HELP!!! Electric Lift System

[ellasmom]

We just bought a 2003 Starcraft and the previous owner installed an electric lift system after market.  We have been driveway camping this week in anticipation of our first trip this weekend.  We had the PU plugged into a regular 110 plug and we have been using a 30x15 amp adapter on the plug.  The lights in the camper stopped working after about a day but the plugs inside the camper were working, so we weren't sure what the deal was.  SO, this evening we went to lower the PU and it wouldn't lower.  So we plugged the PU trailer into the suburban hitch and the car has been running for almost an hour but still no power to the battery and the PU won't lower.  AND, when the previous owner installed the lift, he did away with the manual crank to raise and lower the PU, so we are literally stuck with it up in the driveway.  What are we missing, is this an easy fix?  does the battery on the PU need to charge longer on the car?  HELP!!!!

Haley

[wavery]

We just bought a 2003 Starcraft and the previous owner installed an electric lift system after market.  We have been driveway camping this week in anticipation of our first trip this weekend.  We had the PU plugged into a regular 110 plug and we have been using a 30x15 amp adapter on the plug.  The lights in the camper stopped working after about a day but the plugs inside the camper were working, so we weren't sure what the deal was.  SO, this evening we went to lower the PU and it wouldn't lower.  So we plugged the PU trailer into the suburban hitch and the car has been running for almost an hour but still no power to the battery and the PU won't lower.  AND, when the previous owner installed the lift, he did away with the manual crank to raise and lower the PU, so we are literally stuck with it up in the driveway.  What are we missing, is this an easy fix?  does the battery on the PU need to charge longer on the car?  HELP!!!!

Haley

Sounds like a blown fuse, bad battery or loose battery cable.

Take the panel off of the front of the converter. You should find some fuses in there.

Are you positive that the trailer has a 12V charge line connected? Most PU trailers don't.

[tknick]

I would agree with Wayne.  All power (12v and 110v) go through the converter.  In the case of 12v, it passes through a fuse and then on to the 12v circuit.  In the case of 110v it goes into the converter, some continues out to the 110v standard household outlets and some is as your would expect "converted" into 12v for use by the 12v circuits.  If you have power to the 110v circuits but not the 12v, there is a blow fuse or loose connection somewere.  

The other solution is to connect a battery directly to the power lift system and bypass the camper system totally.  That wouldn't necessarily solve your problem, but it would allow you to close up the PUP.  If as wayne said, you are positive the charge line is connected, with the TV running and the lift system connected directly to the PUP battery you should have no problem lowering the roof.  The reason I mention being connected to the TV is I don't know how many amps the lift motor uses and I wouldn't want you to kill the batter and only be halfway down.

Let us know what you find out.

travis