Slideout won't retract

PokinFun

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2017
Messages
29
2017 FR CC Hathaway, slides will extend, but won't retract. The switch clicks, no fuses are blown, the circuit breakers are set and I replaced the solenoid with no difference. I'm thoroughly stumped. :banghead:
The jacks work on the same system with the same pump and those are working fine (up and down).
I was able to switch the cables on the motor to run the slides in, but that is just a temporary fix. Is anyone able to tell me what is wrong and how to fix it?
 
Yes, that is the solenoid that I changed. And I have used the white switch attached to the pump. The DW was the one who initially found the issues at the inside switch.
 
Yes, that is the solenoid that I changed. And I have used the white switch attached to the pump. The DW was the one who initially found the issues at the inside switch.

So, is your problem resolved? Did the white switch work even though the inside switch was defective?
 
No. The switch inside doesn't work and the white switch at the pump does the same thing as the inside switch. When I changed the solenoid, there was no change in the switch functions. I was able to reverse the wires to the pump motor to get the slides in, but that isn't something I want to do every time I need to retract the slides.
 
There are 2 wires that control the solenoid. They connect to the knife blade connectors on the side. According to the diagram info I have they are yellow and red.

The yellow is the IN control. Using your DVM see if you are getting 12V at this terminal when you press the IN on your slide switch. You should get 12V on the other terminal when you press OUT on your slide switch

I’m surprised both switches are acting the same. They are wired in parallel and it would be odd that both switches failed at the same time.
 
So, I'm not electrically inclined at all, but from what I gather, the replacement solenoid is bad too... very strange, but possible, I suppose. When I put the DVM on the out and ground and activate the switch (out) I get a reading on the DVM. When I put the DVM on the in and ground and activate the switch (in) I get nothing on the DVM. I suppose that means the solenoid that I thought was new, isn't working. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Full disclosure: I haven't used a volt meter before, so I am sure I set up up wrong, but the reading was not 12 volts, it was something like 29 when the "out" switch was pressed. All zeros when the "in" switch was pressed.
Pictured is the solenoid with white wire and orange stripe wire at the blades (orange stripe is the "out").
Also the setting of my DVM.
Please let me know if they don't come through.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/images/attach/jpg.gif
https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=301940&stc=1&d=1720814749
 

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So, I'm not electrically inclined at all, but from what I gather, the replacement solenoid is bad too... very strange, but possible, I suppose. When I put the DVM on the out and ground and activate the switch (out) I get a reading on the DVM. When I put the DVM on the in and ground and activate the switch (in) I get nothing on the DVM. I suppose that means the solenoid that I thought was new, isn't working. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Full disclosure: I haven't used a volt meter before, so I am sure I set up up wrong, but the reading was not 12 volts, it was something like 29 when the "out" switch was pressed. All zeros when the "in" switch was pressed.
Pictured is the solenoid with white wire and orange stripe wire at the blades (orange stripe is the "out").
Also the setting of my DVM.
Please let me know if they don't come through.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/images/attach/jpg.gif
https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=301940&stc=1&d=1720814749

No, not the solenoid..you have a white wire and a white/orange wire going to the knife blade connections. IN should place 12v on one of the wires and OUT should put 12v on the other wire. Sounds like IN is not putting voltage on either wire? Can you verify that?

Also the setting on your DVM is set to measure AC voltage. You want to measure dc voltage. Select the 20Vm above in the dc section.
 
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OK... It's raining now, so the electrical testing will have to wait, but yes, I was testing previously at the white and white/orange wires at the blades.
I'm in Pensacola, so it shouldn't be more than 30 minutes before the rain passes.
 
lol..my granddaughter went to UWF and then lived there for several years. We used to stay at the RV park on Avalon at I-10. She just moved home last year so,we don’t have that long trip anymore..

Make sure you change you meter to dc voltage.

I sent you a PM with a link to a manual.
 
Thanks for the manual.
I checked again and there in no reading when I activate the switch on the "in" position. About 12 volts when the "out" is activated.
 
Thanks for the manual.
I checked again and there in no reading when I activate the switch on the "in" position. About 12 volts when the "out" is activated.

