Jayco electric lift problem

[Galaxie Girl]

Hi all, new here and hoping someone can help diagnose our problem. Sorry for the long post but wanted to try to give all pertinent info.

We recently bought a 2012 Jayco model 1207. It has an electric lift system including a remote fob and interior buttons to actuate the system, and an ac mounted on the roof. When we bought it, the seller already had it popped up for us to view, and it had no problems lowering.

The first time we popped it up at home, it was somewhat jerky and would intermittently stop lifting, but got all the way up using the fob. Second time we popped it was to pack for our first trip and it kept stopping every 2-12 inches but eventually got up. At the campground, it was even more jerky and stopped frequently so we used a drill to finish lifting it.

We thought maybe the telescoping posts needed lube so we sprayed them with silicone spray per the owner's manual prior to packing up at the end of the trip. When lowering the roof to come home, it was unresponsive to the fob (light on the fob still works but maybe battery is low) so we used the indoor switches to lower the roof. After getting home it wouldn't lift with the fob or interior switches at all, we had to use the drill to lift it.

It has been plugged into Shore Power every time, so since that's been consistent that doesn't seem to be the problem. Fuses are all good, no other electrical problems anywhere. We removed the wood panel over the motor and everything looks clean, no rust or obvious issues. The owner's manual recommends lubing the winch but I think that must be for a non-electric system because it looks nothing like our system, which is a Lippert electric system.

Is there anything we should lube with our system, and if so how? Any thoughts on why it's gotten progressively worse each time? Is there a way to safely remove and test whether the motor is simply burned out? Thanks in advance!

 

[Ladiesman]

The lift works on 12 volts even if you are connected to Shore Power its a 12 volt motor so the first thing I would check is that your battery is actually good and all the connections are tight. Being a 2012 and used you really have no idea when and if the previous owner changed the battery and if you need to replace it make sure you buy a true deep cycle battery and not a dual purpose. I am betting you have a voltage problem.

 

[Galaxie Girl]

The lift works on 12 volts even if you are connected to Shore Power its a 12 volt motor so the first thing I would check is that your battery is actually good and all the connections are tight. Being a 2012 and used you really have no idea when and if the previous owner changed the battery and if you need to replace it make sure you buy a true deep cycle battery and not a dual purpose. I am betting you have a voltage problem.

Thanks! We are actually almost positive the battery is bad, it won't hold a charge very long which is why we had it plugged into Shore Power each time (we plan to address the battery soon since our next trip will have no hook ups). We disconnected the battery during our last trip and the electric roof system still lowered the roof on Shore Power while the battery was disconnected, so I assumed the battery didn't need to be connected for the lift system to work. Would it be different for raising vs lowering?

When we have it plugged in at home we have it running through an adapter plug since our home outlet is a 15 amp, not 30 amp. It worked before to lift the roof but not this last time, and since we didn't change that connection we figured that wasn't the issue. Electrical is not my strong suit but I've been trying to figure out what has changed each time and there's really nothing different in how we've powered the lift system so that's why I was thinking either lubrication or motor burnout, or both.

 

[Firehawk068]

You have to have a good, fully-charged battery connected to use the electric winch.
The shore-power converter will not provide enough amps to use the winch by itself. It will probably just "Beep" at you.

 

[Galaxie Girl]

You have to have a good, fully-charged battery connected to use the electric winch.
The shore-power converter will not provide enough amps to use the winch by itself. It will probably just "Beep" at you.

Is that true for both lifting and retracting? Because we definitely had the battery disconnected when we lowered the roof with the electric system at the campground. Does it use fewer amps for lowering since gravity is helping?

 

[Firehawk068]

You might have gotten lucky, and gravity did most of the lowering for you.
My electric winch on the Starcraft uses about 60-70 amps to raise the roof. There is no way the converter alone would supply enough power. You have to have a good battery connected.

 

[Ladiesman]

Is that true for both lifting and retracting? Because we definitely had the battery disconnected when we lowered the roof with the electric system at the campground. Does it use fewer amps for lowering since gravity is helping?

The converter supplies 12 volts but it is no where near enough to fully power the winch. So thats why you had the hit and miss going up and when you think about it the winch is only keeping up with the cable on the way down there really is not nearly as much load so yes it would use less power on the way down as apposed to up where its under load A new battery should solve all your problems.

 

[Galaxie Girl]

The converter supplies 12 volts but it is no where near enough to fully power the winch. So thats why you had the hit and miss going up and when you think about it the winch is only keeping up with the cable on the way down there really is not nearly as much load so yes it would use less power on the way down as apposed to up where its under load A new battery should solve all your problems.

Thanks to you, and to Firehawk068 above! I think that makes sense. I had to take some electrical course work back in college as an engineering major but it's basically magic to me, lol. Give me physics any day!

We'll work on getting a good battery before our next trip and hopefully that will fix our lift problems!

 

[Sneezer]

Take the good battery out of your car and hook it up instead. That will allow you to test the lift system with a known good battery before you get a new one.

 

[Galaxie Girl]

Take the good battery out of your car and hook it up instead. That will allow you to test the lift system with a known good battery before you get a new one.

Oh I like that idea!

 

[jmkay1]

I had to take some electrical course work back in college as an engineering major but it's basically magic to me, lol. Give me physics any day!

Sorry, I just had to respond to this as it made me laugh. My father is also an engineer and he made the same comment word for word. He also adds I know enough electrical to be dangerous.

 

[Fordiesel250]

Great thread!

 

[coverus]

Hi all, new here and hoping someone can help diagnose our problem. Sorry for the long post but wanted to try to give all pertinent info.

We recently bought a 2012 Jayco model 1207. It has an electric lift system including a remote fob and interior buttons to actuate the system, and an ac mounted on the roof. When we bought it, the seller already had it popped up for us to view, and it had no problems lowering.

The first time we popped it up at home, it was somewhat jerky and would intermittently stop lifting, but got all the way up using the fob. Second time we popped it was to pack for our first trip and it kept stopping every 2-12 inches but eventually got up. At the campground, it was even more jerky and stopped frequently so we used a drill to finish lifting it.

We thought maybe the telescoping posts needed lube so we sprayed them with silicone spray per the owner's manual prior to packing up at the end of the trip. When lowering the roof to come home, it was unresponsive to the fob (light on the fob still works but maybe battery is low) so we used the indoor switches to lower the roof. After getting home it wouldn't lift with the fob or interior switches at all, we had to use the drill to lift it.

It has been plugged into Shore Power every time, so since that's been consistent that doesn't seem to be the problem. Fuses are all good, no other electrical problems anywhere. We removed the wood panel over the motor and everything looks clean, no rust or obvious issues. The owner's manual recommends lubing the winch but I think that must be for a non-electric system because it looks nothing like our system, which is a Lippert electric system.

Is there anything we should lube with our system, and if so how? Any thoughts on why it's gotten progressively worse each time? Is there a way to safely remove and test whether the motor is simply burned out? Thanks in advance

Also check the brushes of the DC lift motor. The brushes provide power to rotor. They wear out over time and lose contact with the rotor. Look at a schematic for the motor on your lift to find the location of the brushes.

I doubt Jayco used a brushless DC motor for the lift.

Brushed DC electric motor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[poppy65]

Hi all, new here and hoping someone can help diagnose our problem. Sorry for the long post but wanted to try to give all pertinent info.

We recently bought a 2012 Jayco model 1207. It has an electric lift system including a remote fob and interior buttons to actuate the system, and an ac mounted on the roof. When we bought it, the seller already had it popped up for us to view, and it had no problems lowering.

The first time we popped it up at home, it was somewhat jerky and would intermittently stop lifting, but got all the way up using the fob. Second time we popped it was to pack for our first trip and it kept stopping every 2-12 inches but eventually got up. At the campground, it was even more jerky and stopped frequently so we used a drill to finish lifting it.

We thought maybe the telescoping posts needed lube so we sprayed them with silicone spray per the owner's manual prior to packing up at the end of the trip. When lowering the roof to come home, it was unresponsive to the fob (light on the fob still works but maybe battery is low) so we used the indoor switches to lower the roof. After getting home it wouldn't lift with the fob or interior switches at all, we had to use the drill to lift it.

It has been plugged into Shore Power every time, so since that's been consistent that doesn't seem to be the problem. Fuses are all good, no other electrical problems anywhere. We removed the wood panel over the motor and everything looks clean, no rust or obvious issues. The owner's manual recommends lubing the winch but I think that must be for a non-electric system because it looks nothing like our system, which is a Lippert electric system.

Is there anything we should lube with our system, and if so how? Any thoughts on why it's gotten progressively worse each time? Is there a way to safely remove and test whether the motor is simply burned out? Thanks in advance!

