Baffling slide/electrical issue

I have solved the problem and before you judge me when I state it was only the 30A fuse, please read what happened. First, I have red LED lights next to each fuse which is supposed to glow red when a fuse blows. There was no lit LED light. Second, I measured 11.74 VDC when the problem was first discovered, and still measured this voltage today before troubleshooting. When I discovered there was nearly a volt difference between battery voltage and problem slide switch voltage, I started tracing the problem from the switch which led me to the fuse. So, the moral of the story is a blown fuse can still allow voltage to pass through and those red LED lights don't always work. Now I can only hope the fuse doesn't blow again and expose another problem to diagnosis, plus, I have no idea why my 15A control panel fuse blew twice. Thanks to those who responded with assistance

mielock wrote:
I need help diagnosing an electrical issue with my one of my slides and a fuse that keeps blowing. It started with my one of my slides not working (in which I became familiar with hand cranking it out for the first time) and at that time I had no blown fuse. I switched wires on the slide operating switch from the inoperable slide to the awning switch and it worked fine, so I assumed a bad switch. After a switch replacement proved not to be the problem, then the 15A fuse that supplies the operation panel starts blowing, and keeps blowing. So, where does this leave me? Slide issue or otherwise?

It sounds like you messed up wiring in the new switch (as others above have hinted)

Hard to know what applies, but I recently had to play with my slide not coming in properly and went through all sorts of things that might help here (or not).

First thing is you can be sure your motor and slide are ok, because it worked when you ran it off that awning switch.

You are now blowing fuses. I blew several (except I have a single big Lippert slide and it has spec for a 30a fuse.) The thing that blows the fuses is when the pos from the battery touches the ground (at the frame from the switch.) so the other thing is the switch has two wires on the slide side that must be joined then go to frame ground. Now the other thing is that the two wires that go to the motor change back and forth between being pos or neg for going in and out! (confused yet--too bad! everyone should have to suffer like I did! :) )

Now without a proper wiring diagram (which I didn't have because Lippert changed their wire colours since our 2003 trailer was built--(thanks a lot Lippert) you can easily get it to run in but not out or out but not in, and also for even more fun, you can get the pos from battery onto one of the two grounds on the slide side and blow the fuse one way or the other. It is hopeless unless you have a proper wiring diagram for the switch you have, whether new or old style switch--see Lippert website.

I also cleaned up the frame ground on mine but that wasn't really the problem, although the new switch does now run the slide in and out no problem. I was worried about paying $550 for a new motor, but it was all just the silly switch. It seems the switches get "tired " after a few years and don't pass enough battery juice along to the motor wires.

I really don't know if any control board exists. That is what I was hoping some others experience would shed light on. I'll try some more detailed troubleshooting tomorrow. I'm hoping that I'll find the 12V source going to the fuse, fuse to control panel (switches), then switch to motor. If this ends up being correct, I guess I have a motor issue. I'm considering "hot wiring" the motor as someone else suggested, but even then, I have to find a way to make it fused so I don't smoke something.

Make and model of slide? It should be marked on mechanism.
Is the slide directly wired off the switch or does it have a control board?

Go back to the original switch and wiring and start all over again.
The 15amp to the control panel sounds different than original.

I'd start backards. Hot wire the motor, and if it has no overload, then work toward the 12v source. If it gets too complicated, and all else fails, I don't hesitate to use process of "bypassinization",.......permanently if I see fit.

Is the blown fuse from short or overload?

Are you sure you wired the new switch correctly? If you are sure it is correct then it could be the new switch is bad.