ColinM50 Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 We have an electric drop down bed in our 2017 M/H and last summer the bed motor packed up, had to be pushed back up. Coming down was OK but going back up it really struggled and stopped/stalled. I asked the dealer to fit an uprated better motor but he refused saying he had to stick with Eldiss standard parts. So in Feb this year he replaced it like for like. Now it's gone again. Same symptoms so needs replacing again and the dealer says he'll ask Eldiss if he can fit a better motor but I can guess their reply. Last year I tracked down the manufacturer in Italy and they put me on to their UK agent and they flatly refused to sell me a motor, said it had to be ordered by Eldiss and they could only supply the standard part. So can anyone advise or point me in the right direction to buy either a better motor from the same manufacturer or a different one? Markings on mine are type AOMP140; Serial No 00191752; Date 04/08/2017; Code 6910428. Interesting that the date on the motor is six months AFTER it was fitted. Still, any suggestions or help please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 Anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJB Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Just return to the dealer every 6 months for a free motor fitting. Don't forget to give them a bill for travel expenses. PS. Only the dealer is liable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Apologies if I talk rubbish as I am not familiar with your set up. Drop down beds never used to have motors so does your bed really need a motor? How would you cope if the leisure battery failed? If the motor is removed is it easy to push the bed back up unaided - maybe gas struts, or more powerful gas struts if you already have them, might help with motor longevity? Or are you the only one with this problem in which case maybe the mechanism or hinges or whatever the bed moves on needs looking at or freeing up? Is there an owners club or forum where you can discuss it with other owners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Probably probed 2000 marketed. Their could be many reasons, not only the motor it self. I had one and was a complete nightmare, unable to drive the motor home. Suggest you study the system in detail if you are a handy- man or have a specialist advice and repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy mccord Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Tracker There will be a handle with the van allowing you to manually wind down the bed Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Tracker - 2018-10-25 12:10 PM Apologies if I talk rubbish as I am not familiar with your set up. Drop down beds never used to have motors so does your bed really need a motor? How would you cope if the leisure battery failed? If the motor is removed is it easy to push the bed back up unaided - maybe gas struts, or more powerful gas struts if you already have them, might help with motor longevity? Or are you the only one with this problem in which case maybe the mechanism or hinges or whatever the bed moves on needs looking at or freeing up? Is there an owners club or forum where you can discuss it with other owners? The operating principles of the electric bed-in-ceiling that’s become popular for low-profile motorhomes bear little resembence to the cantllevered swing-down bed historically used in A-class vehicles. This video-clip demonstrates the operation of the Project 2000 bed system that Colin’s Elddis probably has. Although (as Andy has said) there should be an emergency capability to lower/raise the bed manually, the system is very much designed for electrical operation and, even when the ‘winding handle’ is sensibly located (!!!) considerable time and effort will be needed to carry out the task normally performed quickly by the electric motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted November 1, 2018 Author Share Posted November 1, 2018 As always, Derek's got it dead right and the video shows how it works. I do have a tee handle that slots into the motor in a cupboard under the bed but it takes at least 300 turns to lift the bed up. Not too hard to do but very time consuming though this is leisure stuff so time shouldn't be an issue. As an interim I carry a socket spanner that neatly fits my lekky drill so if I can't lift it at all by motor would revert to that. I managed to speak with the bed motor manufacturer's UK agent and he was very helpful. Says it's the dealers issue to solve BUT he doesn't think it's a motor problem. Made two suggestions, first was maybe my battery's flagging a bit, asked if it's OK on EHU and it is better than just battery but not perfect, so I'll try another battery "just in case". His second suggestion was maybe the cabling is under sized and the motor's stalling due to excessive current draw? He said they've seen this before and recommend to converters to use a bigger cross section cable. Wouldn't be drawn on whether Elddis have this issue - says to take it up with Eldiss or the dealer. As regards taking it to another dealer, Marquis Northampton or Ipswich would be easier for me but I spoke with one of their managers at the NEC last week and he said they have so much work on sorting out the m/h's they've sold, they're not taking on any more warranty work unless they sold the m/h in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 A motor will not stall due to excessive current draw, it will however take maximum current when stalled. May I suggest the more credible alternative, as has been hinted, that given there is no exceptional stiffness in the bed mechanism, excessive voltage drop in the supply circuit is not allowing sufficient current to flow for the motor to move the load (bed). A motor used in this application is likely to be only suitable for short time intermittent operation without overheatng. (Normal use would only be one bed raise and lower a day.) A stalled motor is always likely to overheat with the OP's stated result. Inadequately sized supply cables are only one possible cause of voltage drop. Poor connections at fuses and control switch would have the same effect. Look for any signs of overheating other than the obvious one at the motor. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 This 2017 discussion may be of interest (and includes a link to a Project 2000 ‘bed’ manual) but whether Elddis has used the advised direct battery-connection and the 6 mm2 cabling is anybody’s guess. https://community.smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum/technical-section/technical-discussion/23640-project-2000-lifting-bed-system Colin and I have discussed this issue briefly via PM and I’ve suggested that it might be worth trying to establish if this is a known problem with Elddis electric drop-down beds by asking about it on the Elddis Owners Club forum. If lots of Elddis owners are having similar trouble, the Elddis installation is probably to blame: if other Elddis owners’ beds are not malfunctioning, there may be a fault with Colin’s motorhome’s bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Colin, It does sound from the other threads that voltage drop might be an issue from lots of connectors/switches/long cable runs. Maybe running the motor 'under voltage' has increased the current draw overloading the infrastructure? It probably won't help now that the motor sounds damaged, but may I suggest that when you get it fixed, running the engine at a fast idle will boost the voltage in the wiring while you raise the bed? That assumes that you have a 14.4v Alternator charge rate at the habitation battery, which may not be the case. I would even go so far as to suggest a cable from the split charge relay direct to the bed electric motor switch feed might be an easier, better, option than uprating the wiring from the habitation battery as suggested in the thread by GasGas? His 12 metre cable run sounds ridiculous, even if it was 16mm let alone the recommended 6mm. This 'fix' would even work well when the habitation battery has been run down 'low' overnight allowing you to use the Starter battery/Alternator as the prime power source ? Another thing to consider might be a habitation battery that has the highest resting voltage? Conventional batteries are usually around 12.6v, but a Varta LFD90 is nearer 13v and with it having up to 70% better electrical flow, there should be less voltage drop under load. That is why they work so well on Diesel Heater equipped vans. When we were rebuilding 6v and 12v Starter motors there was a definite link between Starter Motor wear on a poor quality battery versus a good, quality battery, we think because of the lower voltage causing issues. So try and get the voltage at the Bed Motor as high as you reasonably can with the engine running and you should reduce the risk of any further motor problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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