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Old 08-05-2005, 05:46 AM   #1
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The motor on our sofa is having a difficult time retracting back to "seating" position from the "bed" position. Sometimes it requires a little help on my part to get it back up where it's supposed to be.

The motor is very strained and extremely slow. Anyone with a solution besides motor replacement?
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Old 08-05-2005, 05:46 AM   #2
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The motor on our sofa is having a difficult time retracting back to "seating" position from the "bed" position. Sometimes it requires a little help on my part to get it back up where it's supposed to be.

The motor is very strained and extremely slow. Anyone with a solution besides motor replacement?
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Old 08-05-2005, 06:26 AM   #3
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Same problem here.

We just live with it.
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Old 08-05-2005, 07:05 AM   #4
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Have you tried getting off the sofa?
Mine worked better when I did.

Walt
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Old 08-05-2005, 08:35 AM   #5
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We had a similar problem with our Journey DL. My son and I pulled off the seating surfaces to access the drive mechanisms. Further inspection of the mechanism showed the drive screws were out of sync. There are two drive screws per seating surface if you have the dual sofa. The holding bolt at the rear portion of the mechanism frame where the screw terminates can be loosened to allow you to synchronize the two drive screws. It is a bit of but, at the end, the seating surface would retract without binding. The dealer worked on this problem 3 times before we took the "law" in our hands. They even replaced the motors--all on warranty. Hope this helps...
Richard
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Old 12-22-2009, 08:32 PM   #6
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I'm having the same issue as the original poster. (found it via a search)
Anyone else fixed theirs? I'll check the sync tomorrow (three year old is asleep there now), but I don't think that's it.

Thanks,
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Old 12-22-2009, 11:45 PM   #7
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Motorized sofas utilize rotating threaded shafts to open and close the sofa. They essentially work like a scissors jack. However, over time, the shafts (there'll be one on each end) become rusted and hard to turn. Use a flashlight to find them and then hit them up with a spray lubricant (i.e. WD-40). You might have to open the sofa to access the mechanisms I'm referring to. If your sofa uses a different mechanism, simply lubricate the one(s) it has.

Don't use grease since it'll attract dust and dirt. If possible, try to protect the fabric around each shaft to prevent the lubricant from soaking in (it tends to have a oily smell). After spraying both threaded shafts, open and close the sofa a few times to work it in. You might have to repeat the process. Best of luck.

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Old 12-22-2009, 11:54 PM   #8
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Hello Sangone,

The synchronization of the drive screws seems like the most likely solution and a little lube once in a while doesn’t hurt. If this fails to resolve the issue, next I would check the voltage at the drive motor under load.

Winnebago, in my opinion, is not the most generous with wire size and as a result, there may be too much line loss at the motor. Remember that the equivalent of 1 horsepower is 540 Watts. So for a 12-volt motor to have even 1/10 horsepower, the current would need to be in excess of 4.5 Amps. This is almost three times the current of one of the florescent light fixtures and the voltage on some of them is lower then it should be.

In checking the schematics for your coach, which is probably typical of the wiring used for the Easy Rest Sofa, I find that #12 wire is used for both the +12 Volt and the Ground wires. Since #12 wire has 0.15882 Ohms of resistance per 100 feet, then the voltage drop for 4.5 Amps in lets say 50 feet of total wiring would be .357 Volts. I suspect that the current required for the motor is much higher since the sofa is on it’s own 25 Amp. breaker. (Odd, since #12 is rated for 20 Amps.)

Some of the Easy Rest sofas have two motors but it would be logical that the kind with only one motor would have a larger motor that draws more current than two smaller motors. So, lets say that the motor draws 20 Amps. (with motor losses, probably around 1/3 HP) then our 50 feet of wire would drop a total of 1.588 Volts and now we’re getting a little low and the motor may not have enough ‘oomph’ to get the job done. And remember, the 50-feet may be quite conservative. Some of the wiring in our coach has total lengths of over 100 feet (the front florescent light in the living room)!

Remember, all of the NEC charts and recommendations for AWG wire sizes are designed for 120 VAC installations, ‘not’ 12 VDC. Practically, all wiring should be increased by a factor of 10 for 12 VDC. If code recommends #12 for a 20 Amp. load, then #1 should be used under 12 Volt conditions to prevent excessive line loss. But this would be a little expensive and a little heavy! But #12, give me a break! Winne engineers, listen up!

So, if synchronizing the drive mechanism or lubrication doesn’t fix things, check the electrical.
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Old 12-23-2009, 06:10 AM   #9
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I had the same problem with our Easy Rest Sofa in our 2005 Winnebago Journey 36G. The operating mechanism became slower and slower until it quite working all together. Fortunately it was still in warranty, so I took the coach to the dealership to have it fixed. The technician said that an "out-of-synch" condition caused a shoddy weld to break. They re-welded the joint, re-synched the system and lubricated everything. Unfortunately I wasn't there to observe what was done, but several years later the sofa still operates as advertised, even with two sitting on it. I post this only to indicate that if the condition isn't addressed more damage may result.

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Old 12-24-2009, 01:26 PM   #10
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Getting better...

It was a bit out of sync. But while it was that way, one of the jackscrews actually bent. I have it straightened out and back in sync. It's working ok, but not 100% yet. I'll have to lube it and see if helps (pretty sure it will). I'll have to check on the wiring too. Should be able to check the voltage while it's running. (If I hadn't forgot all my volt meters at home, doh!)

By the way, one of the drive cables popped out of the jackscrew gearbox a little while ago, must not have been in sync when I popped it back in. It worked, but was getting slower and slower. Which made me search here to see if others had issues. Yup. Thanks.
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Old 12-24-2009, 02:05 PM   #11
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I always "help" mine both up and down just to relieve some of the strian. The "shafts" have come loose on mine on one side or the other a few times. Dealer fixed it the first time, and it didn't last long ...said they "reglued" the shaft. Now they are held in place with packing tape ...works a LOT better than whatever glue the dealer used... When they come loose, you do have to make sure you don't have the sofa in a bind when you re-insert them into the drive socket.
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