You can hear the loud clicking sound while opening and closing the RV slide out, which is normal. People often hear this sound more than two times, and the components do not retract.
Why is My RV Slide Out Making Clicking Noise? Your RV slide out can make clicking noise due to blockage of tracks, low levels of hydraulic fluid, weak or dead RV batteries, less lubrication, and snow accumulation on side toppers. Moreover, you can also face issues due to broken parts, failed motors, defective controllers, and blown-out fuses.
The clicking sound multiple times represents the fault in its internal components inhibiting its normal functioning. It also becomes difficult to drive further with open slides outs, and you have to shorten your trips.
| Causes | Solutions |
| Less lubrication | Lubricate the slide outs once a month |
| Blockage of tracks | Remove the dust particles |
| Low levels of hydraulic fluid | Patch the leaked lines and inspect the relief valve |
| Weak or dead RV batteries | Recharge the batteries with generator |
| Snow accumulation on slide toppers | Remove snow from toppers using a wiper and brushes |
| Broken internal components | Inspect gears and clutch |
| Failure of motors | Reset the motors by pressing push out buttons |
| Defective slide controller | Reset the controller switch |
| Blown out fuse | Replace fuses of slide outs |
Less lubrication
The Slide outs in most RVs are made of aluminum and other metal material. These metals can easily take part in the oxidation reaction, and you can see the thick layer of rust on them.
The rust accumulation hinders their smooth movement, and these cannot retract when pressing the operating switch buttons.
The rust comes on these metal aluminum parts due to exposure to water from the outside environment. Corrosion comes from the sliding mechanism, and these do not extend or retract.
Sometimes people use lubricant, but it is not sufficient for greasing. In addition, the grease can also make the situation worse when you use the wrong type of lubricant.
It is necessary to lubricate them to get rid of this issue. Use the lubricating sprays that are specially used for them.
Lubricate the sides once a month with high-quality lubricant to protect them from rusting.
Blockage of tracks
Sometimes the sliding tracks of the slides become blocked due to dust accumulation and interrupt the smooth movement. Runners cannot move smoothly because of the blocked sliding mechanism.
The dust from the outside environment accumulates on their sides and causes an issue in their forward movement.
People often cannot retract the slides because of the jammed tracks. The small foreign particles or stones get stuck in their tracks and hinder their movement.
You can resolve the problem by cleaning the tracks and removing their dust. Use the pressure water to remove the dust particles from their sides.
Low levels of hydraulic fluid
Some of the slides in RVs are operated by hydraulic fluid for their inward and outward movement. The hydraulic fluid creates the pressure and allows their retraction.
These contain pressure relief valves to control their movement. These pressure relief valves become faulty or stuck and keep them in binding.
The relief valve does not release and provide enough pressure or force for their forward movement. The problem also comes due to leakage in fluid lines.
Inspect the relief valve of the hydraulic system and replace the faulty ones. Moreover, patch the leaked fluid lines with tape or epoxy sealants to create enough pressure.
Weak or dead RV batteries
The batteries of the RV supply power to the motor for the functioning of controller switches. You can hear the clicking sound when you press the switch button due to weak batteries.
The weak or dead batteries do not provide sufficient power for their functioning. For example, these do not supply sufficient power to the controller switch for the retraction of slides.
The batteries become weak when not fully charged, and you use heavy electric appliances that draw excessive power.
I fixed this issue in my RV by recharging the batteries by connecting them to the shore power switch or electric generators.
Snow accumulation on slide toppers
Slide outs are present outside the RVs and are vulnerable to environmental changes.
The rainy season can corrode the aluminum metals and hinder smooth movement. Moreover, the snowy season allows snow and ice to accumulate on the toppers.
These cannot move forward when you try to open them after a snowy night. The thick layer of snow hinders their movement and produces a clicking noise several times when you push the controller switch.
The road salts during the rainy season come in contact with their metal and increase the chances of rust.
You can clean the topper surfaces. Use the broom or windshield wiper brush to clean the dust residues and snow from their surface.
Broken internal components
Sometimes the slide-outs do not move outside after producing the clicking sound because of their damaged component.
The gear and clutch are the internal components responsible for their inward and outward movement.
These become faulty and restrict their movement, and they can get stuck. In addition, the clutch and gears wear out with time because of their continuous use.
Moreover, the excessive weight in slides puts pressure on them and increases the chances of their wear out.
You can fix the issue by manually opening or closing them using a crank handle and wrench to engage or disengage the gears.
Failure of motors
The electric slide outs are operated by motors and their connecting components, including pinions and racks. These become faulty and do not provide sufficient power to open and close after pressing the on button.
The motor is the electric component that can fail at any time due to its overuse. In addition, fluctuations in the current supply also cause this issue.
The poor maintenance and lubrication cause the motors to burn out. Sometimes the motors need a resetting procedure and work fine after it.
You can reset the slide out motors by pressing the switch buttons. Keep it pressing until these can move outside fully.
Repeat this procedure about 2 to 3 times for smooth functioning.
Defective slide controller
The slide out controller is the power switch that controls their movement. It is helpful in their opening and closing.
The batteries of the RV supply power to this control panel to extend or retract the slides. Sometimes the controller switch becomes faulty and gets stuck in the same position.
You press it multiple times, but it does not perform the extending and retracting functions, and you hear a clicking noise several times.
The control panel becomes faulty due to its broken springs. In addition, these are also prone to wear and tear due to their overtime use.
Inspecting the control panel switch and replace it. It is also better to reset the button if its component has no internal fault.
Press the push in and out buttons 4 to 6 times for resetting.
Blown out fuse
The relay board is present in the electric or power gear slide outs. The relay board transmits current when you give the signals by pressing switches.
The fuses are on these relay boards to transfer the power through the panels. The blown-out fuse or faulty relay boards do not transmit sufficient power, and slides cannot extend.
You can hear the clicking noise multiple times, but these get stuck at the same location. In addition, the fuse blows out due to poor maintenance of this component.
Sometimes poor maintenance cause issue in their movement, which can make the fuse faulty.
You can fix it by maintaining them properly after every trip so it cannot stress electric components.
Replace the blown-out fuse with new ones of the same ampere.
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