Community Forums

abinns · 10-14-2016, 01:48 PM

I have a 2008 Newmar Ventana. I need help with my kitchen slide failure. I apologize for the length, but I've been working on this for two days.

What started out to be an intermittent problem is now a constant failure of the kitchen slide to extend when the slide switch is depressed in the OUT position. When the switch is depressed in the IN position, the slide pops like it is trying to continue rolling in, but can't because it is fully in place. I have tried every trouble shooting technique I know and cannot figure out what my problem is.

I took the MH in to have something else fixed and asked the service center to take a look at the slide, because sometime it wouldn't work. Sure enough, it failed while they had it so they used my spare controller (learned the hard way to always have a spare) and said it was fixed. When I got it home, I tried the slide and it would not work (extend). I switched the controller back to my original and it wouldn't work either.

In trying to isolate the problem to a bad controller, I connected the bedroom slide to the failed controller and the bedroom would extend, but would not retract. Reconnected the bedroom to its original controller and it worked just fine. So now it appears that I have 2 bad controllers, my original kitchen slide controller and my spare. So I connected the kitchen slide to the bedroom controller which works fine for the bedroom slide. The kitchen slide would not extend using the bedroom slide controller.

So now I'm thinking that I've got a problem with the wiring going to the kitchen slide. I disconnected the wiring plug from the controller and tested the voltage going into the controller. It measured 12.6 v, same as showing on my battery gauge inside the MH. The coach is connected to shore power, so the battery voltage is constant. I then tested the motor output terminals on the controller and got a reading of 0 when the switch was depressed to OUT, and a reading of 12.6 when the switch was depressed to IN.

Just to be sure I don't have a problem with the motor, I ran jumpers from the input controller wires directly to the motors and the slide would extend and when I reversed the power and ground, it would retract. So no problem there.

Since the problem seemed to be no voltage when the OUT switch was depressed, I thought I should check the switch itself to see if it could be the problem. I connected the opposite slide switch to the kitchen slide wires, The kitchen slide would not extend, but tried to retract. I connected the kitchen slide wires to the opposite slide switch and it would not extend, but tried to retract. So the inside switch doesn't appear to be the problem.

So this leaves me with the supposition that my problem is two faulty controllers. However, if that is true, why didn't the kitchen slide work when I connected it to the bedroom slide, which was known to be good.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

"007" · 10-14-2016, 02:19 PM

Welcome to the forum and irv2.
Your kitchen slide is chain driven the chain is broken or its slipped off the engaged gear it tracks on. Here is a link found in QT's 1 & 2 with all the slide information.
Page 28 may have the information you need.
All the links below in my signature have info for your Newmar.
Let us know how you are making out.

abinns · 10-14-2016, 03:04 PM

I've been all through those links and found nothing to help me. This slide is cog driven, not chain driven. And it works fine when I bypass the controller with jumpers and go straight from battery to slide motor. Works great then.
Thanks for the suggestion. I have gone through 4 slide controllers and each one fails sooner or later. There has got to be something else wrong.

lass · 10-14-2016, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abinns

I've been all through those links and found nothing to help me. This slide is cog driven, not chain driven. And it works fine when I bypass the controller with jumpers and go straight from battery to slide motor. Works great then.
Thanks for the suggestion. I have gone through 4 slide controllers and each one fails sooner or later. There has got to be something else wrong.

I had similar problems in the past and the best advise that I received is to run a dedicated ground from the inverter directly to the controller. Haven't had a problem since.

Good luck.

imgoin4it · 10-14-2016, 04:39 PM

I had intermittent problems with both rear slides for a number of yesrs. Dealer techs never solved it and twice guys at the factory could not solve. Sometimes they could not repeat the failure or they would do something and it would work again. Problem fixed ? NOT. Finally one time I was getting ready to leave on a trip from my house. Back two slides were extended and neather would not come in. A mobile tech came to the house, Checked everything that had been checked before except for the actual switches on the bed room wall. He said they were faulty, replaced them both and have not had another problem in 3 years.He charged me $5 per switch and CW had same for about $3. Check out or just replace the switches and see.

abinns · 10-14-2016, 05:11 PM

Thank you for those suggestions. Will check ground and switch again tomorrow. Will also be checking the MPX wire that comes from switch. Will let you know.

azSkier · 10-14-2016, 05:16 PM

Ron
I have spent the summer making my slides work reliably. I have learn a lot.
I have some advice in this thread that should be helpful.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/anot...on-306886.html

1. 12.6v is not enough power to reliably move the big slides. Turn on a bunch of lights and then measure the voltage. There are a lot of small voltage drops in the wiring.

