Stumped and Confused

[Pinn]

I've got myself a headscratcher here. I had to raise the UFO to put some stuff in it and hopefully get to the Keurig, recall on that. I got the main body raised up but can't get the tip out couch to move. I got no motor sounds either way I've tried it..

Am I going to have to get another battery?

BTW, It was in the 30's yesterday if that makes any difference

 

[Wrascal]

I didn't have a tip out so I'm not familiar with that but I think if your battery had enough "juice" to power the top up then it should have enough left to at least sound the tip outs motor. I would suspect something else.

Fortunately for test purposes, you can charge the battery or jump it off with another before just replacing it. Did you get the coffee maker?

 

[Luckydog671]

Interesting, haven't had this problem before on mine. Could it be a blown fuse?

 

[Pinn]

I'm not sure that because I have the solar panel covered if that will make a difference in keeping the battery charged or not. I do have it plugged into shore power.

Can't get to the Keurig or the fuse panel.. the tip out is blocking both of the access panel and the cabinet. Unless I can muscle it up

 

[Garry-HILO]

I'm not sure that because I have the solar panel covered if that will make a difference in keeping the battery charged or not. I do have it plugged into shore power.

Can't get to the Keurig or the fuse panel.. the tip out is blocking both of the access panel and the cabinet. Unless I can muscle it up

Please keep us posted on your findings as there are several of us who have the tip out. I'm terrible with electrical, but I think I would start with the switch and make sure you have power there and the switch is not bad. I don't recall seeing a dedicated fuse for the tip out (could be wrong). Just looked at my 2005 manual and it does not reflect a fuse for the tip out. Fuses listed are:monitor, radio, interior lights, (2) interior lights/hood, furnace, water pump, LP gas detector and automatic water heater. All fuses are 15 amp except the monitor, which is 5 amp.

 

[Pinn]

Mystery solved. I found that after it warmed up a bit here the motor for the tip out does work.. It doesn't like the cold. Can't complain too much I don't like the cold either.

DH didn't want me to try to muscle the tip out up.

Now to go to the Keurig site and see which one of their single serve makers got recalled.

 

[DeLana]

Pinn, cold weather is not the cause of that problem!! You just lucked out when you tried to up the tip out later. What I think you have is an intermittent wiring problem. Don't take that tip out down until you find where it is. We had a similar problem on our 2009 25-foot Classic. Both the upper half of the camper and the tip out would not operate at an overnighter on the way to Florida. We knew it was not the battery because we had just replaced the battery with a new one. Therefore, DH operated the manual override to get the upper half to raise. If you don't hear any "juice" getting to the motor in the tip out at all, it is probably a switch or wiring malfunction on its way to going bad. Since we purchased our camper new from the factory, it was unexpected to find a wiring problem (bad and cheap spades used in the wiring of the switches) so soon and with little age on the camper. DH, who is an expert in electrical, found the problem right away and fixed it. Have someone look at the wiring to the switch and the wiring to the motor behind the panel. Your camper is too new for the motor to be going bad.

Dee
Hi-Lo 2509 Classic

 

[DeLana]

P.S. Pinn, thanks for the heads up on the Keurig; we will have to check for a recall on ours too. We DO LOVE our Keurig!

Dee

 

[allenr]

tip out

I can't speak about tip out motors because our 03 classic has a manual tip out. However, if the roof is not lifted high enough you will not be able to lift the tip out to the "set up" position.

I would guess even an electric motor would not move the tip out if that were the case.

Also, out of adjustment cables may not lift the roof high enough.

allenr
03 29ft. classic

 

[Pinn]

How did I 'know" it was too good to be true that it would be a simple fix??

We have a planned trip coming up in 3 weeks ~ and I don't want to get down there and find out that we can't get the tip out open.. DH wants to wait on the repair. I kinda have the feeling that it won't wait.

Gonna call/email my repair guy and see when he can fit us into his schedule.

 

[DeLana]

Pinn, well, it is a simple fix for those who have basic knowledge of electrical technology. Make sure your repair guy has that basic knowledge. The most I know about electrical is "flashlight." I'm thankful for my DH's electrical knowledge. We have others on this forum who I have met personally and who have a great deal of knowledge in this area, Papa and JimL. They are great trouble shooters (and creative) regarding these campers and their "hidden" malfunctions.

Dee

 

[C317414]

I've got myself a headscratcher here. I had to raise the UFO to put some stuff in it and hopefully get to the Keurig, recall on that. I got the main body raised up but can't get the tip out couch to move. I got no motor sounds either way I've tried it..

Am I going to have to get another battery?

