Slide won't retract

Siebrands · 06-10-2014, 12:39 PM

I have a 2007 Winnebago Aspect 29. Today my dinette slide won't retract. I press the retract button and the cab doors lock! I can't find the mechanism to manually close the slide. Help please.

go4dsnow · 06-10-2014, 03:50 PM

if its a swintech mechanism they have an overide switch somewhere down below.

MCJones · 06-10-2014, 04:45 PM

Maybe - on my 08 Dutch Star the bedroom would not retract. IN the baggage compartment below was a black box mounted to frame rail and the push connector had come dislodged from the box. Pushed in back on and presto everything worked again. Maybe yous is the same?

movin-on · 06-10-2014, 05:22 PM

Low battery voltage??? Try starting the rv to retract the slide...

Siebrands · 06-11-2014, 07:43 AM

Thanks for your replies re: my non-retractable slide. This morning, the slide came in. Here are the details. One of you mentioned low engine battery, try starting it. I tried to start it; however, the rig wouldn't start, which surprised me, because I purchased a new engine battery in March. I tried to jump the battery from my pick-up but no luck. So I put the charger on it overnight, and this morning, the indicator registered fully charged. All along, I was wondering what the engine battery had to do with the slide not retracting, because the coach was on shore power. Nevertheless, the engine started, and the slide retracted. I'm not sure about the hows and whys, and I'm not sure I'm totally in the clear, but I'm glad the pressure's off! I'm left wondering what might be causing the engine battery to drain. I started it a few weeks ago, and all was well. Hmmmmm.

movin-on · 06-12-2014, 12:17 PM

Are you sure that your engine (chassis) battery(s) are charging when on shore power... Some do not mine included...Put a voltmeter on them while plugged in...Phantom loads will discharge them over time...Should be a little north of 13 volts if they are being charged...If not you will need a smart trickle charger of some sort to keep them charged...I've had this one for years and it works great...
Amazon.com: Battery Tender 800 Waterproof 12V Battery Charger: Automotive

Siebrands · 06-14-2014, 06:30 AM

FYI...I did the voltmeter test while plugged in and got a 13.6 reading on each battery. I thought perhaps the failure of the engine battery had something to do w/the coach batteries being discharged. But now I don't think so. For the last 3 days, the engine battery has been fine. So I'm no smarter now than I was earlier!

bobmac · 06-14-2014, 07:36 AM

I had a 2008 Cambria and the chassis battery did not charge on shore power. If yours does, someone must have added a Trik-L-start that bridges the house battery to the chassis battery at the charge solenoid. I would check to see if that has been done as there is considerable residual load on the chassis battery when parked. Glad you got the slide in, I believe you have Power Gear slides that are very sensitive to a low voltage. Closing the slides requires a considerable current and can drop the voltage on a battery that appears otherwise healthy, to a lower voltage that won't operate the slide. Good luck with the Aspect - they are a great coach!

Cousin Ed · 06-14-2014, 08:26 AM

Power Gear says NEVER operate the slides without the engine running!

movin-on · 06-14-2014, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cousin Ed

Power Gear says NEVER operate the slides without the engine running!

Correct...I have HWH slides and jacks....I always have the engine running when deploying the jacks and extending and retracting the slides...If you don't, low voltage will eventually kill that pump/motor...

LHyzer · 06-19-2014, 01:58 PM

Keep an eye on your engine battery. I have a feeling that it discharging from something that has been connected to it at the factory. They divide their 12 v power to various items like your steps etc. After 3-4 weeks or more the battery has discharged enough to not operate the different items its connected to.

Siebrands · 06-24-2014, 06:54 AM

Today the slide won't go in again. The engine battery is running fine; engine starts w/o trouble. I charged the 2 coach batteries, thinking that somehow they are part of the problem. I'm sure they are quite old. They seemed to hold their charge and the charger says they are fully charged. Why does my rear slide work fine, but the dinette slide won't retract? If it was only a coach battery problem, wouldn't both slides be affected?

LHyzer · 06-24-2014, 08:05 AM

Not necessarily, the dinette slide is probably a lot heavier than the rear slide which would draw more amps. And a marginal battery may have enough to start the engine but not bring in the slide. The monitor panel does not show the condition of the chassis battery only the coach batteries. Winnebago converters are not set up to charge the chassis battery. It only charges the coach batteries. They used to but they don't now. A load test should be done on the chassis battery. It may charge ok but under load it doesn't have the capacity to bring the slide in. Even new batteries have failed prematurely so a load test or specific gravity of the battery acid should be checked.

Siebrands · 06-24-2014, 08:08 AM

Ok. That's helpful information. Looks like new batteries are in my future!

LHyzer · 06-24-2014, 08:40 AM

If you can have all the batteries fully charged and then have a load test done. It will tell you whether you need to replace them or not. If the coach batteries are original I would replace them as they are over 7 years old. The one you replaced in March should still be under warranty. If you have two coach batteries and one is bad it is better to replace both at the same time or the older one will draw the newer one down and cause it to fail faster then it should. There also may be a relay for the dinette slide going bad but I don't know where that may be located. You might want to go to Winnebagos site and look up your units wiring diagram. On their site you can find out everything about your coach with your serial number. Winnebagos serial number not the chassis serial number. Go to www.winnebagoind.com
Click on resources and you will see a selection for Manuals and Diagrams. There's a lot of information there for you.

Siebrands · 07-08-2014, 10:04 AM

I bought 2 new coach batteries, charged them to full capacity, installed them but still no power to retract either slide. Odd. Checking the fuse box in the baggage compartment, there doesn't seem to be any indication of fuse problems re: the slide. Any suggestions?

Siebrands · 07-08-2014, 10:14 AM

BTW, I'm checking on the Winnebago website for my model # to see if anything there might be of help.

LHyzer · 07-08-2014, 11:33 AM

Go to www.winnebagoind.com click on resources, then click on manuals and diagrams, click on operators manuals, then click on years 2001-2010. This will bring up a selection, choose 2007 and go through the procedure to download your manual.
In it you will find that your motor and crank is under the coach on the drivers side behind the front wheel. You can do the same for the wiring diagram for you coach. Check for a bad ground or a loose connection to further trouble shoot your problem.
If you didn't have the owners manual for your unit you will have it now. Also pull your switch and make sure its not going bad.

LHyzer · 07-08-2014, 11:39 AM

Your slide may work off of either the coach or the chassis battery. Try and determine which one it uses. A call to Winnebago may help also. They are usually pretty helpful. (800)-537-1885

Siebrands · 07-11-2014, 03:18 AM

I think the pin on the motor assembly was sheared, keeping my slide from retracting. I want to remove the motor assembly from the power head. In the attached photo, is the power head the silver tube in the foreground? If so, how do you remove it? Only one bolt is visible and removing it doesn't release it.