Power jack failure help, please

[FreshAir]

Today I ws working at the front of our trailer which required lifting and lowering the tongue with the power jack. During a lowering mode the jack power went off while I had my finger on the switch. The small lights on the jack would not work. I checked the in line fuse and the fuses near the battery but all were just fine. I put a meter on the service line to the jack but it was not hot. Of course that meant the emergency brakes were not working either. All other electrically operated systems, water pump, fans and lights in the coach are working. The coach was connected to 110 shore power at the time of the jack failure. I disconnected the 110 and everything that should work on 12 volts worked except the jack and emergency brakes. I think there is a time fuse on that line(car charge) which I will pull the panel on the belly tomorrow. Does anyone believe that there is another thing that I should check? Electricity has always baffled me beyon simple circuitry. Thanks in advance.
Neil

[mi silver]

Hi Fresh Air I had a problem like yours the fuses were alright.But make sure you don't put the in line fuse down too far or they won't make contact.But my real peolem was the cover for my propane tanks had chewed away some insulation and I had to repair the line fron the battery to get it to work.I just used electical tape. Any way good luck!

[TBRich]

If the problem IS the wiring getting worn by the propane tank rubbingn against them... this was our solution when noticed wear on the power jack and break-away wiring where it runs underneath the edge of the propane tank cover on our 06 19' Safari...didn't want the wires to wear through and eventually short out...probably at the most inconvenient time possible... So we bought clear plastic 3/8" tubing at the hardware store for $.49/foot, slit it with an exacto knife, and covered the both wires for the break-away, and then another piece for the jack that runs all the way from the base of the jack to the in-line fuse holder...we taped around it with electrical tape about every 4 or 5 inches so it would remain closed, but would not allow moisture to be retained. That's one less thing to worry about. It took about 2.5 feet of tubing.

[FreshAir]

Thank you for the replies so far. I checked for 'juice' at the in line fuse. There was none so my probem is somewhere back from there. This morning I will pull the cover under the front of the coach and check the connections and the fuse there.
Neil.

[Minnie's Mate]

I had the same problem that TBRich describes. I cut the section of wiring with the crushed wiring insulation out and reconnected with a wire nut that I completely encased in electrical tape to make weather proof. I managed to re-direct the wire away from the tank covers so it wouldn't rub the wire again.

[Mikethefixit]

Neil<<<>>>Our PO I think threw away a perfectly good power jack and replaced it with a crankup. He said it quit working. Sometime after getting the Overlander home I was in the electrical panel for another reason ,checking circuits,and low and behold I came across a breaker(little oblong box with two poles) that was dead. I looked up the color code (yellow) I think it was (whatever) and that breaker was in the jack circuit.
I'm not there to look at your panel,but don't rule out a bad Breaker.
I got one at the local Auto Parts store it bolted and fit the panel perfectly.
Look luck
Roger

[FreshAir]

I found the 'breaker' that Roger mentioned. It's what I remembered seeing when I installed the power jack. It checked out. The ONLY things affected by this power failure are the jack and the break-away brake switch. Both are connected to the car charge line which I don't use. I have a feeling my problem is located in the back near the battery. The fuse back there, that the jack sometimes blows, isn't getting 'juice'. Would there be a problem at the 'Intelle-Power 9200'. If so I reeeaaaally am lost!
Thanks,
Neil.

[richinny]

no, you're not lost you're really close! keep tracing that line to see the next connection. somewhere between the jack and the battery, you have an open circuit.

[toastie]

On my 1965 Caravel had a hand crank, went to a brand new power jack and had problems with the power jack itself, then back to a dependable brand new hand crank and love it.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by richinny

no, you're not lost you're really close! keep tracing that line to see the next connection. somewhere between the jack and the battery, you have an open circuit.

I just uncapped all the wire nuts underneath where all the wires from the tongue connect. The 30 amp breaker there checks out. If it were just the jack it may be a simple problem to find but the break-away brakes are also affected. There is no power at the fuse near the battery. I pulled that fuse tray forward and peered behind but did not see anything suspicious. I think I shall see if the running and tail lights work. From the front connection that I just described to the rear battery the wires are 'buried'.
Thanks,
Neil

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by toastie

On my 1965 Caravel had a hand crank, went to a brand new power jack and had problems with the power jack itself, then back to a dependable brand new hand crank and love it.

Agree with that but I'm not dependable. After lifting the 510# tongue AND the who knows how heavy the rear of a 4400# car twice each time to connect WDH bars I finally caved. I askd Santa and he (she) thought me worthy of such a gift.
Neil.

[Mikethefixit]

Neil
If you can get to the closest open connections for the jack,take a battery or battery charger and connect to the jack and see if you can operate it without all that other wiring. The rocker switch in the jack may be bad. Eliminate all those possibility's first
Roger.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by Mikethefixit

Neil
If you can get to the closest open connections for the jack,take a battery or battery charger and connect to the jack and see if you can operate it without all that other wiring. The rocker switch in the jack may be bad. Eliminate all those possibility's first
Roger.

Roger, that's what I finally did. Also I recalled what I was working on when the jack quit. I was straightening a stabilizer with a sledge hammer. I figgered perhaps that perhaps I jarred something loose. I checked the jack switch then followed the line to the in line fuse. Even though I had looked at the fuse before and it appeared just like it should I put it to the meter......'IT' was BAD. The sledge pounding must have loosened the unseen connection in the fuse. New fuse is in and All's Well In Airstream Land again.

Thank you all for your imput. It surely is nice to have you friends to turn to.
Neil.

[Mikethefixit]

Neil
Dont feel to bad .That has happen to me. Makes ya feel real good that a thing as small as a fuse has succeeded in KYA. I recently had a yard tractor with a bad ground,I searched for 3 weeks.Checked and double checked every circuit. I finally stumbled on it.Made my customers day,when he found out I got him out of buyin $400 worth of parts he didnt need,like the previous Tech that he had had it too told him.
SO GLAD YA FOUND IT I knew you would if ya kept looking.
Roger

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Neil. Glad to hear that you found the problem with your tongue jack. For those with newer trailers, in the picture you can see what I did to save mine from future problems. I originally used clear plastic tubeing like TBRich used, but I put mine on the bottom edge of my tank cover. Then, at a later date, I decided to relocate both my tongue jack wires and break-away wires. I run them along the outside of my frame and into the battery box.

Airstream still runs these wires under the propane tank cover. Why?????

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Airstream still runs these wires under the propane tank cover. Why?????

My wires, jack, break-away switch and car to trailer, are all inside the tongue frame. Sometimes it's good to say, "they don't make 'em the way they used too."
Neil.

[ROBERT CROSS]

You may consider a JOSS switch.

While discussing security for the Classic, DW suggested this solution.

Install a jack-off switch,, hide it in a good place, may not stop 'em but it will slow 'em down some.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

You may consider a JOSS switch.

While discussing security for the Classic, DW suggested this solution.

Install a jack-off switch,, hide it in a good place, may not stop 'em but it will slow 'em down some.

My dad had installed such hidden switches on most of the cars he had owned. I guess I was a good kid because he let me 'in' on their locations in the cars I knew of. They were the family cars of the 40's and 50's. I never learned from that as I've had 2 cars stolen, one never again to be seen and the other which was recovered but led to my introduction to my now DW 40 years ago. I remind our kids occasionally of how close they became to being perhaps cocker spaniels. To which our red head daughter retorts "an Irish Setter."
Neil