one setup and after that a different config on the slide rams. my 2002 and tonys 2003 which we did have a different setup than tj's 98. the difference is how the rams are connected. there are 2 rams to push the slide in and out. on the 2002 and up (maybe 2001) to be able to disconnect the rams you do it by dropping the floor and unscrewing the threaded rod end of the cylinder under the floor. the nut is welded to the slide and you spin the rod.
on TJ's, it is much simpler and easier. the threaded rod end of the cylinder is on the passenger side of the coach with a nut holding it on a bracket. one is in the front passenger wheelwell directly above the tire. accessible by removed a panel with screws or rivets. the other is in the bay behind the entry door in the ceiling. you remove the foam ceiling to get at it. both are right near the outside of the coach and the threaded rod goes through a bracket. there is a 1 1/8" nut on each one. i took a 1 1/8" open/box end wrench and cut it off so it would fit in the front one.
ok, so here are the steps we did. no guarantee they are right or the same for you....btw....we installed the vacuum pump mod on the seal before we did any of this. and kept the seal sucked flat during all of this
.
1. we raised the coach up using the leveling system and put 4 jackstands under it and let it all the way down onto the stands. that way when the slide cart is under the slide, there is no chance of the suspension leaking down and causing problems.
2. next, with the slide still in, we took off all the interior trim that would allow the slide to be pushed out through the opening in the coach. each coach will be different based on what trim or couch or chairs or ceiling or valences, etc. on his it was the overhead long valence, the metal strip with the hook on it under it, the 2 metal pieces bolted at the top of each end, the metal plate on the back of the trim at the front of the slide, the wood and corian piece at the end of the couch and the leather covered panel at the window. every coach i have done is different. that takes some time to find all the screws holding everything together. took about 90 minutes on his.
3. then we put the slide out.
4. put the slide cart underneath and firmly supported it with the jacks on the slide cart. if putting in a new seal, be sure to put it around the slide before putting the cart underneath or you will regret it....ha
5. accessed the hydraulic cylinders by taking the panel above the tire off and the ceiling in the bay behind the door.
6 accessed the microswitch that is in the ceiling close to the outside in the bay in the middle of the slide on the drivers side. without taking the stop bracket off the slide will not come out.
7. started taking the nuts off. the one in the bay you can see, the one above the tire you have to do it by feel. they wouldnt come all the way off without moving the slide out an inch or two.
8. to move the slide out we used a couple of prybars and gently did each side a small amount at a time. prying between the drop floor (which was up) and the fixed center floor of the coach. you can find a spot that doesnt ruin the flooring. do it at each end. you will have to adjust where you are prying and maybe use a wood block to help. it will be obvious as you do it.
9. it doesnt take much force to pry the slide out...once out enough to be able to get the nuts off the rams do so. the cylinder may spin as you take the nut off and you might have to use a ratchet strap or pliers or something to hold it. and maybe not.
10. now you make sure the slide is moved out enough to have total access to the seal on the 2 sides and top. the bottom you have to do from the outside.
11. if replacing the old seal, now remove it. it snaps into a plastic track all the way around. on the bottom you do it from the outside after using the cart to raise it up enough to access it. of course disconnect the fill hose of the seal first. on TJ's his seal was fine, but had almost completely rolled out so we were just putting it back in. the bottom was still in the track, but the one side and top was totally out.
12. once the old seal is out, clean the track as best you can but i wouldnt go crazy doing it
13. with doing a new seal on the front salon drivers side you will not need to cut it. newell sells one size seal and for smaller slides you cut it. start at the bottom in the middle and start going out both directions. newell uses e6000 clear adhesive. thats what we used here. on tonys we tried a black different one and it was a mess. e6000 is easy and not messy. we only do adhesive every foot or so but do as you wish. the bottom is the hardest as there is not alot of clearance under the slide.
14. now comes the part where you have to massage the seal. if you work your way up both sides and then across the top, you will likely feel like the seal is about 6-12 inches too long. it isnt. we did the sides and top initially without adhesive. we went up and kind saw how much too long it was. then i took it back out on the top and one side and split the difference in the middle. and then again on each side, letting it droop inbetween. with some finesse you can mush the seal around and split the difference enough times to get it to fit. once we got it in everywhere we went back and pulled a 6 inch section out and put a few inches of adhesive in and snapped it back in. and did that across the tops and most of the sides.
15. we let it set for a few hours but you can decide how long to wait if at all.
16. now for the part of pushing the slide back in. tj and i tried it by ourselves and it wouldnt budge. not alot of leverage with the slide being so high. tj called mark at newell to see if there were any secrets to getting it back in. on my 2002, it pushed it pretty easy . on tonys 2003 it was very hard. mark said, no problem, have 8 guys there, 6 pushing and one at each ram to line the rod up with the hole. so i called a bunch of buddies and at 730pm we pushed it in. i did put my scissors lift in front of the slide to push off of. that said the front went in very easy. the back went an inch or two and had a hard stop. we were able to get both nuts on but the back one wouldnt tighten. that is where tj's post comes in. it ends up that there is a rectangular piece of metal sticking out on the side of each cylinder on the drivers side. the cylinder has to be clocked just right such that the cylinder doesnt hit the frame of the coach, stopping the slide from coming in. pictures below.
once the nuts are on and tightened, you can put the microswitch stop bracket back on.
17. if you think you need to, you can inflate the seal and see if it holds air. we didnt. btw, we had the air depleted in the coach.
18. put all the interior trim and pieces back on.
19. now you are done.
i think that is all the steps. i will attach a bunch of pictures.
tom
2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608 Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH
