Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 15, 2025 ...

Lubing the slide bladder

April 15, 2018, 12:35:00 pm

Had the living room slide bladder replaced at MOT in 2014. Since then the slide has rattled or squeaked while traveling on rough roads.

MOT tried ROLOKS in the slide floor to stabilize. No help.
FOT tried securing some fittings in the overhead and replacing the locking pin bushings. No help.
Last week FOT tried tightening some bolts in the header. Still noisy.

I've noticed that when I extend the slide after traveling I hear a similar sound. Think the bladder may be squeaking when the coach flexes. A forum search found some old posts describing using protect All slide seal treatment or 303 protectant. I called HWH and was told they don't recommend anything on the bladder. Called James Triana. He emailed HWH and was told engineering has no idea how various products might affect the bladder and was told they don't recommend anything.

I asked James if he thought I could use dry silicone spray. He couldn't recommend it but didn't see why I couldn't try it.

Anyone using a lubricant on their slide bladders? The techs all say the bladder is fine but the noise is an annoyance.

Thanks

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Re: Lubing the slide bladder

Reply #1 – April 15, 2018, 02:33:09 pm

Talcum powder maybe, old school rubber lube.

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Re: Lubing the slide bladder

Reply #2 – April 15, 2018, 03:22:32 pm

The folks at HWH told me to use water with just a few drops of dish soap like dawn when we were having a problem deflating the bladder.  Other than that they really don't recommend any kind of petroleum or chemical lube.  The best thing is to keep your slide clean and polished and make sure the bladder is fully deflated before moving the slide.

Your bladder should deflate enough so that you never hear any squealing.  Your 2001 has a timer on the yellow light on the slide control which does not necessarily mean the bladder is deflated.  Look carefully from inside at both ends when it is out for daylight.  When the slide is in you can see the bladder above the slide from over the driver's seat.

There are four locking pins that fit info sockets on the slide.  The two on top seem to be the source of most creaking with the slide closed.  With the slide open and the awning up you can find the sockets along the top edge.  Use some silicone plumbers grease on your finger and smear it around inside the socket.  It may take more than one application.  There is a rubber piece in there than can get degraded.  They are about $25 each so try the easy and cheap stuff first.  I lube ours up every other year or as required.

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Re: Lubing the slide bladder

Reply #3 – April 15, 2018, 05:23:21 pm

When my slides are open, I will use Wash Wax All on all four surfaces.  It will clean any dirt off and leave a smooth clean surface.  Been doing this for years on several different coaches.  Also as Roger said check the rubber piece where the pins go into the socket.  I had the replace these on my last coach and it really helped.  Also check that the drain holes in the socket are open. Mine was full of crud on my last coach.

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Re: Lubing the slide bladder

Reply #4 – April 19, 2018, 12:27:35 am

Silence is golden.

Went to Home Depot, got some silicon faucet grease. Lubed the locking pin sockets. Checked that the hole in the sockets is clear.

Grabbed the Wash Wax All, polished everything I could reach on the slide, extra attention to the areas which contact the bladder.

Drove highway 93 Phoenix to Las Vegas. No rattles, no squeaks. The forum is great.

Thanks
Mike

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Re: Lubing the slide bladder

Reply #5 – April 19, 2018, 09:23:22 am

Mike, Glad it worked.  I was surprised how big a difference the lube in the sockets made.  It doesn't take much.  It is a very good habit to get into to visually chech your slide seal as best you can before opening and closing it.  I am on the original slide bladder in our 2001, good luck or good practice or both.  Treat it with care.

Make sure the aux compressor is working well.  My pressure switch sticks occasionally and it doesn't come on.  You need the pressure and air volume from the tank to create the vacuum that deflates the slide bladder.

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