BT Cruiser 5245 Slideout Failure

[Tribewinds]

Hi All,
I am interested to know how many other 5245 owners have had problems with a sagging floor affecting the slideout. My dealer is now dealing with Gulfstream but no word on resolution yet. If you have had this problem I would like to hear what was done for resolution. Thanks!

Elise

 

[CAP]

You didn't say what year you had and just where the floor is dragging on the slide. I had to look at the floor plan to see what you had.
There could be three places for the rails on that slide out.
Take a look under the flooring at each corner inside and see if it is moist or moldy. The gaskets at the top outside are sometimes put in funny and water can get in there and end up leaking under the flooring. Make sure they are filled/sealed.


My personal experience....my floor was dragging when I extended it out leaving small slivers of metal on the carpet, and dragged when I pulled the slide in. I have a BT 5291 and my slide problem was where the dinette is.

Then 1 year later I was in a huge rainstorm in SC and the water came up through the floor near the entrance. Took it out to RV-1 in Elkhart and the end result was the whole floor was rotted out and filled with white and black mold. The thing that saved me was the laminate flooring was glued down so I wasn't inhaling the stuff. The slide had to be pulled out and rebuilt. The bottom line was it cost me $5k for the extensive repair. One of these days I'll load the photo's in so you all can see them, they are not pretty.


If the person you took it to for the repair can get the cover off under the rig and see if the plywood is warped that would be a good start. Maybe the floor can be rebuilt without taking the slide out. Good Luck on this. One thing is for sure....you are not alone with a gasket leak in these RV's. Gulfstream's employees just do sub-quality work.

 

[CaryL]

I have a 2018 bt 5245 as well. I have noticed silver shavings on the floor after extending slide out. I have not been able to identify the source. So far the flooring appears solid level and dry. It does operate ok.

Where are the shavings generated? Mine appear more in the middle of the slide out. The tracks appear ok on the ends. Any preventative measures possible?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[CAP]

The only thing I can think of is the slide is hitting a screw from the underside.
After I had the floor and slide repair done, no more shavings. I just added the photo's to the albums page. Look for BT 5291 floor leak.

 

[CAP]

Another thought....when I was trouble shooting my problem with Dave at RV One in Elkhart was he told me to look under the edge of the slide. There is a metal support that runs from the front to the back and about 4" up from the bottom edge. The slide is closed. I had to use a mirror to check it, but there was rust on some of the bar but not all. Turns out, where the rust was is where I had the major problem with the inside damage. After I sent photo's to Dave, he said bring 'er out. Hooked my toad up and drove from Long Island to Indiana to get further assessment. It wasn't good. The only thing I can think of now is the floor in the rig (not the slide floor) was slightly warped which made the shavings happen. I know the slide floor had to be rebuilt. Where I was getting the shavings was in alignment with the front of the dinette seat. It could have been hitting a bolt from the dinette seat through the slide floor. The floor in the rig was sanded down and sealed. Can't tell you if he wore a hazmat suit or not.

 

[KO9000]

I have a 2019 BT 5245 and this worries me. No signs of any issues yet but wondering if it is just a matter of time. Will be keeping a close eye out.

 

[CAP]

Ya gotta keep an eye on the top of the gaskets. Most are installed the sides first then the top horizontal one last. The sides need to be filled well as the top one doesn't cover them very well. I don't know how Dave at RV One did it, but he installed the gaskets and at the corners, he cut a wedge shaped piece out of the bottom of the curve, so I don't have any openings for the water to get in. The gasket on my slide now is all one piece.

 

[CaryL]

CAP many thanks for the meticulous album of pictures of the damage. It looks like a real nightmare that hopefully your input can save the rest of us.

Unfortunately 5k for all the work done looks like a fair price and it may be a good deal higher at other shops.

I plan to seal the top of my seals. Maybe some drain holes at the bottom of the seals might be wise as well. I have been told not to lube the aluminum tracks but I am thinking of lubing the axles of the rollers underneath. Definitely look to hear from others as well on their experience. Being stuck at a campsite with a slide out stuck out is my biggest concern.

Also suspicious of other factors with the slide out. Mine has a lot of storage with wardrobe, pantry, overhead bins, dinette, 3 storage drawers and an outside compartment. No one has mentioned a weight limit on the slide out but it could be an issue and I hope Gulf Stream would post advice on it. I am also thinking of a carrier on the trailer hitch to store stuff instead of some storage in the slide out.

As always thanks for your input.

 

[Tribewinds]

The shavings on my 2018 5245 were right behind the driver's seat under the forward dinette seat. The dealer said they were leftover from manufacturing about a year ago. After traveling for a year, the real problem surfaced, which was the floor dragging. I do know that Gulf Stream paid for additional rollers to be installed mid-floor. From what I've seen on YouTube, this is a temporary fix. Now I am waiting for the extended warranty company to pay for the new slideout motor. It's been 2.5 months for the repairs. Most of that time was waiting for GS and warranty company to figure out whose responsibility it was to fix, then waiting for parts. Will post more after I get the rig back and see what they actually did to it.

 

[79cvx20]

I have a 2019 BT 5245 and this worries me. No signs of any issues yet but wondering if it is just a matter of time. Will be keeping a close eye out.

We have started looking for one of these bt5245 and wonder if you've had any problems since you posted last.

 

[Tribewinds]

BT Cruiser 5245 Slideout

It is now 6 years post installation of the additional slideout rollers. There have been no problems and I have put about 30K miles on it since my first post about the problem. I do have to say that after a lot of initial small fixes I have thoroughly enjoyed my 5245. I have it for sale now and have downsized to a smaller rig as my husband passed away and I wanted something smaller for me and my dog. If I had a partner, I would keep the 5245 as it is roomy and cozy. All systems have worked well except I did have to replace an awning motor, which I chock up to regular maintenance.

 

[hook runner]

I recently purchased a 5230 and can't get the slide out to work to work. I've done everything according to the manual but it will not work. Does anyone have a manual for it?