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Old 09-20-2021, 06:06 PM   #1
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Front landing gear wiring

2013 Wildcat motor does not operate thru the switch. I had power to the motor, but not turning the gear. I ran jumper wires from the motor direct to the battery. The motor and landing gear operate.

I tried all the wiring on this forum.
Any ideas for a fix. I have both 6 and 4 wire switches.
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Old 09-20-2021, 06:41 PM   #2
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Those switches are known to fail internally pretty regularly. Check the continuity through the switch contacts to make sure that they're making when the switch is engaged.
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Old 09-20-2021, 06:49 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bama Rambler View Post
Those switches are known to fail internally pretty regularly. Check the continuity through the switch contacts to make sure that they're making when the switch is engaged.
My dc test light shows power at all connections and at the motor. Operated the switch has power at all the switch connections. Battery is fully charged. 30 amp inline fuse is good.
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Old 09-20-2021, 06:53 PM   #4
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Take a couple of pictures of the back of your switches and maybe we can help troubleshooting more.
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Old 09-21-2021, 02:20 PM   #5
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Power, but no ground

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Originally Posted by RickBrooks View Post
My dc test light shows power at all connections and at the motor. Operated the switch has power at all the switch connections. Battery is fully charged. 30 amp inline fuse is good.
Rick, you can't debug this by only checking for power. Here's the deal.

A DC motor can run in both directions. All you have to do is swap the +(+12 volts) and - (Ground) leads. That's what the four-wire and six-wire switches do.

If you have power where expected, then the - (ground) lead must be open.

Post again if you have questions and we can provide more details. Pictures of the switch and motor would be helpful.
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Old 09-21-2021, 03:25 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry-NC View Post
Rick, you can't debug this by only checking for power. Here's the deal.

A DC motor can run in both directions. All you have to do is swap the +(+12 volts) and - (Ground) leads. That's what the four-wire and six-wire switches do.

If you have power where expected, then the - (ground) lead must be open.

Post again if you have questions and we can provide more details. Pictures of the switch and motor would be helpful.
Ground is what I thought. Is the motor grounded when mounted? Should I run a direct ground wire?
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Old 09-21-2021, 04:41 PM   #7
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No, no!

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Originally Posted by RickBrooks View Post
Ground is what I thought. Is the motor grounded when mounted? Should I run a direct ground wire?
No, no. Read the next part carefully.

Suppose the motor itself has a yellow lead and a green lead.
  • To go up, +12 on the yellow, ground on the green
  • To go down, ground on the yellow, +12 on the green

If you were to ground a motor lead, it might work in one direction, but it would be a direct short in the other direction.

This will be a little tricky since you only have a test light--much easier with a real meter.


Check that both +12 and a real ground are present at the switch
You should see two wires leading to the switch from +12 and ground and two more wires going to the motor. (You might also see two wires across the switch in an X--ignore them for now.)
1) Figure out which of the two wires is +12 and which is ground. Put the clip on a good frame ground. One of the two wires is +12 and will give a light. (If not, there's no voltage. Start looking for a fuse on that wire. Otherwise, continue

The other terminal should be a ground and won't give a light.
2) Put the test light and clip on these same two terminals connected to +12 and Ground. You should get a light. If not, the wire that's supposed to be ground is not actually a good ground. Check the connection at the other end of it.

If this doesn't identify the problem, post a picture of the switch terminals.
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"Always bypass the water heater before opening the low-point drains."
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Old 09-21-2021, 06:50 PM   #8
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This is what I have. Motor has + red and - black wires.
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Old 09-21-2021, 08:04 PM   #9
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Here's how that switch is normally wired for slide and awning operation. It doesn't look like yours matches this unless there are some splices in the wiring.



Does that switch have a wiring diagram or other info on the other side of it?

P.S. You can swap Power Supply and Motor leads and it'll still work.
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Old 09-21-2021, 09:06 PM   #10
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Look closely

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Originally Posted by Bama Rambler View Post
Here's how that switch is normally wired for slide and awning operation. It doesn't look like yours matches this unless there are some splices in the wiring.



Does that switch have a wiring diagram or other info on the other side of it?

P.S. You can swap Power Supply and Motor leads and it'll still work.
The switch wiring is intuitive. At each side, the center terminal connects to one end terminal or to the other end terminal or neither (in the middle, center off), depending on switch position

Look closely at the picture, and remember, red+black goes to the motor

This one is fed in the reverse of your drawing. Power comes in the left end, and crossed over into the right end. The motor current comes out the center.

On the connectors at the left end are those little 2-to-1 Fast-On connectors. One of the two wires at each of the left end is a short jumper that makes the X crossover to the other end of the switch. That feed follows the customary RV practice: white = ground, any other color= +12volts. The red paint on the terminal with black wire would confirm +12volts.

Given that information, Rick Brooks can easily do the following test with no test equipment at all.

First take a few more pictures of the switch wiring for yourself in case you get confused later.

Now, look at the two short jumper wires that connect the terminals at one end of the switch to terminals at the other end, but crossed over, side-to-side. Unplug those two jumpers at the left end, so the power wires remain connected. Let the jumpers hang free.

Now one at a time, move the two wires in the center to the terminals you've just vacated at the left end. (This bypasses the switch entirely and connects power directly to the motor.) When you start to connect the second one, you will see a spark. Just make sure the motor runs--you don't have to plug it all the way on.

If you need to run the motor the other way, remove the two wires, cross them over so wires are red-to-white and black-to-black.

If the motor runs fine, then the switch is worn out and needs to be replaced. Put the wires back in the right places so you don't forget, and order a new switch. When the new switch comes, hold it alongside the old one and transfer the wires one at a time, so there's no mistake.

If you cannot figure out where to get the switch you need, post pictures showing all the part numbers you can see.
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"Always take pictures with the button on the right."
"Always bypass the water heater before opening the low-point drains."
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2008 Cherokee 38P: at Ivor, VA permanently
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