Help!

[azlaine]

HI i was wondering if someone could help me with a few questions
1. under the trailer end the right side cable looks a there's some slack in it.
What do i need to tighten it?
2.  cranking up the popup.
we have a 1978 coleman ticonderoga
i'm having a problem understanding  that instruction to cranking it up
it shows the u put the crank handle in top thingy (sorry don't know word for it)
and then it shows there's another thing at the bottom.
i've posted the link the instruction book and it's under  set up instructions it's on page 2
could someone please help me understand it in layman's terms.
thanks all the help i could get would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.popupportal.com/manuals/Coleman/Coleman_1978.pdf

3. the running lights on the side have no power.

[coach]

Here the direction to adjust the roof if it is unlevel.
Coleman lift system manual

Not all coleman PU have the extra thingy!

[azlaine]

Will have to replace Pulleys in a few of the arms any suggestions? or if anyone lives in the peoria az area that knows about  coleman  camper lift please contact me thanks

[ScouterMom]

Your lift system is similar to mine, except that yours is 'hidden' inside the camper and mine is more exposed.  I have a 1973 Starcraft.

If you have one 'slack' line - Is that corner also a bit low? or doesn't seem to be under tension? Does it seem like the other three are holding that corner up?

I can think of two causes -
1 - the cable has slipped off or broken one or more of the pulleys in the systems of that corner.
2 - the cable has stretched (this won't be much, they don't stretch much)

If the cable is just a tiny bit slack, you can usually adjust it where the four corner cables attach to the main one or in many colemans - what think they call the 'whiffle tree' hidden inside the front wall of your camper which pulls all four cables at once.  Usually there is a 3-4" turnbuckle - or Eye bolts, that allow you a small adjustment to the length of cable - in my camper, 1" of adjustment to these Eyebolts raises or lowers a corner 2" (Because the cable is doubled over inside the corner posts)

if the cable inside the corners has come off one or more pulleys, you may have to replace a pulley or two, or sometimes, just clean them up, lubricate and re-install them.  Sometime in the 70's SOME campers used nylon/plastic pulley wheels that wore down and let the cables come off or get pinched between the side of the wheel and it's bracket.  Some used metal pulley wheels. For my starcraft, I found a pulley that would work, in my local Ace Hardware store. (they carried a large selection of individual, unique hardware - but they were hard to find)  usually you can order replacement parts from Coleman, (and certainly, Starcraft) fairly inexpensively. If you DO replace them - go for Metal ones!

------
Your running lights on one side have probably got a loose wire somewhere. Problem with this is that some of your wiring is probably hidden (inaccessable) inside your camper walls.  
Do the turn & brake signals all work?
if the brake and turn signals work, but the running lights don't - there's probably a loose connection - just open up each light, check it's wires and connections & use a tester to make sure there is power to them - where there isn't - you  may need to reconnect or run a new wire. It's pretty much like testing old Christmas lights. The 'inside' parts to these lights can be found in most automotive stores that carry trailer light parts.  you may need to replace some corroded sockets.

If you can't find the break and need to fix them to make the camper 'legal' to trailer on the road, you can buy inexpensive trailer light kits and run the wiring through the camper frame.  These have easy instructions to follow, and all the  parts you need. They list the length of trailer on the package, so you get enough wire for your size trailer. They can be permanently mounted or some are magnetic/temporary - allowing you to put them on the trailer and take them off to use elsewhere once you have had time to trace down the wiring problem in the originals.

With all the repairs I've done to my old Starcraft, (rotted wood, new floors, lots of major projects)  I'm still using the 'trailer light kit' that I installed 3-4 yrs ago - but it is legal and it works.  I left the original completely alone, other than cleaning all lights and contacts & replacing bulbs trying to find out why SOME of my lights didn't work. Since so much of the wiring is INSIDE the walls, (and I've been occupied with more urgent projects) I haven't been able to get to re-wiring the whole thing, which is what I think my system needs.  The walls aren't 'easy' to get into. Mine are basically  like thick corrugated cardboard - like hollow core doors - and everything else is glued/ stapled to them. I DO want to restore my camper's original lighting, so I will probably simply cut the old lines and completely re-wire the OLD lights, but through the trailer frame and straight up to the lights.  Most of my 'running lights' are either in hollow decorative areas at the front and back of my camper, or close to the roof supports, where I can tuck wiring between the posts and wall structure.

Good luck!  These old campers are worth the work and can be loads of fun!

Laura

[azlaine]

Ty  We did find that one of the pulleys had came apart so we replaced that and DH will look under and see if we can tighten it.  the left rear is up about an 1" or so the rest close great. i'll keep you updated

[4Campers]

One possibility that comes to mind is that the crank has been turned too far when lowering the roof causing slack in the cable. When you lower the roof once it's down enough to touch the body continuing to crank will allow the excess cable to reel off. I usually crank mine back up again after latching it just enough to take the slack out of the cable.