Slides not working

[Mel.Les2004]

2004 Winnebago Adventurer 37b
Our slides won't go out. When hit the switch to extend nothing happens.
Our leveling jacks also aren't working however we were able to get the jacks down by using the control while holding open one or more manual dump valves. We are unsure why this worked.
The motor is working.
The engine is on and the brake is set.

We cannot figure out where the slide fuses are located. Does anyone know?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Mtn Charlie]

A malfunctioning parking brake switch can cause both the leveling jacks and slides to be inactivated. Jumpering the switch is an easy troubleshooting technique. It is usually accessible on the parking brake peddle arm or release handle.

[Morich]

Originally Posted by Mtn Charlie

A malfunctioning parking brake switch can cause both the leveling jacks and slides to be inactivated. Jumpering the switch is an easy troubleshooting technique. It is usually accessible on the parking brake peddle arm or release handle.

I would go with this idea as a good place to check first as it does fit for both problems.

But as a second step,it may also need a check of the fuses and that gets into a different problem as it is considered "chassis" items and not well covered by the Winnebago drawings and info.
But that does give some hint as the chassis fuses are often located in different boxes and often those are out under the hood, not with the RV type items.

Do you know where to find the horn, headlight, turn signal fuses on your RV?
There are some which have a set of labels printed inside the cover and you might get lucky there if the first suggestion doesn't work out?

There is some info on the Winn. drawings for the wiring under the dash but that is a deep subject if you can avoid it!
It gives us the wiring from the chassis connections to the HWH connections but nothing on what is on either end as those are from the other companies????

I try not to go there!!

[creativepart]

Both task require a healthy Chassis battery. Even though the engine is supplying power the Chassis battery plays an important role. Since your RV is older are you confident in the staying power of that battery?

[jllarson3]

Wediscovered that the fluid reservoir was low. I put in a quart of transmission fluid (HWH recommended). The slide came right back in.

Check your fluid level - should be there near the solenoids.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by jllarson3

I put in a quart of transmission fluid (HWH recommended).

Transmission fluid or Power Steering Fluid? We've always added Power Steering fluid not transmission fluid.

Maybe it's an HWH thing????

[BobC]

Originally Posted by creativepart

Transmission fluid or Power Steering Fluid? We've always added Power Steering fluid not transmission fluid.

Maybe it's an HWH thing????

From HWH FAQs:

43. What kind of fluid should I use in my system?

The use of HWH Specialty Hydraulic Oil is recommended but Dexron or multipurpose transmission fluids can be used if necessary. DO NOT use hydraulic jack oil, brake fluid, or power steering fluid.

https://www.hwhcorp.com/ml20673aafaq...eering%20fluid.

[Rick 99037]

Not seeing much info on what the lights on your controller are doing, so I'll just throw in my experience with our 2005 W Sightseer.
When I got it, my leveler didn't work. The power light was on the controller, but nothing else happened but a warning the brakes were not set. I had the servicing paperwork, and the previous owner had been quoted $600 plus labor, to replace the circuit board on the back of unit, which he clearly chose not do do several years back.
A friend that's pretty sharp came over, and we decided to bypass the electric line to the parking break switch to the leveler circuit board, even though it seemed to be telling the board the brake was indeed set on.
It didn't fix it, but in working among the wires to loop the circuit on the controller, the other lights on it came on momentarily.
So the actual problem turned out to be a failed male to female connection in the connection plug on the back of the circuit board. A problem not found by an RV shop, who then offered the rare to find $600+labor circuit board as the problem and solution. Once the connection was fixed, it has worked every time - so far. Add that to your possible issues. Best of luck.
As you've likely discovered, repairing a $15,000 RV costs the same as a $150,000 RV.

[DancinCampers]

On my 03 Adventurer the fuses were inline blade fuses located in the wire harness on the pump motor. I believe there were 3, 2-20amp and 1-40 amp, if my memory serves me well.

[HappiHenri]

We live full time out our 2005 Adventurer 37B. Have years of learning and experience about this model.

Had a similar problem with our slides this past December, after years of absolutely no issues. But then 1 day slides would not operate.

1 - Checked parking brake engaged. OK
2 - Did much web research. Finally called HWH and got in contact with an extremely helpful HWH tech who immediately ID'd the problem - the main circuit board power connector had come loose. Not sure why after 16-17 years it would suddenly do that, but it was the very 1st thing he suggested. So obviously a known issue.

