all switches don't work but remote does

ramsfan1999 · 06-09-2015, 07:40 AM

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and to the fifth wheel world. We recently bought a 2012 Cougar 293SAB. We have used the unit a handful of times and everything had been working normally. This past weekend we went camping and I went to put out the awning and the switch on the monitor panel did not work just for the awning. I put out all three slides using the wall switches and the landing gear down using the switch on the front. I decided to try the remote. The awning worked off of it. When we went to load up. None of the switches worked now, awning, all 3 slides and the front landing gear. I was plugged in to 30 amp at the campground. I immediately thought fuses or breakers. I checked everything on the inside with a multimeter I had and all had voltage on both sides of the fuse, all the breakers were not tripped. I looked in the front storage area and found 2 inline fuses, one was blown and one was not. Problem located I thought. I replaced the blown fuses but still none of the switches worked. Before I started to manually crank everything in on a whim I thought well the remote worked with the awning, lets try it. And it worked for all three slides, the landing gear and the awning but still none of the switches worked. I looked on google and some people were saying to "reset the panel" by disconnecting shoreline and turning off the batter switch. This did not help me. I pulled the panel off the wall to see if there were any visible fuses but did not find any. Has anyone run into this issue before I am baffled how the remote works all functions but not the switches. everything is obviously getting power.

Please give me some guidance, I am not ready to take it to the dealer and let it sit for the season and pay through the nose. Thanks in advance!

**JRTJH** · 06-09-2015, 08:15 AM

A couple of things come to mind:

1. What is done with the remote "MUST" be undone with the remote. ie: if you turn on a light with the remote, the switch for that light is "removed from the circuit" until you turn the light off with the remote. Same for the slides, front landing gear, etc. So, "undo what you did" with the remote, then try the switches. Hopefully they will work.....

2. Some of the electrical system is removed from the battery power when the battery cutoff switch is "OFF". However the remote will still function normally regardless of the battery cutoff switch position. Check your battery cutoff switch to be sure it's "ON".

3. Do you have the "smooth, glass panel" control center? If you do, there are a significant number of owners who have problems with that panel. Keystone stopped using the panel and has, in some situations, replaced it with the old style manual switch panel. Do some research on here and you'll find a lot of "enjoyable (or enlightening) reading" about that panel.

Good Luck

ramsfan1999 · 06-09-2015, 08:26 AM

Hi JRTJH,

Thanks so must for the response. The panel on my unit must be the "old style" I have 4 rocker switches (3 slides, one awning) and a rocker switch on the front for the landing gear. Then a few switches for lights pump, etc and the tank monitor buttons. In the past I have put slides out using the remote (watching to make sure I didn't hit a rock) then when I closed up I used the switches without issue. And my remote does not have any options for lights, I have the slides, awing and landing gear only and a flashlight function.

Hope that clarifies things a bit. Thanks again!

**JRTJH** · 06-09-2015, 08:57 AM

In front, next to your battery is a bank of 30 amp DC circuit breakers. It's possible that one of them has failed. Otherwise, you may have an issue with the remote control relay box. Mine failed (during warranty) and we "hot wired" it until the new box arrived. Here's a picture of the DC circuit breakers and a link to the remote control failure thread:

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...ghlight=remote

ramsfan1999 · 06-09-2015, 09:46 AM

Thanks so much John! I did not pay any attention to if there were the circuit breakers you pictured. I didn't see any but again that is not what I was looking for I was looking for fuses and saw the remote control panel. I will take the info and do some investigating! I really appreciate the help!

**JRTJH** · 06-09-2015, 11:13 AM

You're very welcome. Keep us posted on what you find, there's always a "new angle" or "something to learn" on these things !!!

ramsfan1999 · 06-09-2015, 11:37 AM

I definitely will, I'll do some investigation this weekend

ramsfan1999 · 06-13-2015, 11:14 AM

Hi John. Just wanted to update. All my breakers were good. If figured it must be the remote panel. I went to my local Cougar dealer and the parts guy knew exactly what the problem was he told me. To fix it I would need to replace the board for 300 plus cost of programming. He told me he just had one in with the same problem and used his last remote control board on another that unit. He walked me out side and showed me the panel as you had pictured it when telling the other guy how to bypass. He said the ground is usually the culprit and to move the white wire from the left and tie it in with the ones on the right. He said see if that fixes it. If not do the same thing with the black and that will by pass the board. He said you can only do this on the "old" style boards which my 2012 has. He said the new design is more temperamental and cannot be bypassed. He said there is no problem using it in this fashion and both my remote and buttons will work the bypass will just now allow them to be operated at the same time so don't do that or you could fry something. He said if that still doesn't work I'll need a new board.
I am at the camper now and tying the ground only does not work for me but trying both the hot and the ground does. Now my switches and remote both work again. Thanks so much for the help, this forum is great!

**JRTJH** · 06-13-2015, 06:01 PM

Thanks for the update !!!

I'm glad it worked for you. We used our remote panel with the wires "hot wired" for about 8 weeks last year while the dealer was waiting for Keystone to send a replacement. Honestly, I couldn't tell any difference (as far as performance goes) with it hot wired and/or after it was repaired. As you said, it's more a "safety feature" so someone doesn't push the remote control and the inside switch at the same time. Otherwise, the function is identical.

I'm of the opinion that if mine should happen to fail again, since I'm out of warranty now, I'll just hot wire it and keep plugging away. No sense to spend $300 plus for something that "works just fine so long as I don't get switch happy."

Enjoy your "functional again" trailer !!!!!

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