All 4 slides inop

[remoandiris]

Just returned from a 12 day trip.  Spent time at 2 parks.  Had 50 amp service at both parks.  No issues with the coach before we left or while we were at the parks. 

Arrived home today after driving about 6 hrs.  Disconnected from the truck. leveled the coach with the Lippert 6-point Level Up, and plugged into 20 amp house power via an extension cord and 2 dog bones (15/30 to 30/50) to the 50 amp cable.  This is the same setup I have used for years.

My first indication there was a problem was the factory inverter read only 12.8 volts.   Normally when it is plug into the house (or anywhere else) it is between 13.1 and 13.6.  My next indication of a problem was when I mashed the "Out" button for the bedroom slide there was nothing.  No Schwintek whine, no click, no nothing.  Same thing happened with the fridge slide (also Schwintek) as well as the entertainment center slide and the large living room slide.  The latter 2 slides are thru the frame slides.     

The Lippert owners manual says bad ground.  Possible, but I doubt it.  I think it is more likely a battery issue.  My coach has 2 maintenance free batters that are between 3 and 4 years old.  The 12 volt lights work fine.  I pulled all 12 volts fuses and none were blown.  I did NOT find a fuse for the slides.  IIRC, the slide controller, at least for the Schwinteks, is in the basement behind a wall, adjacent to the water heater.  It is a minor PITA to get to.

I unplugged from the house power and all 110v items stopped working.  Plugged back in and they all came back on with the inverter voltage once again reading the same 12.8 volts.  Before I closed the door and locked the coach this evening, it was up to 13.0 volts.

I will leave the coach plugged in overnight and see what the voltage shows tomorrow, and then hit the buttons again.  If no joy, I'll empty the front compartment and check voltage at the batteries. 

Anyone have an alternative idea what the problem might be?  I guess it could be an inverter issue, but I would expect that to show no voltage if it was broken.

It is a 2016 Lifestyle Alfa Gold 3905SHMC.  The company is out of business, so no help there, but it is all Lippert components.

[Rhyph]

Hmm, you don't mention what year, make and model 5th wheel you have.  For us Heartland owners, we have a series of resettable 12v high amperage breakers that sometimes need resetting.   It sounds like you might have something going on between the converter/charger and possibly your slide controls.  Albeit I've never had the issue, I've seen others that have, and in the really rare case two of the 12v resettable breakers had disconnected.  Upon reset all works again.

[remoandiris]

Thanks.  I didn't see anything like a resettable 12v breaker.  The 110 is all breakers.  12v appears to be all fuses.

It is a 2016 Lifestyle Alfa Gold 3905SHMC.  The company is out of business, so no help there, but it is all Lippert components.

Identification on the fuse panel leaves a lot to be desired, but I "think" I found the slide out fuse.  Looked like it was marked "50", but maybe it is actually "SO" for slideouts.  It is a 15 amp fuse, different looking than a regular, thin blade 15 amp fuse.  Blades are the same, but the fuse looks like a little blue rectangular box.  It also rattles when shaken, but the continuity tester reads good.  Going to hit up Advanced Auto to see if they have one on the shelf.

The batteries tested good and the voltage is back up to mid 13 volts.  I guess the low voltage reading yesterday was due to the batteries being drained by the fridge on the 6 hr drive.

I removed the panel hiding the 2 Schwintek control boxes and had my wife mash the slide buttons.  There was no LED error code readout on the boxes.

I hope it turns out to be the fuse, despite the continuity test saying the fuse is good.  If not, I already have a call into a mobile RV repair guy. 

[remoandiris]

The "fuse" is a circuit breaker.  At least that is what similar looking 20 and 30 amp items are labeled as at both Advanced Auto and Auto Zone.  Once the parts guys asked what it is from, and I said an RV, their eyes seemed to glaze over.  I guess they think an RV 12v system is not similar to an auto 12v system.

Guess I'll be waiting until tomorrow when the local RV parts place opens.  In the mean time, I'll clean up the front compartment and the basement, then cut the grass at the 5er's parking spot. 

[Pat & Pete]

Just as a test , you could jump the fuse connections in the panel with a thin wire . 

That would be telling .

