Electrical issue - Montana Owners Club

sambam · 10-08-2014, 05:26 AM

For some reason, on our Montana, we don't seem to be getting power to the toggle switches for the landing gear and stabilizers, which are located under the bedroom slide in the box which also houses the individual slide-out valves. I've tried chasing the wiring to the problem, but can't find anything wrong. There is a fuse in-line which also is ok. Both the landing gear and stabilizers work with the remote, so not a motor issue. No blown fuses in main panel. Both switches quit simultaneously. It doesn't matter if I'm plugged into shore power or not. All other DC components work as they should. I have not tested the wiring at the switches to determine if power is getting there. I am suspicious of the switches, but it seems odd they would both stop working at the same time. They're wrapped tightly with electrical tape and, since we're going away for our last trip this weekend, didn't want to go too deep into it right now. I wanted to ask you guys if any of you have run into this and what you found to be the problem. Thanks for any insight.

**Carl n Susan** · 10-08-2014, 08:19 AM

This is not an uncommon problem. Here is one (of many) post on this problem. Search the Archives (it appears to be working today) for more.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=50575

**DQDick** · 10-08-2014, 10:34 AM

Very common problem, changing the ground seems to be the answer.

sambam · 10-09-2014, 04:40 AM

You guys did it again. I jumped the ground over to the frame and bingo. Everything works as it's supposed to. Thanks, Carl for the link to the post that explained it all.

1retired06 · 10-09-2014, 10:57 AM

Proper ground is often the problem with electrical problems. First thing I always check.

Overlord · 10-22-2014, 11:50 AM

Well, it finally happened to me too.

Rocker switches will not activate the landing gear, stabilizers, and slides.

Read all of the posts about moving the ground wire and looked at all of the included pics, then went out and looked at the wireless module with screwdriver in hand.

...much to my surprise, mine does not look like any of the pics that I saw. It seems that all of the wiring terminals on my module are potted in place.

So, I was wondering (dangerous territory), could I just use an automotive type splice connector (sets in place with pliers)

to establish a ground circuit to the frame without clipping the appropriate potted wire to test if the ground is indeed the problem., ...or does it really need to be clipped from the potted terminal for it to work?

Tom S. · 10-22-2014, 01:04 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Overlord

Well, it finally happened to me too.

Rocker switches will not activate the landing gear, stabilizers, and slides.

Read all of the posts about moving the ground wire and looked at all of the included pics, then went out and looked at the wireless module with screwdriver in hand.

...much to my surprise, mine does not look like any of the pics that I saw. It seems that all of the wiring terminals on my module are potted in place.

So, I was wondering (dangerous territory), could I just use an automotive type splice connector (sets in place with pliers)

to establish a ground circuit to the frame without clipping the appropriate potted wire to test if the ground is indeed the problem., ...or does it really need to be clipped from the potted terminal for it to work?

If you're out in the boondocks and need a quick temporary fix, or if you are asking if it's OK to use one of these just to see if the ground is the issue, those are fine as long as you reseal the wire where the blade cuts into the insulation. Otherwise, those are not the best way to go. It's best to check and clean the ground that's there, or if you need to run a new ground wire, solder it. If your switch has a plug on it (not sure what you mean by the term potted), try removing the plug and check for corrosion. At the same time, you can check the ground wire in the plug for continuity. That's a fancy word meaning the ground wire actually has a good connection to ground. You can do this with an ohm meter or a flashlight battery and light bulb. Or you can buy a continuity tester for a few bucks at Harbor Freight.

Overlord · 10-22-2014, 01:45 PM

Being potted means that the electrical item is filled with "non-conductive goo" (yeah, that's the technical term

) that sets up like a hard, rubbery, plastic to encase the "guts" (another tech term) and protect it from moisture and vibration. ....also to make it impossible to repair/replace individual components of the circuitry, so that you have to buy the whole shebang and replace the entire unit.

You may also like: