Well Lippert got me again.
A couple of years ago my left side Schwintek motor failed (Broken wires on the motor) so I eventually replaced both motors (miss diagnosed and replaced the wrong motor the first time, so replaced the other motor with new as was not going to put a old / used motor in)
Well in the last few moves now the right side has been acting up.
This time I know now better how to diagnose which motor is causing the problem.
Sure enough removed the motor and found a broken wire.
I replaced both motors since the broken wire issue is a design issue that has been corrected on newer model motors and while I had things apart and was motivated I wanted to longtime fix.
The wiring on my 2014 model Schwintek motors attaches directly to the motors circuit board, that is where the wires break. The redesign has a plastic connector / support at the motors circuit board connection that supports the wires and hopefully prevents them from breaking.
Tested operation and all is good in Redwood Land again.
Rob,
Glad you got it taken care of. Lippert put the new, updated motor in ours and it has worked great--no issues. Ours was spinning in the casing. We thought their customer service was amazing.
Rob, what are the symptoms? Intermittent?
Yep, intermittent operation of one side.
When the wires break the motors get out of sync, I have found the side that stops is not the one with the broken wire.
The broken wire has been on the other side so the one that with the broken wire keeps moving but stops sending out pulses so the other side stops as it thinks it is out of sync and stops.
Whoever designed these slides with the Schwintek motor is junk! For the third time it has failed me. You can't get to them first of all. One of mine requires removal of the slide. The other side is difficult at best. You can't see what your doing. lining up the motor etc is near impossible. I do not trust this any longer. I am afraid to go anywhere for fear my slide with not come in.
I am currently having issues with our schwintek slide on our 12 36RL. There is no way to remove the motor from the inside! There is no cut out notch on the inside on our model. Has anyone had to remove the outside trim edge to remove the motor from the outside. I found one tech bulletin online regarding removal on non notched systems but very little detail.
@simon I've had to do quite a bit with our Schwintek motors and have never had to remove any trim. While it's a little difficult and awkward to get to, you should be able to reach the motor and pop it out of it's mount to remove it. Maybe post a pic?
We have a 2015 38RL with Slide-in-Slide, so I have four Schwintek motors. The small slide has not ever had problems, but the big slide has had two -
First, the rivet that held the motor mount in place sheered so the mount would move in transit and the motor would pop out, allowing the front of the slide to move away from the coach. When I finally diagnosed the issue, I put a self-tapping screw in the mount and the motor has remained in place since then. But boogering up that motor popping it in and out, I chewed up the plastic cap that protects the electronic board and then pinched some wires so had to replace the motor.
The second issue happened this May when I was pulling the slide in to leave Florida. The rear motor on the big slide stopped after moving about 3 inches. The blinking light code showed an over-voltage in the rear motor. Very confusing and a lot of testing, but the short story is I inched the slide in little by little, running it in with the switch until it stopped and reversing it to reset it, then in again, reverse to reset, etc. When the slide got all the way in, I held the switch for 5 seconds, and opened the slide. I had to do that about three times and then it started running like it's supposed to. All I could figure was the controller got out of time and shut the motor down.
The motor should always be accessible. With the slide out, find the set screw under the seal that holds the motor in place and remove it. Take a little pressure off the slide and the motor should pop out with a screw driver.
If the slide is in, there should be enough play in the set screw to pop the motor up out of the mount. With the motors disengaged, you can push the slide manually. And for what it's worth, I stopped installing the set screw on the outside. It hasn't seemed to make any difference as far as holding the motor in place.
@rog-paul after posting this question I realized I had inadvertently resurrected an old post during my search for information. Thanks for taking the time respond with some very valuable info and tips about the schwintek system. I will take all that I can get.
Since this inquiry, I have done quite a bit of research and learned a great deal. The issue with accessing my motor is due to the age of the system....somewhere around 2012 they changed to the current style of H column that has a motor removal notch cut out allowing for easy access from the inside. Systems prior to this, including the one in my 2013 36RL, were meant to have the motor removed from outside after supporting and moving the slide room out slightly to move the schwintek gear train to the outside of the coach with it. The workaround for DIYers like myself is to cut a motor removal notch or access port in the H column on the inside of the coach. I have since done this and am currently waiting for the arrival of a new motor along with a spare from Amazon. Hoping to have it replaced in the next day or so!
Thanks again!
Wow that is also good info to know for the older Schwintek models. Thanks for posting!
Schwintek is pure *$@##. I hate em. Mine has now Malfunctioned 3 times. Never a good time. Always when I need it to work most.
Mark
Another helpful tip - Bontrager's RV Parts and Supply in White Pigeon, Michigan (near Shipshewana Indiana) has salvaged Schwintek motors for $55 each. I purchased two when we were at the Rally this year just to have them on hand in case I need them. It's a whole lot better than the $200-300 from Lippert and a third of the price for the knock-offs on Amazon.
