2003 PC Slide

My granddaughter closed my slide the other day and the next time I tried to open it, all I got was the sound of teeth gnashing. Try as I may there was no information on how to manually open or close a slide. So began my education. I researched all 133 pages of this forum for any information and there was nothing useful. Next I watched 49 videos about slides and again zero...except for one and from it I learned there are a limited number of slide actuation types.
That video led me to power gear type and that was what my slide used. Now I knew how the slide worked, but there was no information on how to manually open or close.
I called three RV repair places in Knoxville yesterday and as of this writing, I am still waiting for a response. My wife and I wanted to take our, new to us, RV on a little trip overnight so we could become more familiar with this RVing experience and we had resigned ourselves to going with the slide not working.
Last night, I couldn't sleep worrying about how to fix this minor disaster that was beginning to reek of expensive. I had a dream that I disassembled the slide into a huge pile of parts and as I worried, in my dream, how I was ever going to put it back together...I woke up. Repeat that four more times, without the stupid dream, and finally at 6:00 I got up and started my research all over again...more than a little frustrated.
After a cup of coffee, I told myself that if I could fix complicated aircraft hydraulic systems, build motorcycle race engines to go 190 mph at Daytona with zero failures in thirty years, then I was going to fix this damn slide...TODAY!
I was reading a PDF file on power gear slides when I had an epiphany. I remembered that there was a strange looking plug on the side of outside of the slide and I knew instantly that was the access to the manual control. I hastily changed clothes and went outside, grabbed a screwdriver, a flashlight, and when I popped the cap off...hidden inside was a 3/4" nut. I retrieved my ratchet and a socket and turned the nut first one way and then the other. I heard a click and when I again turned the nut counter-clockwise, I felt the slide move. I turned the nut several more times and the slide moved outward.
I opened the cab door, reached inside, and as I reached for the slide switch, I knew that it would work. I did and the slide moved out and then it came back in and then I moved it back out so I could see when the drive mechanism was and how it was assembled.
I can't be the only lost soul with this problem, so here are the pictures of all the evil mechanics. I hope this helps another.

Slide out!
Hole holds the secret manual nut!
Left motor under slide.
Right motor under slide.
Hidden nut!

Hi rdrcr150,

When I started reading your post, the first thing that came to-mind was that manual "nut" to turn to close the slide-out in an emergency.

We ordered our PC without a slide-out so I chuckled when I found the crank for that nut in our rear compartment.

This does not help you with a faulty slide-out, but I understand your slide-out has one of the most reliable mechanical systems.  When you get it fixed properly, it should theoretically be reliable for a long time thereafter.

Good luck with your repair.

Did you determine what the problem was? 

On mine, the access plug rusted away, allowing water in there. I am watching the steel bar on the outside, as many of the fasteners have succumbed to rust.    Things are stable so far... and I have tape over the access port for now.

But the mechanism in mine seems to be fine,    I keep it lubed.  Interested to see if something went bad on yours, or if the slide just got jammed and the "sound of teeth gnashing" was the same sound the slide gives when it is in, and the operator accidentally presses 'in' not 'out' on the button.