I’m just making sure you are testing both terminals. The 12v is on the white or orange/white when you press OUT. When you press IN you are measuring the other terminal, right?

Does the motor do anything when you press IN? What is your battery voltage?
Are you at home? Are you connected to shore power?

When was the last time you swapped wired to make the slide come in?
 
Yes, I am switching terminals, the 12v is on the white/orange side or the "out" side. The "in" side reads zero when I am reading that side and activating the switch.
I can hear the relay clicking when I push the "in" switch, but the motor does not activate. If I switch the wires on the motor, the "out" side will run the slides in, but the "in" switch still does nothing except activate the relay.
I am at an RV park and on shore power.
Last time I swapped the wires was 2 days ago, but they are in the normal orientation at the moment.
 
Yes, I am switching terminals, the 12v is on the white/orange side or the "out" side. The "in" side reads zero when I am reading that side and activating the switch.
I can hear the relay clicking when I push the "in" switch, but the motor does not activate. If I switch the wires on the motor, the "out" side will run the slides in, but the "in" switch still does nothing except activate the relay.
I am at an RV park and on shore power.
Last time I swapped the wires was 2 days ago, but they are in the normal orientation at the moment.

Sounds like for some reason you are not getting 12 volts to the IN side of the solenoid? I don’t think the solenoid is bad but the 12 volts from the switch to the solenoid is open somewhere. I find that odd as you have the same issue regardless of which switch you use (inside or motor).

I will go out and look closely at my connections tomorrow and take one pics..
 
You say you swapped the wires at the motor. Not on the relay? Remove the white wire from the knife blade and make sure it is not corroded or dirty. This is probably not the issue as you have replaced the solenoid.
 
Whatever voltage you get at the main hot wire into the solenoid should be the same voltage at the wires coming out of the solenoid when you operate the switch to each direction to go in and out. You obviously need someone else to operate the switch while you check the voltage at each spade right at the solenoid. Remember that you are checking voltage at the switch with the red wire on the voltage meter and black wire to ground which is usually either a black or green wire.

If the voltage is different the only possible problem can be the solenoid. If it was me I would pull the two wires on the outbound side of the solenoid off and check the voltage coming out of the solenoid with no wires hooked up. If they don’t have the same voltage I would be looking at ground wires. But the fact you can switch the wires and it will slide in, I doubt if its a ground wire. In my mind it sounds like even the new solenoid is bad.

I look forward to a follow up when you get it fixed. I know a lot, but I don't know everything. So I always want to keep learning.

EDIT, just got to thinking about it again, could be the switch itself. I need to try to understand how the entire circuit works. In my mind I know, but RVs can be tricky and Im still fairly new to them.

I just found something that may or may not help, but worth looking at. https://community.fmca.com/topic/11508-resolved-electrical-problem-slide-out-will-not-retract/
 
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It’s actually pretty straight forward. The trombetta solenoid work by alternating the direction of power to the hydraulic fluid motor. Present 12v on one terminal and the solenoid engages and send current thru the motor in one direction. Present 12v on the other connection and the solenoid engages in the opposite direction and reverses the current thru the hydraulic motor.

According to the op’s post he is not getting 12v on one of the connections thus his slide will not retract.
 
PokinFun, I took some pics and some voltage measurements.
I measure the dc voltage on the green wire at the solenoid. I used the stud on the side of the solenoid for the DVM gnd. When I pushed the white switch down (extend) I measured 12v at the green wire. Vice versa when I pressed the white switch up (retract) I measure 12v at the yellow wire.

There is also 1 blue wire that runs to a solenoid valve. At the valve (see pic) there is a blue wire plus a white wire connected to one terminal. The white probably comes from the inside switch. That may be what you hear clicking. It allows the hydraulic fluid to flow.

So as you can see from my pics there is a red wire that connects to the center post of the switch. That is 12v main. It is then directed to the solenoid connections with the rocker switch.

From your postings it sound like you are not getting 12v to your yellow wire? Check your connection on the back side of the switch. It’s odd though that you have the same issue regardless of which switch you use (internal or external) as they a wired in parallel.
 

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