dlonerg

dlonerg · 05-09-2019, 11:25 PM

Our camper is a Thor/Vegas 25.2 2017. This week replaced our 2 coach batteries that went over the winter. Now our awning fuses keep blowing. Everything else works in the camper. We noticed that the in and out switch on the awning are working opposite each other and keep blowing the fuse. The motor isn't making a noise and now my husband has been unable to get the awning all the way back in and went through multi fuses (correct fuse 15 amp). We used some bungie cords to hold the arm to the camper in case it get windy. We are thinking that maybe the switch is blown. Anyone else have this issue?

The Gritz Carlton · 05-09-2019, 11:43 PM

Sounds like you my have wound it back in "over itself". Common mistake. If you continue holding the button when extending it, it will actually wind back up and retract. This will cause the buttons to reverse in function. Try extending it all the way out with your "retract button"...stop, then press the "extend button" and hold it, allowing it to completely retract. This may be what's blowing the fuses as well an could have damaged the motor from it trying to run but up against the body of the coach.

dlonerg · 05-10-2019, 12:18 AM

Today when my husband was replacing the fuse it was blowing the fuse before he even touched the switch. The awning was out a little. Yesterday when he replaced the fuse it would blow just starting the switch. We will try what you have suggested tomorrow after I go get him some more fuses. Thanks

JimOIB · 05-10-2019, 12:39 AM

Start from the beginning - replaced 2 coach batteries. Look to make sure they are connected correctly. If they are 12v batteries and you installed them in series then you are putting 24 volts vs 12 volts into your coach - not good.

If they are installed correctly then you have a short in the awning wiring or motor.

dlonerg · 05-10-2019, 12:52 AM

Thanks for responding. The new batteries are exactly the same as we had previously two 12 volt batteries. Installed them exacting as they were from the factory. We are thinking we need to try as the Gritz Carlton mentioned. My husband is going to call Thor directly tomorrow and see if someone from maintence have some advice or thoughts about why the fuses keep blowing with the awning. None of the other fuses are blowing. Everything else works fine. Hopefully it's not the motor.

halfprice · 05-10-2019, 01:53 AM

I'd pull the switch and check the wiring. Its shorting out and if the switch is wired backward something else in there could be bad. Once the switch is out try to open and then close the awning by bypassing the switch

Good luck

Jerry

dlonerg · 05-10-2019, 10:42 AM

Jerry: We understand about using an external battery to try and retract the awning but when we pull the wires in the switch how do we know which of the wires in the switch to use since there are probably about 5 attached to the switch? dlonerg

JimOIB · 05-10-2019, 01:34 PM

Try this - https://www.lci1.com/assets/content/...CD_0002065.pdf

nosticks · 05-11-2019, 11:16 AM

This is what happened to me. The wire to the awning motor is routed up the forward arm. After some usage, it got pinched and the result of that was a dead short. Look where the wire enters the arm, it is routed behind the hinge point. I spliced the wire and moved it to the side of the arm to clear the part pinching the wire.

Oh, try using something in your post title besides your user name. You might get more responses.

dlonerg · 05-16-2019, 11:57 PM

we checked the wiring in the arm of the awing and see where it could be pinched however it doesn't look stressed or cut. You said: I spliced the wire and moved it to the side of the arm to clear the part pinching the wire. When you spliced the wire did that show that the internal wires were cut? Can you show me how you did that by a picture? dlonerg@comcast.net.

nosticks · 05-17-2019, 12:18 AM

No on the picture, no access at the moment. On the wires, they were visibly smashed, insulation crushed and bared wires shorting.

dlonerg · 05-17-2019, 10:28 AM

Thanks for replying. Are wires are looking fine, not frayed or pinched. We will look closer to where the wires come out of the camper into the arm to see if everything is ok there. Still blowing the fuse. Pretty frustrating...Thanks dlonerg

JimOIB · 05-18-2019, 01:51 PM

In looking at the manual there are only a few components that could cause the problem - switch, motor and wiring.

1. Put a new 15 amp fuse in and press the “out” on the switch. Does it blow the fuse?

2. Put a new 15 amp fuse in and press the “in” on the switch. Does it blow the fuse?

If it blows the fuse in one direction and not both then it is probably the switch. If it blows both ways then you have another problem. If you suspect the switch then pull it out and look for anything odd at the connections.

3. Open the motor covering and make sure all of the connections are good. Look for any debris , frayed wiring inside the cover or anything that has gotten into the motor housing, especially water or a bug. I had a slug get across my AC capacitor and the AC didn’t work. Spider webs are bad for electronics, too. Grab the roller tube and try to rotate it a bit forwards and backwards to see if the motor is jammed. There shouldn’t be too much resistance. If there is the motor might be seized up.

4. Since you inspected the outside wiring and don’t see any pinches then look for where the wires leave the coach and pull out the caulking. Pull the wires through the hole and make sure the wire nuts are still connected. The wires could be shorting inside the coach where they are connected by the wire nuts.

If they look good, disconnect both wire nuts and try steps 1 and 2 again if the fuse blows then there is an issue with the switch.

If the wire nuts are good, and the switch isn’t blowing the fuse then it is an external wire or the motor. Put an ohmmeter on the two wires disconnected at the wire nuts. There should be some resistance - somewhere between 10 and 100 ohms. If it is zero then you have a short. Inspect the wires again. If there are no issues with the wires then it is a bad motor.

This all started after replacing the house batteries. Make sure they are installed correctly. With a voltmeter measure across the red and black terminals going into the coach and make sure they are 12 and not 24 volts. My Navy training taught me to look for what changed first.

dlonerg · 05-19-2019, 11:53 AM

Thanks for responding. We did find the problem finally. Almost gave up yesterday after going over everything again and then found frayed wires in the housing of the motor. We had been through all that last weekend and found nothing. We decided to try again and removed the housing around the motor again and Bingo!. This has been so very frustrating but everything is ok now. I put electrical tape around the wires for now and the awning is working fine and no fuses are blowing. Thanks to everyone else on this forum who responded too. We have had a number of issues with our Vegas since purchase but we still love it. Now I need to try and put a question in correctly to the forum and not just my user name. dlonerg

The Gritz Carlton · 05-20-2019, 12:19 PM

"We have had a number of issues with our Vegas since purchase but we still love it."

The most profound statement one could make!! Once people "get it", LG!!

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