Electric Tongue Jack Issue |
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hiker39
Newbie Joined: 25 Mar 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Topic: Electric Tongue Jack Issue Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 4:14pm |
My 195 has an electric tongue jack and it was dead when I went to use it for the first time since last fall. I checked the fuse and it's good, it's getting voltage to the switch and I checked all the solder joints which look good. After some trial and error I found that if I started to hand crank it and then hit the power switch the motor runs in both directions, but from a dead stop it acts like it's dead. My lead acid batts lost some acid over the winter so they have been topped off and are charging now - thinking perhaps there isn't enough voltage to start it from a dead stop. I even tried hooking the electrical to my tow vehicle with the motor running and still won't run without giving it help.
Let me know if you have run into this or have ideas - thanks for your help!
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 5:39pm |
Did you check the ground connection? A resistive connection on either pilarity could cause the voltage to drop too low during motor start.
Also, spray everything that moves with wd40 to lubricate it, or if you see corrosion try PB Blaster to get that loose. Then run the jack up and down all the way several times getting it started by hand cranking if needed. Basically youre trying to clear any corrision out of the jack and getting it lubricated. If you still suspect weak connections get a multimeter, disconnect the battery, and use the ohmmeter function to see what the wire resistances are in both the plus and minus legs. If none of that works you probably need to plan on buying a new electric jack. Or just use the manual jack and consider it a bit of arm exercise. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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hiker39
Newbie Joined: 25 Mar 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 5:48pm |
Thanks for your help offgrid - I'll grab the multimeter and some WD40 and see if I can get anywhere. If it gets replaced it will be with a manual jack for sure!
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3252 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 7:20pm |
Our 11 year old manual jack on a 177 still works great every time rain, shine, snow, sleet. Pretty dependable so far.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4517 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 7:22am |
We had something similar happening, so I removed the Jack and found there is a star washer on one of the three bolts that was fairly rusty, cleaned it up and seemed to do the trick work fine after that.
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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john in idaho
Senior Member Joined: 04 Nov 2014 Location: Eagle Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 611 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 10:13am |
Remember -- a battery loses water by evaporation, not acid. So don't add any acid- just water. An d distilled water is best. A 50 cc syringe or a turkey baster is a precise way to fill the battery, and your battery may have a Fill to Here mark. Takes a lot more than you think it will if the liquid is just covering the plates. the curve on the front of some pods makes filling the batteries a real exercise, but necessary .
You need a voltmeter. And a flashlight . And maybe a third hand.
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2653 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 11:33am |
I would also get a multimeter to check the voltage right at the motor, or as close to it as you can get. It sounds like you might have a low battery, or possibly a high resistance connection. If the voltage to the motor goes way down when you try to operate the jack, then it's likely the high resistance connection.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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hiker39
Newbie Joined: 25 Mar 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 2022 at 4:59pm |
Was able to do a deeper dive today and was somehow able to get it working properly - at least for now. While I didn't use a volt meter I am fairly certain a resistive connection was the issue. Here's what I tried and what eventually worked... Visually inspected the wire from the battery to the jack - looked good. I cleaned all the connections at the battery - still had the issue. The 30amp fuse holder between the jack the battery had connections that looked corroded so I tried to clean but eventually removed it completely - spliced it with a quick connect and still had the issue. Removed the top from the gear box and repacked with grease - still no joy . The only connection I could not check were the two wires going into the motor. I was working to remove the motor but I would need to remove the gears to get to the mounting nuts - not up for that. So as a last resort I expertly jiggled the wires leading into the motor and now it's running like it used to. I did more jiggling once it was running good and I can't get it to fail now. I don't hold out much hope of that fix lasting one it get jiggled on the road but who knows. I'm keeping the manual jack handle handy.
BTW - I used distilled water to top of the batteries but thanks for pointing it out - my description could be a bit more spot on. Also - I'll be adding that fuse back in for safety. Just wanted to eliminate it as a possible cause for troubleshooting purposes. Thanks for all the help!!
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marwayne
Senior Member Joined: 25 Oct 2011 Location: Edmonton AB Can Online Status: Offline Posts: 1002 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 2:53pm |
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
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gpokluda
Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 327 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 4:36pm |
Hate when that happens and you don't know the root cause. We had a similar thing happen after the first winter storage with the electric jack we installed on our 2017 179. We attacked it with WD40, checking connections, the whole enchilada. I manually cranked it and towed it home where, upon arrival it worked fine. My wife made a water repellant hood for the head of the jack to protect it from dust and the elements when the trailer is stored. Never had a problem after that. Not sure if that was the solution but we haven't had issues in the 2 years since then.
Cheers
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Kawasaki KLR650 |
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