electric slide motor not working!!!

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bgriff85

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Feb 24, 2014
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TEXAS
when i press the slide button to move the slide out, nothing happens, i dont hear the motor engaging at all, ive been having to do it manually with a drill...i dont have any blown fuses, i dont know what to do...I cant even find a part number on the motor in case i have to purchase a new one, it is a 2004 Thor Jazz BH 5th Wheel, any suggestions on troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated, also when i turn the light on over the dining table on the slide it blows a fuse, but only that one light does it not the other one over the couch, weird?????
 
what is the motor controller? all i know of is the motor itself and the switch on the wall that reads "out or in" am I missing something here? Im trying to troubleshoot my slide motor not working, last time i used it it jammed up and the pin broke between the 2 gear rails so i backed in back in to where it was even and replaced the pin on the shaft, now the motor will not engage. did i burn the motor up?
 
Don't know what type of rig you have or what type of system, HWH, Powergear, etc. List what you can so someone can help you to troubleshoot. Sometimes the controller is nothing more than a relay that activates the pump & motor assy. Chances are you did not burn up the motor but probably blew a fuse. Some are located down by the power unit itself, others are located in your 12v fuse panel.  Make sure your batteries are up to charge also. List more info in your signature line and post all the details you can and you will be back in business in no time. Welcome to the forum also.
 
The slide motor controller is typically a current sensing device that shuts the motor off when the amperage exceeds a certain threshold. The amps get high when the motor is under extreme load, i.e. when it reaches the end of its travel (or a jam occurs). That protects the motor from burnout. Some controllers also have a connection for a remote switch that is used to sense slide position. The main function, however, is to reverse the positive and negative terminals to control the direction the slide moves in. The motor turns in opposite directions depending on which wire is made positive. That's the "In" and "Out" you see.

You need to start the diagnosis be determining if 12v is available to the motor itself. If not, back down the power lead to the relay/controller to see if you have power there. You may have simply blown a fuse when it jammed.  You could also jumper a known 12v source direct to the motor to see if it runs at all, but be very careful  that you don't burn it out that way. Or injure yourself.
 
thanks for merging the two posts, sorry for posting twice on same topic... Ok here is what ive got today, I disconnected the 2 motor wires from trailer wiring and touched them to jumper cables connected to a 12V battery and the motor worked in both directions!!! so relieved that the motor isnt fried! So now to find the problem in the wiring which seems a little overwhelkming when trying to follow the wiring that goes in many directions and up into the bottom of the floor into walls that have no access, this seems like itll be pretty challenging without tearing into the walls...Ok so I checked all the 15 amp fuses in the 12V fuse box and all are good, "the only fuse that blows is the one that controls the overhead 12V light over the dinner table when i turn the light on"the fuse does not blow when i press the slide control, nothing happens...Where would i look for the motor controller???? do all systems have one? I am not even sure what type system i have on my trailer, cant find any stickers or print on motor and it isnt in the owners manual...The switch on the wall is made by AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS. The electric motor is an 18:1ratio, this is all the info I have on the system.it is all electric no hydraulic. THE 12V fuse box has only 1 fuse that is for the slideout and it blows when turning on the light stated earlier but doesnt blow when pressing switch on wall, where could i find motor controller????
 
THE 12V fuse box has only 1 fuse that is for the slideout and it blows when turning on the light stated earlier but doesnt blow when pressing switch on wall, where could i find motor controller????

This is from you last post and I would say there is a direct connection between the light problem and the fuse since you state that is the one blowing. I'm thinking there is a bad or shorted wire somewhere that the light is shorting out on and/or is interrupting the current feed to the slide switch. I would drop the light fixture to access the wires and also pull the slide switch out so you can do some voltage checks and check for shorts or bad wires. Always start with looking for the simple things first. I once had a bulb filament burned out and shorting across the other one (dual filament) on a car that drove me crazy for a while. Make sure you have power to the switch and through the switch. Might take a while to track down but patience is required. Good luck.
 
