Where's the fuse?? - Montana Owners Club

Andy · 01-08-2011, 04:37 AM

It's around 15 degrees, I was putting the slides out to pack for our trip to Arizona. Slowly the bedroom slide went out, slowly the kitchen slide was going out and it stopped. I can't hear anything going on and I suspect possibly a fuse. Can someone tell me where I might find it?

H. John Kohl · 01-08-2011, 04:47 AM

Your slide fuse should be one of the silver two studded resettable breakers on the wall behind the slide pump and motor. Wait a few minutes and try again. If that does not work then check your battery and lots of other trouble shooting areas like voltage to the switch.
Good luck and let us know what you find.

SlickWillie · 01-08-2011, 04:57 AM

Might want to check the ground too.

BB_TX · 01-08-2011, 06:29 AM

The slides actually have an auto reset circuit breaker. When it overloads it trips, the slides stop, but then it resets itself after a few seconds and you can start again. But the symptoms are not typically slow movement, but stopping all movement after some amount of travel, and then being able to restart them. But the cold could be the reason for the slow movement.
My slides would stop 2 to 3 times before all got extended until I replaced the breaker.
Here is a picture of my breakers (under red covers). The one on the left is for my slides.

Art-n-Marge · 01-08-2011, 06:31 AM

Andy, there are several prominent reasons for a slide not to travel and there are no mechanical issues like something's broken or out of adjustment.

They are weak battery, low reservoir, RV is not stabilized properly, and weak circuit breakers.

In your case you added another factor - extreme cold - which could affect the battery (not frozen I hope) and the fluid (thickens with low temperatures). I don't know the operating temperatures for either but maybe 15 degrees is a little too cold for some things. Like John suggests try again, because if the cold causes extra stress as you try and extend the slides this could cause the circuit breaker to reset.

Since it's an autoresetting breaker wait a little bit for it to reset itself and try again. Make sure the stabilizers are down and set firmly to prevent any extra movement while the slides are in motion. You can only check the slide reservoir level when the slides are fully retracted. If this happens too much for your taste, you might consider upgrading the autoresetting breakers to an approved higher rated combination of circuit breakers. In BBTX's picture it looks like he replaced the leftmost slide breaker with a higher single value like 80amp or 100 amp. In my case I replaced the breaker with dual 40 amps breakers connected in parallel since this turned out to be cheaper and the 40 amps are more available, too. Here's a picture of a dual parallel CB setup:

If all these are good, maybe there's some way to warm things up with a blow dryer on the lines or even at the battery. I can't help with extreme cold operations and problems so maybe some others will comment on what's safe to do to warm things up.

sreigle · 01-08-2011, 07:54 AM

Our '07 3400RL had a fuse inline. It's a two-bladed type fuse in a black holder with a little cap on it. It's in the front locker, near the battery.

If yours is 30 amp, you can get an auto reset breaker with the same shape and connectors as the fuse and it fits right in that holder in place of the fuse. Then you just wait a couple of minutes and resume moving the slides instead of having to change a fuse. The breaker is less than 5 bucks at auto parts stores.

If yours is a 40 amp, like ours, then the solution is not quite that easy. I got a 40 amp auto resetting breaker from an auto parts store. It has two screws for connectors. I just made two short pigtails with eye connectors, the round type, and screwed them to the breaker. I then just pulled the wires out of the fuse holder and connected them to the pigtails. End of problem.

Good luck with yours.

sreigle · 01-08-2011, 08:16 AM

Well, crap. You're talking slides and I was thinking landing gear. Forget my post. The auto reset breaker comments are correct. Sorry.

Andy · 01-08-2011, 09:06 AM

Thanks for the posts guys, after reading them I went out and looked in the storage compartment where the battery’s are and remembered that I had an upgrade at the rally last fall.

I had the level-up system put on the rig. May have to wait until Monday and call Goshen, everything looks different in there. Sucks!

Oh, Steve, we need to stay on point.

Andy · 01-08-2011, 09:11 AM

You see guys, the truth is that I’m about as helpless as a fish out of water.

Ozz · 01-08-2011, 09:30 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Well, crap. You're talking slides and I was thinking landing gear. Forget my post. The auto reset breaker comments are correct. Sorry.

Ha! I did the same thing! I had to rush back and delete the post. No hope for us Steve..
Good luck with it Andy, looks like our Brothers and Sister MOC's are taking good care of you.

scductman · 01-08-2011, 04:07 PM

Mine will move alittle slow when it is cold I always thought it was the fluid. that being said mine stopped 2 times this winter. first time I have had this problem and figured mine was not going to do it. I never changed the fuse on mine going to look at that. Just shows how much I know. LOL.

H. John Kohl · 01-09-2011, 01:23 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Andy

Thanks for the posts guys, after reading them I went out and looked in the storage compartment where the battery’s are and remembered that I had an upgrade at the rally last fall.

I had the level-up system put on the rig. May have to wait until Monday and call Goshen, everything looks different in there. Sucks!

Oh, Steve, we need to stay on point.

Andy,
The level-up system is hydraulic as is your slide. I think they all work off the same pump, not sure. I suggest you call Lippert with your problem.
Good luck.

Andy · 01-10-2011, 05:16 AM

OK, if anyone’s interested it was one of the 15 amp fuses in the bathroom. I called Lippert; he said they’re rated for up to 30 amps. I first put in a 15 amp, that blew, 20 amp blew and one 30 amp. With the second 30 amp fuse, each slide went out four to six inches stop; I’d wait 30 to 60 seconds and then start again until they were all out.

Thanks all for your help.

NCFischers · 01-10-2011, 05:43 AM

Andy,
If the wire isn't rated for 30 amps, you could burn it up. The wiring needs to be sized for the fuse. Increasing the fuse size could cause a fire.
Jim

Andy · 01-10-2011, 06:00 AM

Jim, they told me that they were rated for up to 30 amp. Once I get out of this cold weather I plan on switching back to 15 amp.

SlickWillie · 01-10-2011, 07:21 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Andy

Jim, they told me that they were rated for up to 30 amp. Once I get out of this cold weather I plan on switching back to 15 amp.

Must have fuses for the solenoid valves on the pump....that pump draws way more than 30 amps. But then, cold weather should not effect solenoid operation. Got my curiosity up.

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