I agree with Ladies man. Some of those DC motors have a safety switch that opens up if the voltage is low. Running a DC motor on low voltage will burn it up. Have your battery tested before you buy a new one.

 

[wvernonc]

Jumper cables to test.

 

[DanZaw]

Oh I like that idea!

Better yet, just put on a set of jumper cables from a vehicle to your camper battery. No doubt in my mine either that it's the battery.

 

[Karey]

I have a different camper - an Aframe. Our lift stopped working at the end of our last trip. We finally had set up our system with 2 new batteries and use Renogy 100watt suitcase to charge, which has been perfect to fully charge our camper all the time. I did notice one of the batteries has some white crud developing, so was going to try cleaning all the terminals.

That last trip was to windy, WINDY Wyoming and was a terrible trip. We had to partially open the camper up several times to make sure both the fantastic fan and air vents were totally locked, since the wind wanted to open them. And so many dusty roads. Tried many spots for fishing, but way too windy everywhere! So besides the battery, wondering if too much dust accumulation on motor and wiring? Should I try to hose down everything underneath?

That trip then required us to have to open and close a lot since we moved around daily. Batteries got charged and plugged it in when home. The lift makes a noise like a dying alternator on a vehicle, but that's all.

 

[fronsm]

I had the same type of issue. I needed a new battery, and it worked, but intermittently. Finally, it just stopped going down. I had the switch replaced. Solved the problem, mostly! Now when raising it, it goes up about 8 to 10 seconds and there is a click in the battery and it stops. I have to wait and listen for another click and then I can raise it some more. No problems putting it down. Any ideas on this?

 

[DanZaw]

Hi all, new here and hoping someone can help diagnose our problem. Sorry for the long post but wanted to try to give all pertinent info.

We recently bought a 2012 Jayco model 1207. It has an electric lift system including a remote fob and interior buttons to actuate the system, and an ac mounted on the roof. When we bought it, the seller already had it popped up for us to view, and it had no problems lowering.

The first time we popped it up at home, it was somewhat jerky and would intermittently stop lifting, but got all the way up using the fob. Second time we popped it was to pack for our first trip and it kept stopping every 2-12 inches but eventually got up. At the campground, it was even more jerky and stopped frequently so we used a drill to finish lifting it.

We thought maybe the telescoping posts needed lube so we sprayed them with silicone spray per the owner's manual prior to packing up at the end of the trip. When lowering the roof to come home, it was unresponsive to the fob (light on the fob still works but maybe battery is low) so we used the indoor switches to lower the roof. After getting home it wouldn't lift with the fob or interior switches at all, we had to use the drill to lift it.

It has been plugged into Shore Power every time, so since that's been consistent that doesn't seem to be the problem. Fuses are all good, no other electrical problems anywhere. We removed the wood panel over the motor and everything looks clean, no rust or obvious issues. The owner's manual recommends lubing the winch but I think that must be for a non-electric system because it looks nothing like our system, which is a Lippert electric system.

Is there anything we should lube with our system, and if so how? Any thoughts on why it's gotten progressively worse each time? Is there a way to safely remove and test whether the motor is simply burned out? Thanks in advance!

My thoughts on this is perfectly consistent with what others are saying. First, trash the battery and get a new deep cycle. But because of something you wrote that caught my attention is you hear a click from the battery and it stops moving. Then again in a bit you hear a click and it will work again only for a short while. There is no clicking or any other sound from a battery. I would suggest it's an inline 12v circuit breaker mounted near the battery. That's where the clicking comes from. When it heats up from lifting the load it switches itself to open until it cools back down and it switches back to closed when it cools a bit. That's what you get, that others have explained, is you can drop the top down without a problem using the 12v Inverter but the Inverter doesn't put out enough amperage to lift the top. A new battery should cure your problem, it's not the circuit breaker.

 

[fronsm]

My thoughts on this is perfectly consistent with what others are saying. First, trash the battery and get a new deep cycle. But because of something you wrote that caught my attention is you hear a click from the battery and it stops moving. Then again in a bit you hear a click and it will work again only for a short while. There is no clicking or any other sound from a battery. I would suggest it's an inline 12v circuit breaker mounted near the battery. That's where the clicking comes from. When it heats up from lifting the load it switches itself to open until it cools back down and it switches back to closed when it cools a bit. That's what you get, that others have explained, is you can drop the top down without a problem using the 12v Inverter but the Inverter doesn't put out enough amperage to lift the top. A new battery should cure your problem, it's not the circuit breaker.