Details - looking at the large circuit board assy & cover visible right behind the driver's door steps - and in front of the entire HWH hydraulic assembly just behind the large slide. You will see a large clear (at least clear once cleaned) plexiglass cover through which you will see the circuit board, with fuses and lights.

The tech's 1st request was to determine if there were any small led lights on on that circuit board - once we turned on the dash leveling controls. We had no lights so he instantly told me to go to the upper RH part of the board where there is a square 4 pin connector - 2 white wires, 2 orange/red wires. You can see the inside part of this connector through the plexiglass cover (you do not have to remove this).

Then he told me to reach around the back side of this connector and push it all the way in. I did so and then suddenly everything worked again! The plug had somehow worked loose enough to lose contact so there was no power coming into the board.

So a serious problem caused by a very simple problem.

3 - However - please be aware that you have the HWH "Flat Floor" system on your main driver's side slide. I have been very critical of the complexity and weak design of this - just to enable the floor to be flat - would prefer a much simpler, more reliable system even if it stuck up 1" on the floor above.

The problem is this - the way HWH & Winnebago designed this slide it carries a huge amount of weight. You have everything inside the interior cabinets + furniture, as well as 3 large bays into which many hundreds of lbs of "stuff" can be loaded. Then - every time that slide is moved in or out all that weight has to be carried by 2 large hydraulic rams - which also move the entire floor up & down in order to achieve the flat floor. And all that weight is born by several small plastic/nylon blocks within the mechanism, and these tend to dry out/crack over time. If not replaced you will have serious slide problems - such as grinding and mis-alignment. Just be aware.

Here is a YouTube video showing some of the fix required -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utWrtsB5nUQ

We love our RV, and we love Winnebago - but be aware that there are maintenance and issues which need to be addressed.

[Morich]

The issue of plugs that are not making good connections is kind of a logical one if we think about what happens. We know that things like battery cables frequently get corrosion between the cable and post and we just know it happens and clean them.

But if we think of a set of plug connections with 15-20 connections on each plug, we tend to not think about them getting corrosion, even if they are riding around the bottom side of an RV in all kinds of splashing water.

But as we all know, there are few techs who do much to sort out if plugs and wires are corroded as they just go straight to replacing the boards! One way to get the corrosion off plug is to use a new board! So if it is something simple to find those plugs like on the furnace or frig, it really does make a lot of sense to try unplugging and replugging any of those connections as that is one way to knock the corrosion off so that it makes contact again!
Before changing out any board, motor, etc that has plugs, try knocking the corrosion off, just for luck?

[BobC]

Contact cleaner is another option. Put it on the male pins and plug and unplug it several times. A glass fiber scratch pen is another option but you'll only be able to clean pins, not sockets.

[HappiHenri]

Re: Plugs and terminal corrosion:

(1) In my case of the HWh slides not working there was absolutely no corrosion on any of the electrical connections. The problem was exactly as the HWH tech described - 4 pin main power plug coming into the rear of the HWH circuit board had somehow worked it's way loose - backing off enough to lose connection. This has to be a known problem as it was the 1st, and immediate fix suggested.

(2) Terminal corrosion issue. Anytime moisture can access any electrical connection you run the risk of corrosion and loss of electrical connection. This is why some manufacturers packed their plugs with grease (witnessed on a Honda Civic I owned years ago). Since most grease is naturally dielectric there is not short issue, but the grease serves as an easy way to prevent moisture from getting into the terminals. I have made it my practice for years to coat all connections with Mobil1 synthetic grease because it will not dry out. Even if that location can accumulate dirt/grime, it is far better that the connection is protected from moisture. And the dirt can easily be wiped off.
(3) For this reason I also use Marine wire whenever doing RV work, because in many ways RVs operate in a very moist environment. Marine wire is multi-stranded copper which has been tin plated. This makes it more flexible (much easier to work with) while offering corrosion resistance. I have found this especially important on heavy gauge cable because most people use bare copper strand wires (such as welding cable) where the ends are simply bare wires crimped into a copper lug - leaving it exposed to moisture which will eventually corrode. Moisture has no problem seeping into the crimp and eventually corroding it. But coating that exposed bare wire with grease 1st, or using Marine gauge wire help solve that problem.