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Slow electric hatch opening...

PA-Checkmate

PA-Checkmate

Active member
2002 Convincor that the hatch opens very slow due to voltage drop at lift motor. While opening the voltage drops to about 6 volts and on close it's around 10v. The voltage should be battery(12V) or more if engine is running. Haven't checked supply voltage at switch yet, but think it's related to the wire gauge used along with total length of wire? Anyone else have this issue and was there a fix?


My solution is I'm designing a circuit to feed the lift on the "up" supplied from a source closer to engine or battery.

thanks
 
Throw your amp-meter on there and see what it's pulling. Maybe the lift motor is pulling a lot of current? The size of the current draw will tell you if the circuit supplying the lift motor is large enough for the load served. As always, verify all grounds are clean and tight.
 
Also, a 20 to 30 amp load will work up to about 4 feet on #12 wire. #10 wire up to 16 feet, #8 up to 24 feet. Remember to include return path to ground in your measurement.
 
PA-Checkmate said:
2002 Convincor that the hatch opens very slow due to voltage drop at lift motor. While opening the voltage drops to about 6 volts and on close it's around 10v. The voltage should be battery(12V) or more if engine is running. Haven't checked supply voltage at switch yet, but think it's related to the wire gauge used along with total length of wire? Anyone else have this issue and was there a fix?


My solution is I'm designing a circuit to feed the lift on the "up" supplied from a source closer to engine or battery.

thanks
Click to expand...

Very common problem. You need to add a relay in between the switch and motor. One of these winch relay solenoids does the trick. The wiring is never heavy enough from dash switch to run one of those actuators let alone as time goes by and things corrode.

https://www.amazon.com/Winch-Soleno...s=winch+relay&qid=1557163086&s=gateway&sr=8-3
 
Gimme Fuel said:
Very common problem. You need to add a relay in between the switch and motor. One of these winch relay solenoids does the trick. The wiring is never heavy enough from dash switch to run one of those actuators let alone as time goes by and things corrode.

https://www.amazon.com/Winch-Soleno...s=winch+relay&qid=1557163086&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Click to expand...

Going to check AMP draw next week when I get boat back from getting new cover made. Motor didn't get hot, and only has a 15AMP fuse but I'm sure it's all the wire in the circuit. Power supply to dash switch, then both wire runs from back to front. My guess there's 30ft wire in that circuit. I like the relay... but I'm going a different route with the typical 4 prong relay. Going to have it only activated on the up switch polarity with a feed off the engine somewhere to boost the current/voltage to the motor. I also installed a diode to the relay "coil" so it will not activate on the down switch which is reversed polarity. does that sound like BS or maybe I may be onto a simple cheap fix??
 
PA-Checkmate said:
Going to check AMP draw next week when I get boat back from getting new cover made. Motor didn't get hot, and only has a 15AMP fuse but I'm sure it's all the wire in the circuit. Power supply to dash switch, then both wire runs from back to front. My guess there's 30ft wire in that circuit. I like the relay... but I'm going a different route with the typical 4 prong relay. Going to have it only activated on the up switch polarity with a feed off the engine somewhere to boost the current/voltage to the motor. I also installed a diode to the relay "coil" so it will not activate on the down switch which is reversed polarity. does that sound like BS or maybe I may be onto a simple cheap fix??
Click to expand...

Kinda reinventing the wheel. you can get similar or lighter duty reversing relays than one i posted for cheaper. It doesn't get much easier than adding a relay like that inline and running some heavier wires directly to battery with inline fuse.
 
Mine was dragging bad on the 283. Acculift is close to me so I took it there and had it rebuilt. The owner dropped what he was doing and rebuilt it while I went and had lunch. Although it was in good shape he said the rubber bushing shrinks over time squeezes the ram until this drag occurs overworking the electronics . He rheemed it out and put a gear reduction in it to allow the life of the actuator to double. He charged me around $100.
 
Got to check AMP draw today and was about 11amp until hatch was near open and then peaked about 14a. The circuit has a 20amp breaker and according to Lenco the HL-1200 should draw 10amps. Going to install my homemade relay kit and then check but still think circuit has too much voltage drop.
 
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