Lack of Power to slide

[star6443]

We were camping without power this weekend, so our camper battery was nearly dead. When pulling in the slide it came in slowly and stopped without the normal grinding noise that says it is DONE! So I double checked to make sure it was in and it was. When arriving home and plugging in to electric, there is still no sign of power to the slide and it will not extend. There are no visible fuse issues, the automatic awning switch above the slide is working.

Any hints or suggestions would be appreciated. Really didn't think I had time for a hour trip to the dealer this week. As we are heading out again on Friday. Thanks in advance.

[RedRocket204]

Tequila wrote:
lots of different slides out there, you have to determine what you have before guessing.

Yes and what the actual problem logically could be!

I had an intermittent slide issue that finally went to a non-working slide. End result was a poorly connected ground direct from the slide switch. So, even though you can get direct ground from your battery, chances are the ground run is connected to the TT frame with a short run to the slide switch. Certainly something that should be checked.

Ever since I found the slide switch ground location and cleaned, greased and tightened it back up with a lock-nut, my slide has worked flawlessly.

Suggest checking the voltage at slide switch, using a different ground than the switch. That is how I narrowed down my issue.

[Tequila]

lots of diferent slides out there, you have to determine what you have before guessing.

[smiggleburger]

I had the same issue a few years back on my Trail-Lite. It turned out that the crimp was bad on the ring terminal for the 12v cable on the battery. We could see 12v at the motor on the DVM, but apparently the bad crimp wouldn't pass enough current.

[krobbe]

As the battery voltage drops, the current increases on the slide motor or any other device for that matter. There is a good chance the low voltage caused an overload condition and blew a fuse or circuit breaker protecting that circuit. Next time, start the tow vehicle and plug in the towing umbilical to support the TT batteries if the batteries get too low.
Here is a Meter you can plug into a 12v outlet and keep an eye on the batteries.


Letting the battery voltage drop below 12.00Vdc(50% charge state) will shorten the life of the battery.
Here is a 12v battery voltage State of Charge chart:
12.6+ = 100%
12.50 = 90%
12.42 = 80%
12.32 = 70%
12.20 = 60%
12.06 = 50%
11.90 = 40%
11.75 = 30%
11.58 = 20%
11.31 = 10%
10.5 = 0%

[star6443]

Am I correct in thinking that if they were jammed or had something stuck the motor would at least attempt to turn on? We plugged in the camper when we returned home but still get nothing when flipping the switch.

[star6443]

THANKS!

[DutchmenSport]

OP: I think the slide-locks are a feature on motorhomes and not on travel trailers. I think (correct me if I'm wrong), those slide locks have to be locked before the coach will move. (a safety feature to ensure the slides are all "in" before moving). Travel Trailers don't move on their own power, and there's no safety feature if the slides are not retracted completely to prevent the trailer from moving (like locking down the trailer brakes or something). Just an FYI.

[star6443]

We got this camper with the slide in July and this is our 3 trip. When we picked it up there was no mention of the slide locks in the run through. Do they all have them? IT is a 2012 Springdale.

Thanks.

[neilnbe]

You didn't mention much about the slide locks. On ours if for some reason the locks don't fully extend or retract we get “nothing“ when we hit the switch. If we tap on the locks then it works again. I've pulled them apart to look at them and there was a microswitch inside. If for some reason the locks didn't opertate completely the microswitch wouldn't make contact and let the slide know it's all the way in. Tapping on the locks is just enough to make the switch “click“ and everything worked again. We have electric locks so I'm not sure if this applies. But I also agree with the battery needing to be charged and in place for it to operate correctly.

[star6443]

Thanks so much, I was hoping that was what you would say. Off to hook up a battery charger or possibly buy a new one. Thank GOD it came in.

[robsouth]

Generally speaking, a well charged battery is essential for proper slide operation regardless of whether or not you are plugged into a power pedestal. You probably need a new, fully charged battery.

[DutchmenSport]

More than likely, your battery will need to charge up first. Mine specifically has a label by the switch that says a battery must be connected for the slides to work. Your on-board power converter/charger does not have enough "umph" by itself to move the slides. You'll need to wait till it's charged up.

[Old-Biscuit]

Slide out is wired directly from battery.......battery does not have enough charge after you ran it way down.

Awning works off DC being supplied thru dist panel (converter when in shore power)

Charge battery and trace wiring back from slide to battery (or from battery to slide motor) and find in-line fuse (or small box with 2 studs....circuit breaker)
FUse could be blown (or CB tripped...small reset button)