Forum Discussion

Hoffmac's avatar
Hoffmac
Explorer
May 05, 2017

Slide out will not work.

I recently bought a 2004 cougar bumper pull. I had to replace the slide out floor due to it being rotten. Once I completed the construction I put the slide back in with no problems. During the construction I unhooked all the power sources. I unhooked the 30 amp cord to relocate it. I then hooked up everything back the way it was
After moving the RV to a different place I pushed the button for the slide out to go out and nothing happened at all. I hooked the battery up directly to the slide out motor and it went out then but it would not go back in. I have already done these things to it
1. Check the fuses and replaced a blown one
2. Regrounded it
3. I checked for anything blocking it and checked the seam.

This is my first RV and I have limited knowledge. I want to fix it myself due to finances.

I have not hooked the 30 amp back up to a power source yet. I am using a battery to run the slide out.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    May 05, 2017
    You'll need to know if the battery is charged, the condition of the slide motor, and the power schematic of the wiring, including the switch. If power is present at the slide motor and at the correct poles, the slide should move. If not, the slide is impeded/blocked or the motor is bad. You should eliminate any possible failures one at a time.
    Have you tried to manually assist the slide back in while powering the motor?
  • 1995brave's avatar
    1995brave
    Nomad
    May 05, 2017
    Does the in/out switch go to a controller box? If it does, are there limit switches connected to it? Limit switches are designed to keep the slide out from going in or out too far. You may have wired up the switches backwards.
    To test, manually push your slide in part way and then see if the switch will allow you to move the slide in or out.
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    May 05, 2017
    It is possible your battery does not have enough "umph" to move the slides. (Low charger or could be going bad). Nothing wrong with plugging into shore power. Try it, see what happens.
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    May 05, 2017
    DutchmenSport wrote:
    It is possible your battery does not have enough "umph" to move the slides. (Low charger or could be going bad). Nothing wrong with plugging into shore power. Try it, see what happens.

    I agree. Also if your battery is in poor condition I might well cause the slide not to respond even if plugged into shore power.

    This thread is quite timely. I actually replaced my battery yesterday because it would not charge beyond 12.4 volts which is usually the cut-off point for a deep cycle battery. Under 12.4 volts, any serious load might pull the drain under 12 volts making it difficult for devices to work properly. In some instances the converter cannot supply sufficient power when plugged into 110v.
  • bobndot's avatar
    bobndot
    Explorer II
    May 05, 2017
    hoffmac wrote:
    I hooked the battery up directly to the slide out motor and it went out then but it would not go back in.


    Makes sense to me that the battery is weak if it went out ok then didn't have enough juice to come back in. You need to have a fully charged battery ...12.6 v .
  • Hoffmac's avatar
    Hoffmac
    Explorer
    May 05, 2017
    The battery is the same one that is in my car. I just use jumper cables when I need to move it in and out and it has worked perfectly fine
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    May 05, 2017
    I'm sure you checked the positive connections for the motor to make sure you're getting good contact.

    My slideouts have a circuit breaker located near the controllers as well as a fuse on the fuse block. The breakers are the mini type with a micro reset button. The breaker is black about 1 1/2" long

    Also the breaker on my converter will trip and keep the slideout from working.
  • handye9's avatar
    handye9
    Explorer II
    May 05, 2017
    Hoffmac wrote:
    I have already done these things to it
    1. Check the fuses and replaced a blown one
    2. Regrounded it
    3. I checked for anything blocking it and checked the seam.

    This is my first RV and I have limited knowledge. I want to fix it myself due to finances.

    I have not hooked the 30 amp back up to a power source yet. I am using a battery to run the slide out.


    You mention there being a bad fuse, there could also be a tripped or bad "short stop" breaker. They look like this link. Normally located under the trailer, near a junction box where the positive battery lead goes into the trailer. Some of them have a reset button, some are auto reset (when battery is disconnected and re-connected), and some (like a fuse) do not reset at all. They are available (in varying amperage's) at most auto part stores.

    The bear responded while I was typing. I think we are talking about the same breaker.
  • bobndot's avatar
    bobndot
    Explorer II
    May 05, 2017
    Hoffmac wrote:
    The battery is the same one that is in my car. I just use jumper cables when I need to move it in and out and it has worked perfectly fine


    ok, good , we can eliminate that , the car is running and giving the battery full power.

    If the slide went out and then not back in, then what happened ?
    I agree to check the breaker as mentioned .

    Once it went dead, did it stay dead or is this an intermittent problem ?
    If it's the latter, then i would look at all grounds, motor and switch.


    The motors can overheat from the extra drag of the slide if its not adjusted 100% correctly.
  • Hoffmac's avatar
    Hoffmac
    Explorer
    May 06, 2017
    The slide out only went out a little when the battery was hooked directly to the motor. The slide out button has not worked at all since being slide back in after being fixed

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