Slide problems (electrical)

Dead or bad battery

Perhaps the new switch was miswired? Are the symptoms the same now as they were before the switch replacement?

Sounds like you have a wire grounding out on the frame. That would explain why it only happens when you put power to it.

It may be that one side of your reverse polarity contactor that reverses the motor direction is going bad since it works OK when you manually reverse the polarity.

Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. I tried a different battery, but it didn’t help. I have traced out the wires under the camper and the only issue I found was a loose ground that I have now tightened but it still didn’t help. I haven’t tried tracing the wires in the walls, behind cabinets, and under the floor yet because I was hoping to avoid that until I tried everything else. My knowledge of electrical things is very limited, so could you describe what you mean about the polarity contact going bad? Is there an easy way for me to check that?

Thanks,
Darryl

About all I can think of are the following.

Dimming lights would suggest either a bad connection somewhere or motor drawing more current when retracting. But you say it retracts okay when the switch pos. & neg. wires are flipped around?

I would remove the switch and use some pieces of stripped wire to bypass it. Switch the polarity and verify it will extend and retract okay. If yes, the only thing it can be is the switch or possibly a connector at the switch. Check to see if the crimp connections are done properly. But a bad crimp wouldn't cause more current to be drawn.

I don't think a slide motor would draw more current in one direction than the other. If it did when retracting, that could possibly indicate a bad connection which could be anywhere in the positive or negative circuit. If happened to have a DC ammeter, you could test the draw in each direction. Could the drive gear on the motor be binding and need adjustment?

Use a voltmeter and measure the voltage after the switch in either direction, before and after turning the switch on. Does anything running on 12 volts have a voltage dip? Try measuring the voltage at the panel and see if it is stable.

A converter also has a ground wire running from it to a lug on the frame on the exterior side of an I-beam. Is that the one you checked? There is also a grounded negative bus (12 volts) near a converter. Check that for loose connections. As a matter of course, check tightness of all connections at the fuses for each 12 volt circuit.

Have you checked the battery ground in the A-frame? How about the connections at the mini-circuit breaker there?

Otherwise, dunno. Not that it should matter, but how old is the TT?

if you post a picture of the switch especially the back connections, or at least post the switch model number, it might help get to the bottom of the issue.

Are there two buttons? How many wires are there?

Without seeing a wiring diagram it is nearly impossible to begin to offer worth-your- time troubleshooting advice. I can offer a lot of shots in the dark Chase your tail advice. Best I can offer is start by passing sections of wire to isolate the issue. But when your done doing that and still not solved the problem, you've just spent 10 hours to accomplish zilch and still need someone to look at the wiring diagram and troubleshoot the issue.

Bypass both the positive and negative wires from the in side of the switch and see if that does anything if it helps just make the wires permanent and remove the old wires if it don't help then I would say you have a problem with the switch or the motor. Just make sure the wiring is right.

Hi,
Thanks for all the advice. We sort of found it. We ran a wire from the switch straight to the motor and it worked as it should. We split the actual wire about halfway and narrowed it down to the section from where it enters the ceiling to where it comes down beside the fridge. We pulled and pushed the wire trying to get slack and later realized this had apparently moved the wire from where it was touching metal (even though we didn’t see the actual spot). When we tried again, it worked as it should. Unfortunately, without pulling out the fridge or going into the actual ceiling, we didn’t truly solve the problem because it can later wiggle back to the same spot. However, I’m not ready to go into the ceiling or pull out the fridge at this point—especially not knowing which I need to do. The TT is about 4 years old so I’m surprised this happened (I shouldn’t be with other problems I’ve had with other trailers). At least i hope it works as it should for my vacation that is in a week.
Thanks again for the help!
Darryl