wont lift- need help troubleshooting

Rick, I agree - it does NOT make sense! I would not expect a loose connection or, a faulty ground wire to allow the top to lift partway and then stop. The highest current load (requirement) is when the motor starts turning, not once it's already in motion. I still think the solenoid was opening for some reason (and that COULD have been the CB, which would break current to the yellow wire). By moving the red cable to the other side of the solenoid, I'm sure you bypassed the solenoid, the CB, and the lift switch circuitry and fed full battery current directly to the motor.

Anyway, though, it's good you got it working for now and you've learned a bit about electrical troubleshooting, as well as an emergency way to get the top up in the future if needed. I was very happy to learn this as well, so we BOTH benefited!

- Jack

So, in terms of the yellow wire going back to the switch, where does the negative wire off the switch go to? I’m assuming there is one.

Rick, the yellow wire is the positive feed FROM the switch to the solenoid. There is no negative wire at the switch. The current passes from the yellow wire into the windings of the solenoid, creating an electromagnetic field, and from there, would pass out through the ground at the solenoid, which is probably shared with the big grounding cable to the motor that goes back to the battery.

I don't know this for sure, but I really suspect the ground out of the solenoid is through its frame, to the frame of the motor and then to the cable. This kind of "sharing" of the grounds for circuits is very common.

- Jack

ok. So how is current getting to the switch in the first place? If the yellow wire is current FROM the switch, something has to be feeding the switch, right? The red cable of the batterey goes to the connection on the solenoid, and there is wire from that to the little breakers in the battery box. I notice there are wires running from the breakers to other wires and which must go to the cabin to run lights etc. So, one of those wires runs back to the switch(es) I presume?

Rick

Yup, current is getting TO the switch through the Master Switch, which gets its supply from the 2nd 30A CB in the battery compartment. That, in turn, gets is supply through a jumper wire from the 1st CB which gets its supply from the battery.

- Jack

garyk52 said:

1 motor is good
2 ground for motor is good
3 bypassed solenoid motor ran
4 make sure solenoid is grounded
5 take a jumper wire from heavy red wire on motor to small terminal (yellow wire) if motor runs solenoid is good, motor doesn't run bad solenoid. (try tapping solenoid with hammer)
6 if motor ran you have a switch or wiring problem going to solenoid.

Click to expand...

This guy’s been around!!! Excellent package it and stick it in your pocket

Epilogue: it was the yellow wire.
It was
One of the first things I checked and the connection was bad so I replaced it. But still it wasn’t lifting and, thus, the two pages of trial and error already listed. When I finally replaced the ground cable I checked the connection again and noticed some play in my crimping job. But, trailer lifted. So.......still, I went out next morning with the intent to redo it just because. In doing so, I wiggled it around and was able to get the trailer NOT to lift again. Then wiggled it again and it lifted. So......fixed it good this time. Still, I don’t regret all I went through and I again thank Gary and Jack for the help especially Jacks patience.

Wow. Rick

Wow indeed, RIck! The loose connection in the yellow wire caused the solenoid to stop receiving the energizing current it needed to keep the contacts closed. It's odd, since the top went up partway, before that yellow circuit opened, but I know this is possible, if unlikely. Good on you for getting things fixed! Nice bit of troubleshooting with wiggling the wire!

- Jack

update

today,6-18-21. last couple days had similar incident. this time i was loading batteries from winter . top was up from conneting auxillary battrry . loaded first battery and then second. started to raise up a bit more and the saame thing happened. so i checked and the same wire had pulled lose when i put in second battery and it pulled on the wire as it was going in. so, i re-crimped on a new connector and ----it wasnt working. I started playing with wire again figuring my crimping was faulty. aaaand simply touching the wire to the teerminal made it lift- even though the inside switch was not in the lift position. Scared the hellout ofme! anyway ll get back to it later today. little slow these days as Im still getting over a stroke i had last september. sort of surprised there was current flowing with the switch in the neutral position.

rick

Rick, I wonder if you bypassed the neutral switch somehow? All it does is cut voltage to the solemnized, so if you managed to apply current to the solenoid somehow, directly from the battery, it would activate the lift motor if there was a battery installed. Was the wire you were touching, one that was supposed to be sending current to the Master Switch and then back through a different wire to the solenoid?

- Jack

nope. it was the infamous yellow wire. having to work on this over at stgoreage lot. dont want to lower trailer to move it (natch). so did we decide hat jus gettin a positive wir to the selenoid should lift it ? instead of pumping it up??

I think that's correct, Rick. If you apply power to the solenoid and it closes the switch there, that sends full battery poser directly to the lifting motor. Normally, you close the solenoid switch by applying power through the lifting switch in the trailer doorway and it can only do that if the Master Switch is in the lifting position. But, you could certainly bypass the MS and the lifting switch if you jump the solenoid with a wire directly from the battery.

- Jack

Thanks jack. Another reason I’m glad I carry a portable auxiliary battery