2. Before bringing out the slide, you should evaluate the reveal. Only bring the slide out if you have good reveal. Search my recent posts for info about reveal.

3. I don't know the specifics about your controller, but they should have status lights. Let us know the status of those lights when the slideout is not working.

4. The pop noise is not good. It seems like the noise occurs when the slide is nearly in. That could be slide fiberglass edge hitting the body and snapping into place. That's a bad reveal.

5. Imho, the controllers are fine.

DAJO · 10-14-2016, 05:36 PM

I thought checking the reveal was only on the full wall slides. Didn't think there was any full wall slides back in 2006-07-08.

My 08 does not have any chains as have none of my Newmars 99, 05, 08. When did they start using chains to drive the slides? Is that also full wall slide thing?

azSkier · 10-14-2016, 06:03 PM

I have four slides... none are full wall. The reveal is proving to be critical when moving slides.

I missed any mention of chains.

"007" · 10-14-2016, 07:56 PM

OK with added info have you checked wiring at 12v fuse panel for tight connections both the battery and ground leads.
What do you have for locks 12 volt or manual?
They had problems with push button not returning to center found in this slide spec, page 5.
There are many controllers and they may not be the same for different slides.

DAJO · 10-15-2016, 06:37 AM

I missed any mention of chains.[/QUOTE]

Post #2

Jim_L · 10-15-2016, 07:53 AM

abinns-I had EXACTLY the same issue with my former coach, an 08 KSDP. I kept purchasing controllers from Newmar until I insisted that they either send them to me free or tell me how to fix it. At that time, they finally put me in touch with a technician who instructed me to run a ground wire from the slide motor to the switch. I complained and groaned about that kind of chore but did as they instructed and it worked. What you are experiencing is what I was and that is the controllers were being damaged due to that ground wire issue. I think you have confirmed that the controllers are damaged by switching to other slides and they still don't work.

You have one reply that suggested running a ground wire from the inverter to the motor which worked for him/her. I'm really not sure if that would work but I sure would try that since getting a new wire up to the switch is very difficult and a lot of work. I suspect the risk is damaging another controller since there doesn't appear to be another way to verifying.

Good luck and let us know if you get it corrected.
Jim

"007" · 10-15-2016, 08:03 AM

Looking back at that post and the spec I am incorrect about a chain driven drive to move platform slide.
The last two diagrams in that spec shows the slide drive mechanism, my eyesite not to good, the motor looks to be in middle with shaft both to right and left with the torque nuts on shaft and other guides on shaft.
All that said the OP can move his slide by applying 12v to motor leads so the slide mechanics is working fine.
His problem is the lost of power to controller and he says he now has two controllers that do not work, not being there I have no idea what may be on the power leads to cause the fault now of two controllers. I would still check wiring and wires feeding the slide system.
Has not said what lock system he has but 12v locks will effect the controller because when slide is out they are exposed to the weather and rain which enter the lock causing contact corrosion and not allowing slide to move.
In the QT's link there are threads on 12v locks and what people found to fix them and there is a new seal for them to prevent rain from entering the control.

abinns · 10-15-2016, 02:06 PM

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have been successful in doing one thing today and that is destroying another controller. I took the one from the driver's side slide (working fine) and tried it on the kitchen slide (like the others, didn't work on the OUT position) Put it back on the driver's side and now IT won't work on the OUT position. (I did this to the bedroom slide yesterday and it didn't affect it) So now I have 3 controllers that don't work (one new one, one almost new and one not so new) . Tried the ground wire to inverter and it didn't work... A new heavy duty ground wire was already installed from switch to controller. Since the IN position works and the OUT doesn't, I used a jumper and reversed the motor connections at controller...that made the slide go OUT when the IN switch was pushed. Tells me that the resistor in the controller is blown, but I don't know why. It appears that the controller is not letting voltage get to motor. Nothing makes sense. To answer other questions: We have manual lock arms and no lights on controller (Intellitec 971-100). Batteries are at 13.6. I am waiting on another controller to be delivered Monday. But I hate to test again...only get one try and another controller is gone. I'm taking it to an RV shop next week.