Slides Intermittently Operational AFTER battery disconnect/reconnect.

[TheSmithWheel]

Hello, thank you for clicking to read this post. The following issue has been present for some time now, and honestly, I've just dealt with it knowing that it will need to be addressed eventually. Perhaps that decision has only added to the current scenario.

2013 Keystone Cougar 5th Wheel

With no discernable rhyme or reason, no matter if I have been on constant shore power or not, the old battery or new battery, the issue remains seemingly intermittent.

When attempting to extend or retract the slides, with the control power LEDs lit and 12-volt power appearing to be present, the slides are non-responsive. The control panel inside the 5th wheel is an electronic push to activate the panel. The buttons are not mechanical, nor is this a digital display screen.

Remember, this does not happen on every occasion. Yet, at every event when the problem occurs, the only way I've been able to overcome it involves removing the negative wire from the 12-volt battery, waiting 15 seconds or so, then reconnecting the battery. When I do this, I hear an audible click near the battery, and it sounds as if it's coming from the control board/module mounted to the wall inside the front bay.

When I got back inside the RV, I power on the wall panel, and then I can manipulate the slides in either direction, whatever the need calls for at that moment.

If there was any pattern that I could call out, it seems as if this may occur after extended periods such as days or weeks. At the moment, upon reset, I can manipulate the slides as needed in or out. Seemingly anytime that same day or within the period of which I'm working with the unit.

Do you have any insight into what might be causing this issue and how it might be addressed or further steps in troubleshooting? I feel confident it's not battery specific or the converter that charges the battery. As the cable disconnect and reconnect quickly gets me back in action. I welcome your thoughts and comments; thank you in advance.

[JRTJH]

I believe you have the "infamous" Cougar "plate glass capacitive touch screen" control panel. It is "infamous" because it started failing as soon as it was introduced. It continued to fail for the entire time that Keystone used the panel. After about 18 months, they stopped installing it and went back to the manual switches. There was a time frame when Keystone would retrofit some trailers that had bad screens, but that program has probably ended several years ago.

I'd suspect that your slide switch is located on the lower half of the capacitive screen ??? As far as I know, nobody has come up with an aftermarket retrofit kit to replace the OEM screen.

Most people who have them, have found that disconnecting power to the panel will reset it and it will work again for a few cycles, then fail again.

I know it's frustrating, but I don't think there has been any "recognized, fix for the problem"....

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by TheSmithWheel

Hello, thank you for clicking to read this post. The following issue has been present for some time now, and honestly, I've just dealt with it knowing that it will need to be addressed eventually. Perhaps that decision has only added to the current scenario.

2013 Keystone Cougar 5th Wheel

With no discernable rhyme or reason, no matter if I have been on constant shore power or not, the old battery or new battery, the issue remains seemingly intermittent.

When attempting to extend or retract the slides, with the control power LEDs lit and 12-volt power appearing to be present, the slides are non-responsive. The control panel inside the 5th wheel is an electronic push to activate the panel. The buttons are not mechanical, nor is this a digital display screen.

Remember, this does not happen on every occasion. Yet, at every event when the problem occurs, the only way I've been able to overcome it involves removing the negative wire from the 12-volt battery, waiting 15 seconds or so, then reconnecting the battery. When I do this, I hear an audible click near the battery, and it sounds as if it's coming from the control board/module mounted to the wall inside the front bay.

When I got back inside the RV, I power on the wall panel, and then I can manipulate the slides in either direction, whatever the need calls for at that moment.

If there was any pattern that I could call out, it seems as if this may occur after extended periods such as days or weeks. At the moment, upon reset, I can manipulate the slides as needed in or out. Seemingly anytime that same day or within the period of which I'm working with the unit.

Do you have any insight into what might be causing this issue and how it might be addressed or further steps in troubleshooting? I feel confident it's not battery specific or the converter that charges the battery. As the cable disconnect and reconnect quickly gets me back in action. I welcome your thoughts and comments; thank you in advance.

I wonder if you can install a power switch or toggle switch under the touchscreen so you can cycle the power to the touchscreen without having to disconnect the battery every time it happens . Maybe pull the touchscreen and access the power wire right there... install a switch in the power wire and mount close by ... not the best way to do it but probably would work

[ChuckS]

Since a replacement panel is not available any more why not simply break out the slide out wire and install a momentary on/off/on slide switch and wire it and bypass that slide out control from the old panel... this would be easy to do if you have the skill sets

Otherwise down the road the existing control will ail completely leaving you stranded

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Since a replacement panel is not available any more why not simply break out the slide out wire and install a momentary on/off/on slide switch and wire it and bypass that slide out control from the old panel... this would be easy to do if you have the skill sets

Otherwise down the road the existing control will ail completely leaving you stranded

I didn't address the above suggestion, although it is an excellent recommendation, provided you have the skills to do the work or know someone who does. Remember, however, that since no replacement panels are available, other than possibly from an RV salvage yard, once you start, if you "screw something up" and damage the rest of the panel, you may find that more than just the slide switch is inoperable. If that happens, you may end up with an inoperable RV until you become a "in depth rewire expert" and rewire/bypass the entire panel with all it's functions....

So, proceed with some level of caution as well as optimism for having a functional slide switch.....