BTW, It was in the 30's yesterday if that makes any difference

Pinn,

The tip-out motor has a dedicated, double circuit breaker (50 Amps total) in the battery compartment. My guess is that one of these breakers tripped when you tried to use the tip-out and the temperature was too low. The type of breaker used resets automatically. This may be why it worked OK later.

If you look at this thread, close to the bottom of the page, you will see a photo that I took of the breakers: http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f28/thermal-circuit-breakers-question-2408t-2882/index2.html. They are the two connected by a copper bar directly to the positive terminal of the battery, with the red wire coming from them. These breakers are not that expensive, you may want to replace them. If so, I recommend a single 50 Amp breaker, rather than the current setup of two 25 Amp breakers in parallel.

Incidentally, the cold may be affecting the breakers or the winch itself. The grease on the winch may have become solid with the cold. This may have put too much resistance on the motor and caused a breaker to trip. There's a way to see if the breakers are the cause. Try to raise the tip-out in very cold weather and see if it works. If it doesn't work, let the trailer sit for a while. Then, use a hair drier to warm up the circuit breakers thoroughly. If it works, it may be that one or both of the breakers are bad.

Good luck!

 

[Pinn]

Oh my....a few things to check

 

[DeLana]

Raul, how cold does it have to be to affect the breakers and the winch? It looks like she lives in eastern North Carolina and I live in eastern South Carolina, both at low altitude and below the Mason-Dixson line. We've had a low recently of 20 degrees F. at 2 or 3 in the morning for a very short period of time, and such an event is unusual.

Dee

 

[JIM L-HILO]

Raul is on the right track for a place to start. Loose wires, corroded conections and bad grounds caused by the above are common problems. Also there is the switch to lift the tipout in and out. There is one or two limit switches up at the motor winch to stop the motor at the mid point that is operated by a cam. If it is not the circuit breakers I would start at the motor to check for power when you press the lift switch. The motor has a ground wire, a wire for clockwise rotation and one for counter clockwise rotation. Check the ground wire for a good ground and then press the lift switch to lift and see if you have 12V on one of the hot wires at the motor. If you have the voltage at the motor then most likely a bad motor if the ground is good. These motors do not usually go bad on this new of a trailer. If no voltage then go back to the lift switch and check for 12V going into the switch and out on the lift and lower side of the switch. If you have the voltage into and out of the switch then its in a connection between the switch and motor. The limit switch operated by the cam, if bad can stop any voltage getting to the motor. I am on a trip so no drawings on the trailer electrical to look at. Hope this helps. If you need more help let me know and will do so on the phone.

 

[Pinn]

Sounds like my repair guy is going to be earning his money checking the possible causes and fixing whatever is wrong.

 

[cware48420]

Tip Out?

What is that? A slide out?-Thanks-J

 

[Garry-HILO]

What is that? A slide out?-Thanks-J

It is like a slide out, but does not slide, instead tips out. The tip out is a sofa which can be made into a bed. The tip out does not have the same head room as a slide out, but has plenty of head room for a sofa.

 

[C317414]

What is that? A slide out?-Thanks-J

The tip out pivots at the bottom. When it is retracted the front of the couch is horizontal and almost laying on the floor of the trailer. The tip out has a strap attached to its top that is connected to an electric winch in an overhead cabinet. To extend it one actuates a switch. The winch pivots the tip out until it almost is balanced on center. Then the tip-out has to be manually lifted/pushed a bit until it goes over-center. After this, the winch is used again to slowly pivot it into position.

Here are some photos.

 

[C317414]

Raul, how cold does it have to be to affect the breakers and the winch? It looks like she lives in eastern North Carolina and I live in eastern South Carolina, both at low altitude and below the Mason-Dixson line. We've had a low recently of 20 degrees F. at 2 or 3 in the morning for a very short period of time, and such an event is unusual.

Dee

Dee,

That's hard to tell. Often electrical and mechanical equipment adversely affected by cold are slightly out of spec, or all the way at one end of the design tolerances to begin with. The cold simply pushes them over the edge.

Mechanical devices often use grease or oils that may thicken or harden with the cold and this could also cause a failure. In this case one can often substitute the lubricant for one with a slightly lower viscosity or a synthetic one. Synthetic lubricants tend to be less affected by temperature changes.

Also, keep in mind that cold batteries will have less capacity than warmer ones. This, combined with a motor that has thickened grease may result in a tripped circuit breaker. https://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com/aboutbatts/Deep Cycle Battery FAQ/dcfaq4.html

In this specific case it could be a number of things and they may not be temperature related.