[Big Greg]

Check inside the battery box, our RV has two 50a breakers, each about 2" square.  They have a post (flag) that will stick out if one is blown.  Just push it down to reset.  One is for the slides and the other for levelers.  We can't see them easily but can feel them.  You can also use jumper cables from your truck batteries to the RV batteries as a test.  Our batteries need to be replaced every 4 years or we start to have problems with the big amperage items, slides and levelers.       Greg

[remoandiris]

Thanks.  My main breakers are in the fuse panel with the 110 breakers and 12v fuses.  They are not tripped.

I swapped a regular 15a blade fuse for the 15a breaker and the slides still did not work.  This one has me stumped, but my electrical knowledge is limited.  Hopefully the rv repair guy calls me tomorrow and gets to look at it this week.

[whj469]

Batteries in RVs will only last 3 or 4 years. That has been my experience. Good Luck

[billr]

You need to look at the battery location as mentioned. That’s where the resettable 12v CBs are located. They will be the first thing the battery positive out to coach wire goes. Usually silver about 1” to 1.5” square or rectangle like shape. You can meter it to see if it’s reset and voltage gets through   

Its a first to check place for loss of DC power  

They look nothing like a regular CB

$ is on that.  Also verify you didn’t turn off a batt shut off it’s easy on some units. Or if the shut off is corroded. Can happen. Especially if it’s one of the push pull type. 

Give that stuff a try. Hope you find what caused it. 

 

[57becky]

On our Montana, we have only hydraulic slides along with the leveling system, and there are a couple of 12 volt auto reset breakers, one of which supplies the hydraulic pump.  I had to replace the original breaker, as Keystone only installed a 40 amp breaker, but recommended upgrading to an 80 amp breaker.  The photo shows where they are installed on our rig, the larger one is the 80 amp that now feeds the hydraulic pump. 

[remoandiris]

1 hour ago, billr said:

You need to look at the battery location as mentioned. That’s where the resettable 12v CBs are located. They will be the first thing the battery positive out to coach wire goes. Usually silver about 1” to 1.5” square or rectangle like shape. You can meter it to see if it’s reset and voltage gets through   

Its a first to check place for loss of DC power  

They look nothing like a regular CB

$ is on that.  Also verify you didn’t turn off a batt shut off it’s easy on some units. Or if the shut off is corroded. Can happen. Especially if it’s one of the push pull type. 

Give that stuff a try. Hope you find what caused it. 

 

Thanks much.  No the batt shutoff switch.  It is one of the "rotate" type and is on.  I will looks for a CB near the batts.  One of the batts "might" be for only the slides, but I doubt it.  Every other 12v item is working. 

[remoandiris]

3 hours ago, whj469 said:

Batteries in RVs will only last 3 or 4 years. That has been my experience. Good Luck

Yeah, I was thinking that, too.  When on 110 shore power, the batts read 13.6v.  Off shore power they are 12.7.  But if it was the batteries, I would hope the slides would give an indication of moving a smidgen, or at least a little whine from the Schwinteks. before they died.

[Bobi and Dick McKee]

1 hour ago, remoandiris said:

Yeah, I was thinking that, too.  When on 110 shore power, the batts read 13.6v.  Off shore power they are 12.7.  But if it was the batteries, I would hope the slides would give an indication of moving a smidgen, or at least a little whine from the Schwinteks. before they died.

Just a dumb comment, but aren't batteries considered fully charged at 12.6v and float around 13.5 when on a charger?  

[remoandiris]

2 hours ago, Bobi and Dick McKee said:

Just a dumb comment, but aren't batteries considered fully charged at 12.6v and float around 13.5 when on a charger?  

That is what I think, but I am no expert on batteries.

[gdheinrich]

Had a similar problem on my coach.   Checked voltage with no draw12.7v.  Put a draw on them and the voltage instantly dropped to under 7v.    Replaced the batteries, fixed the problem.

[billr]

If you can pull the batts and take them to Autozone or like for load test. Check connections too for corrosion. 

Hows the water levels?

these are all suggestions in case you have not done already. 

sounds more like a possible battery issue. 

