Very Odd Electrical Problem

[Species8472]

Looking for ideas with troubleshooting a weird electrical problem...

The fuse for the light above the dinette slideout would blow when I retract the slideout. And new fuse will keep blowing. Checked with a meter and there is a short to ground.

However, when I extend the slideout, the short will disappear. Retract slideout and it would short and fuse would blow; extend slideout (all the way) and no short.

Opened the access port under slideout to check and took a video of the "guts" as the slideout was going in/out. There is only one pair of wires moving, and there is no snagging or pinching. The wires are protected by wire loom as it goes from underneath dinette to behind drawer to entering the outside wall on slidout. Peeled back the wire loom and the wires are good.

So I am a little bit stumped here look for ideas!?!?

[egwilly]

You have a hot wire touching ground somewhere in that circuit. Back tracing is the only way to find it with a multimeter.

Not sure about it during in and out though. Has to be a bare wire or connection.

[Species8472]

For sure there is a short to ground. Traced the hot wire from the fuse box all the way to where it enters the wall. All good. No easy way to get inside the wall. Weird thing is the short goes away when the slide is fully out!?!?

Originally Posted by egwilly

You have a hot wire touching ground somewhere in that circuit. Back tracing is the only way to find it with a multimeter.

Not sure about it during in and out though. Has to be a bare wire or connection.

[pdxgwj]

Had the same problem,I found a junction box under the slide. When I opened it up I got a face full of water. Both wires were wire nutted only and had been laying in the water. I redid and taped them made sure they were at the top of the box. That was a year ago still working good.

[egwilly]

Originally Posted by pdxgwj

Had the same problem,I found a junction box under the slide. When I opened it up I got a face full of water. Both wires were wire nutted only and had been laying in the water. I redid and taped them made sure they were at the top of the box. That was a year ago still working good.

That is a good short to ground example

[Species8472]

Unfortunately no junction box under slide. This is 2017 model with Schwintek dinette slide on raised platform. All the wires are in platform under slide.

I have isolated the short to the section of wire in the wall but this is where it gets difficult. I am going to remove the light fixture and put an inspection camera in and see what I can find.

Still very strange as it should not be related to if the slide is in or out. More to follow...

Originally Posted by pdxgwj

Had the same problem,I found a junction box under the slide. When I opened it up I got a face full of water. Both wires were wire nutted only and had been laying in the water. I redid and taped them made sure they were at the top of the box. That was a year ago still working good.

[pdxgwj]

The jct box on mine is hiding on the far right side looking at the slide under it. 2018 250RDS.

[Species8472]

Urgh, found the problem!!!

As we all know, the walls and ceiling, including the slideout, are like 1/8" thin wood boards with block foam behind. So to add strength when attaching fixtures, ORV glued a piece of metal backing at the fixture locations. Well, the wires for the light over the dinette were sandwiched between the foam and the slideout roof, and the metal backing happens to have a raised ridge on the edge and wore through the insulations of the wire and caused a short.

Why no short when the slideout is all the way out? The top of the slideout push up against the wall when it's all the way out, and the pressure opens the gap between the slideout roof panel and the block foam enough for the wires to move up and away from the metal backing -- no more short.

Inspection camera saved the day. Since I can't replace the wire, the solution is to slide 1/8" wire loom over each wire to protect it.

ORV, if you are reading this, please put wire looms for wires that go over these metal backings.

[litzdog911]

Great troubleshooting! Thanks for the update.

[pdxgwj]

Glad you found it. Thanks for the update.

[keymastr]

Thanks for posting the answer, and yes, they do watch this forum and have incorporated many of the upgrades and fixes as standard.

[brulaz]

Similar to my slide's electrical problem. The coiled wire underneath was rubbing against the metal frame. And wire loom fixed that as well.
Congrats!

[Robin25113]

X2
Mine was fixed by the dealer in 2014. I added the wire loom myself and zip tied the coiled wire to stay in place. No problems since.