SLIDEOUT PROBLEMS

[71newlands]

Hi  I have a sunset creek 29bhs with a 10 foot single slide.  the slide has not always worked properly  every now and than it hesitates to open or close ,just got back from a trip and it is no longer working on battery,  no power light or anything  still works the same way on electric I have never had a slideout before so really do not know anything about them. any help would be greatly appreciated thx

 

[Alfa38User]

I think you might have to rephrase a bit!! The slide always works on battery (12V) but should you mean that it works ok when plugged in and does not work if not plugged in then....

This seems to indicate that the batteries themselves are failing or are not fully charged. The reason that it works when plugged in is likely that the converter/charger is functioning and supplies the additional 12V current necessary to operate the slide. The batteries alone are no longer cutting it!! You may need to replace the battery or batteries. It, or they, can be load tested (usually for free) by most competent battery sellers and replaced if needed.

 

[71newlands]

thanks for clearing that up  batteries are fully charged 13.4 volts even tried a different battery just in case  batterys are only 1 week old  thx jim

 

[HappyWanderer]

I had the same issue with the slide on my 5th wheel, which turned out to be a loose ground wire on the battery. Low current draw like lights worked fine, but the heavy current of the slide motor was no go.

 

[71newlands]

thanks will check it out  and clean and retighten connections

 

[Alfa38User]

.... batteries are fully charged 13.4 volts....

I'm not sure how you are reading that but.... Just as an FYI, it sure isn't the battery voltage itself. A fully charged battery will read about 12.6V. It looks like you measured that battery voltage while still on the charger or with the Converter operating while plugged in. 13.5V or so is the voltage output of most chargers operating in the "float mode" (ie  placing a small maintenance charge on the system). It is also the reason that battery charge indicators often built into the coach/trailer, often the tank level display, always read full charge when the unit is plugged in.

Battery readings should be taken only after the charger has been disconnected for a period of time. The reason for that is once the batteries have been charged up, there will be a surface charge remaining for some time after the charger is removed. This will fall off over a short period of time (or turn on a light or two for a few minutes and then turn it off) and then you will get a more accurate voltage reading. The most accurate way to determine a battery charge level in a lead acid cell is through hydrometer readings of each cell but Voltage  usually works ok for most needs.

That said, your week old batteries should be good, but you never know.

 

[lumpy75]

Just because a batt is new and reads 12 volts does not mean it is good under load. I would have it load tested. You may have been sold a bad one. Happens sometimes not very often but can happen.

 

[71newlands]

ok  took off wires cleaned everything and retightened  same problem  my voltage readings were wrong  never took off charger. i will take batteries to get load tested today  hard to believe that both new batt could be bad  what i am really confused about is if slide works on 12 volts  how is it still working when i have fuse pulled for slide??    it is still plugged in  thx jim

 

[Jeff]

Wrong fuse? Miswired?

 

[John From Detroit]

I would have to agree, if slide works with fuse marked SLIDEOUT pulled, clearly either the fuse is mis-labeled or there is another Slideout fuse somewhere.  No other option.

You say it does not work.. Pick one

I can hear motor running but slide does not move
I hear a CLICK but motor does not run
NOTHING at all, it is as though I had not pressed the button

Suspect list.. First choice: Shear pins
Second choice MOTOR
Third choice: Bad switch (Remove all 12 volt power, actually DISCONNECT (physically) the battery, turn on an interior light and unplug from shore power, verify light goes out.. Now operate the switch like 50 times both directions.

Reconnect to power and reconnect battery.  And try again.. My switches are a touch particular as to where you press.

Bad wiring,, to diagnose this you need to find the control board

Bad control board.  (Which I knew where one of mine is hiding)

 

[71newlands]

  slideout does work when plugged in  though the switch is a little tempermental  when i unplug trailer  i do not even have a power light lit on slideout switch  just silence when i press switch  will try disconnecting all power and operate switch  thx  this is all new to me so i apoligize if i am confusing people  thx again

 

[Jeff]

If all power goes away when you disconnect shore power have you check your batteries and the cable connections? It sounds like you have no 12 volt power from them.

 

[Roodie]

Is it possible that some wire that is between the battery and the motor had a break in it so it worked intermittently and then actually broke completely and that is why?  Also you said new batteries.  Could a wire have not been hooked back up correctly or missed and not hooked up at all?

 

[Old Blevins]

Given that the slide works when there's shore power, but not on battery alone, and the switch is "temperamental", I'd start looking carefully at the switch.  Possibly there's a connection in there good enough for 13.6V but not good enough for 12.6V.  It's probably easy enough to pull the switch and bypass it to see.

I think you're saying that it's only the slide that doesn't work when the trailer is unplugged - right?  Your lights and other 12V accessories work?

Of course, a bad switch or connection doesn't address the fact that the slide works with the fuse pulled.  That's certainly worth tracking down.  An easy way of starting on that is to plug the trailer in, try the slide for response, pull a fuse, try the slide for response (you see where I'm going with this...)  That will at least tell you which fuse is protecting your slide system.

 

[keymastr]

I always like to start by checking the last thing I worked on, and you mentioned that the batteries were 1 week old. Is it possible that you were given batteries with the positive and negative posts on opposite sides from your old batteries? I know it seems like a dumb question but I have seen it more than once and may have even done it myself, although I probably won't admit it, he he.

The other possibilities are a fuse or breaker somewhere that tripped. Finding it is always the problem. Some units have a switch near the door to cut off the 12 volt system so you don't drain the batteries while stored and there also may be a battery combiner/switch in one of the storage compartments. You just have to trace the wiring or find someone with the same coach to show you where all these things are.

 

[Old Blevins]

I always like to start by checking the last thing I worked on, and you mentioned that the batteries were 1 week old.

That is an excellent observation.  Sometimes coincidences.... aren't.

 

[71newlands]

thank you for the suggestions  was away for a week  i will get going on some of them today and let you know  thx jim

 

[71newlands]

THE PLOT THICKENS i went out to start checking some of this stuff  battery seems to be dead but is reading 12.70 on a fluke  so basically nothing is working right now unless plugged in  ????    pulled each fuse one at a time  slideout still goes in and out so not sure what the story with that is. there is a switch in the fuse box with a heavy wire on each side  when trailer is plugged in it reads 13.6 volts  and there is no voltage going to it when i unplug  i am very new to this and would appreciate any help  not sure if this is tied into my slideout problem but suspect it is.  battery connections all clean and tight  no missing wires off terminals  should i be looking for problem between battery and this swich????  i would take it somewherebut have no shops around here that i feel good about taking it to

 

[71newlands]

PROBLEM SOLVED  found a fusable link on the framerail that was bad  everything working prperly again  thank youfor all the advice jim