One problem I keep having is: I believe... Flakey switches..  There is something you can do about those.

Kill all 12 volt to the RV, operate switches (By flashlight) several dozen times in both directions

Restore power.. If it works, then it was the swtich all along.
 
Our Brookside does not have a controller, just a switch to reverse directions.  You need to get a voltmeter or a 12 volt test light and check at the switch for power and see if power is leaving the switch when you press it. :)
 
  I have power gear slides and on mine there is a fuse on a PC board next to each slid motor, something to check.
 
Ok here is what ive got today. I tested the wiring in the wall attached to the switch, had no power to the switch at all. I followed wiring from switch to a shortstop type of fuse or relay, "whichever it is" tested that, had power on the battery side of it but not auxillary side, all other shortstops had power on both sides with the test light. So i replaced the shortstop and now have power on both battery and auxillary side. I then followed wire back to the switch and now have power to the switch!!! THE SLIDE STILL ISNT WORKING! I tested wiring at switch with test light, when i press the switch the power cuts off in the wiring on 2 seperate wires depending on which way i press the switch. Im now thinking i need a new switch, I figure if the malfunction that caused all this was bad enough to fry the Shortstop then it may have fried the switch also??? Can anyone chime in and tell me if im on the right track please? If the new switch doesnt work tomorrow then im really gonna be lost. But i have to thank all of you for as far as ive gotten thus far
 
GOT THE SLIDE WORKING!!!! Thanks to all of yall that helped! Now just to figure out why the one light above table is blowing fuse but the other one above sofa isnt and the one above sofa is tapped in to the wiring at the first light inline(the one blowing the fuse) does anybody know how this is happening?
 
So was it the switch?

Man, when i read stuff like this I hope I never have electrical problems. I wouldn't even know were to start. lol

Spap
 
Check the wiring under the slide they have a flexible portion that it probably failed and maybe the cause of both problems.
 
I am having the exact same problem with my ‘08 Thor Jazz. I changed all my ceiling lights out to LED and then the lights over the couch and dining table started blowing the fuse every time I tried to turn them on. Now the other day I pulled into a space at an RV park and ran the slide out then back in again to confirm it wouldn’t hit anything. After I leveled the RV I tried to open the slide again and nothing! I ended up manually opening and closing the slide until I got home, now it’s time to start figuring this out. Thanks to all of the post contributors, I have a good place to start.

I checked the switch and there is power to it, when I tested the switch with a multi meter it closes the loop in both the open and close positions. I guess I’m going under the slide to check the motor and the flexible wiring loom…
 
Re Lights.... If they are 1147/1136 types (Bayonet) the washer at the bottom of the socket fails if you use the higher power 1136 (IF I got the number righe) and shorts out when you remove the bulb.. I have repair kits.
 
Re Lights.... If they are 1147/1136 types (Bayonet) the washer at the bottom of the socket fails if you use the higher power 1136 (IF I got the number righe) and shorts out when you remove the bulb.. I have repair kits.

thank you, I’ll take a look at the sockets.

As for the slide not working, it appears that I am facing the classic good news/bad news situation. The good news is I found that the 12V power wire at the slide motor had somehow pulled out of the crimped connector just enough that it wouldn’t make contact anymore. I cut both wires and recrimped them, when I tested it the motor worked in both directions. The bad news is when I manually operated the slide with a power drill, the torque stripped the plastic reduction gear inside the motor! I found a metal replacement gear (I know some will have the train of thought that the plastic gear saves the motor in the event something happens since it will strip out easier than the metal one), but for $12 I figured I’d give it a shot.

I still need to find the cause of the fuse blowing with the lights but I’ll get to that another day.
 
I do now know what slide you have but on POWER GEAR which now goes by another name the controller is current sensitive and cuts power to the motor when it stalls.
 

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