[Big Greg]

The two heavy breakers near or in the battery compartment we are mentioning are only for the leveler feet and the slides (one breaker each) as they draw much much more amperage than the other 12v devices.  The other 12v devices are fused by small automotive blade fuses.  If you hear nothing when you activate a slide switch and the batteries are good (shore power and the converter aren't capable of supplying the amperage needed for the leveler feet or slides) this leads me to no 12v power for the slides.  I assume the leveler feet are working OK so the batteries sound OK.  Let us know what you find the problem to be.        Greg

[remoandiris]

8 hours ago, billr said:

If you can pull the batts and take them to Autozone or like for load test. Check connections too for corrosion. 

Hows the water levels?

these are all suggestions in case you have not done already. 

sounds more like a possible battery issue. 

Both batts are sealed AGM, so no water checks.  I should have pulled them yesterday when I had everything out of the front compartment, but the voltages made me think they were fine.  Yeah, I caused myself more work.

[remoandiris]

8 hours ago, Big Greg said:

The two heavy breakers near or in the battery compartment we are mentioning are only for the leveler feet and the slides (one breaker each) as they draw much much more amperage than the other 12v devices.  The other 12v devices are fused by small automotive blade fuses.  If you hear nothing when you activate a slide switch and the batteries are good (shore power and the converter aren't capable of supplying the amperage needed for the leveler feet or slides) this leads me to no 12v power for the slides.  I assume the leveler feet are working OK so the batteries sound OK.  Let us know what you find the problem to be.        Greg

Yes, the 6-pt Level Up works fine both on shore power and solely on battery power. 

I have yet to find the heavier breakers.  In the Cyclone toy hauler I used to have, the heavy breakers were 50amp "bus bar" types in the front compartment.  In this coach, if there are heavy duty breakers, they are not easy to find.  I will look again this a.m.

[remoandiris]

Just got back in from searching for the breakers close to the batteries.  There are none.  This coach does NOT have ANYTHING between the batteries and the inverter.  Just heavy cables connecting the batteries together, then heavy cables running to the inverter.

It might be because this coach does not have generator prep, IDK.  All 12v systems EXCEPT the slides work fine.  The inverter readout shows 12.8 volts this a.m. after sitting without shore power for more than a day. 

I'm off to get a new 15 amp fuse-looking circuit breaker to swap the on in the fuse panel.  But I don't think that is the problem.  Going to call the mobile repair guy again, too.  Yesterday being Sunday, he may not check his messages.

[remoandiris]

When I plug direct into my house with the dog bones, I too get a little spark.  Don't get that with an extension cord, but have had the house breakers trip when the A/C kicks on. 

In this instance, no house breakers have tripped.

Nearest RV dealer did not have the 15 amp bladed circuit breaker, so I will check Amazon. 

RV repair guy will be here tomorrow.  I am debating the usefulness of pulling the batteries and getting them load tested.  I still think if it was a battery issue, I would get a little something from the slides.

[Bobi and Dick McKee]

If you have a multi meter, have some one hold it across one of the batteries and see if they have a significant drop when you hit the slide button..  If they drop far enough I don't think you will hear any thing from the motors.

 

[remoandiris]

3 hours ago, Bobi and Dick McKee said:

If you have a multi meter, have some one hold it across one of the batteries and see if they have a significant drop when you hit the slide button..  If they drop far enough I don't think you will hear any thing from the motors.

Zero drop when the button is mashed,so there appears to be a break between the batteries and the switches.  This is nuts.  The circuit breaker tests good.  Wish I could have found a 15 amp breaker to swap out.  KRAZY!!

[Darryl&Rita]

Slide motors draw well over 15 amps, so let that go. The fuse won't be in the same location as all the other fuses, so let that go. Look at the batteries. Is there any wires beside the inverter and converter wires? There should be at least 2 more, fairly large wires coming off the positive terminal. There may be a single wire, going to a distribution stud, with smaller wires going to the fuses.

Follow them.

[remoandiris]

43 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

 There should be at least 2 more, fairly large wires coming off the positive terminal. There may be a single wire, going to a distribution stud, with smaller wires going to the fuses.

Follow them.

Yes, there are smaller wires coming off the positive terminals.  I'll go back out and track those.  I expected any fuse attached to the battery to be mounted to the wall, as was the case on the Cyclone I had.