Electric hitch jack malfunctioning in the rain

[monkeydance]

Hi all, the hitch jack on my 20' 2010 flying cloud retracted by itself this morning. Twice. It's raining so I believe there may be an electrical problem due to moisture. I dried off the top and seams as best I could and put a plastic bag over top just in case. It has not retracted again over the last hour.

Suggestions? I attempted to disconnect the relevant fuse (owner's manual said cir 6), but that appears to not impact the jack.

I am parked up an incline (back higher than front). Should I retract the stabilizers just in case this happens again? How bad is it for the fridge to be on an incline if the jack retracts again while I am out? Wheels are chocked so at least the trailer shouldn't roll away.

[SteveSueMac]

The fuse on my jack is on the outside, a wire hanging off the back has a fuse cap in it. You could set it in place and disconnect that external fuse and it should hold. But you'll need to repair it eventually... Good luck!

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by monkeydance

Hi all, the hitch jack on my 20' 2010 flying cloud retracted by itself this morning. Twice. It's raining so I believe there may be an electrical problem due to moisture. I dried off the top and seams as best I could and put a plastic bag over top just in case. It has not retracted again over the last hour.

Suggestions? I attempted to disconnect the relevant fuse (owner's manual said cir 6), but that appears to not impact the jack.

I am parked up an incline (back higher than front). Should I retract the stabilizers just in case this happens again? How bad is it for the fridge to be on an incline if the jack retracts again while I am out? Wheels are chocked so at least the trailer shouldn't roll away.

This little yellow connector is actually a fuse holder for the jack on our Bambi.
You might find that it was spray painted when your Airstream was built but I'd wager it is there. If you separate it you will find the fuse inside and then you can disable the jack.
Bruce

[HowieE]

Generally when a jack self lowers the inerworking of the jack post has failed. If it were an electrical problem, and I doubt it, you would here the motor turning.

You may be able to use the motor to jack the trailer up and place blocks under the tongue but don't trust the jack till it is fixed.

[ijustlee]

Rain water is not generally electrically conductive and it is highly unlikely that rain is shorting out a 12 volt circuit. Did you hear the motor running when it retracted? Maybe the switch is broken inside, does it feel normal when you move it? Good idea to block the tongue up until the problem can be fixed.

[monkeydance]

The jack made all the sounds it normally does when retracting. This happened once before, but I was on level ground with the air on, so didn't hear or notice it happening, and so wasn't sure it had actually retracted itself. It was raining then, too.

[Jekerrville]

Monkeydance,

In laundering our 28' Cloud I noticed a considerable amount of water entering the top of electric jack switch compartment.

If you have the same jack and have lived in an area with high salt our industrial activity it IS very possible that water ingress has entered into the switch body and caused corruption of the switch contacts inside the switch body.

This corruption CAN cause sufficent "bridging" of the switch contacts when enough moisture is present and in effect pass enough current to cause the motor to run and by chance lower the jack.

Water itself may not be sufficent to conduct enough current to run the motor, but that along with corruption of the contacts inside the switch, that sure can.

Change the switch and dispatch the problem. Be sure to buy a small can of electrical LPS branded water blocking spray.

Spray the inside of the switch housing where the switches are located to coat the switch body and the contacts and I bet it will solve the problem. I will post you the exact material in a bit.

Replacing the entire jack is an expensive solution and IMO is unnecessary.

Best regards.

[Jekerrville]

Greaseless Lubricant, Aerosol Can, 11 oz.
LPS #00116
Displaces moisture, lubricates and protects electrical components. Does not attract dirt or mold.

Used in place of silicone that will attract water

[Phoenix]

We use an old boat fender to protect our Atwood electric tongue jack. See link for more info:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f457...ml#post1782162