MPG 181 Slider Operation

PapaMikey

Member
During a very recent weekend getaway, I picked up our 181 at the storage lot to find that the battery only had about 2 volts of power. I hooked it up and thought that maybe it would charge up on the way to our destination which was about two hours away. When we were setting up the trailer, I found that I could not operate the slider. I could hear the motor trying to work, but nothing was happening. I again the checked the battery charge and now it showed about 6 volts. So, I took the battery out and took it into Angels Camp to O'Reilleys. The tested the battery, showing no cranking power with about 6 volts and dropping fast. With that option, I bought a new battery and headed back to the campground. Once I installed the new battery, everything was fine and I was able to operate the slider. BUT... my two questions are: (1) Where is the manual crank point located to manually open the slider during cases like this? (2) Once I had the AC power hooked up to the trailer, wouldn't the DC converter take over and operate the slider? I checked all the fuses and nothing was wrong there. I am happy that the new battery was the problem, but it was not that old to start with. Unless, I happened to get a defective battery installed on my trailer by the dealer, or it was just time for it to die. Good thing I found out on this trip, because our big road trip is in another week. Not sure I would have wanted to have this experience in the middle of nowhere. Thanks everyone, and I look forward to answers to my two questions.
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
With your trailer plugged in to shore power, check the voltage at the battery. It should read at least 13.2V. If less, then the battery is not seeing the converter and will eventually go flat again.
 

bigmaho

Active Member
just a quick reply, but of you put the camper in storage without disconnecting the battery it will eventually drain the battery to the point where it will no longer take a charge (ie, kill it). If you are not going to use the camper for a couple of weeks, either leave it on shore power, add a solar or AC trickle charger, or disconnect the battery.
 

PapaMikey

Member
Everytime I store my trailer, I remove the negative side of the battery. Not sure why the one that originally came with the trailer decided to die so soon, but now I have a new one on there and it works fine. What I am still wanting to know is why wouldn't the slider open with AC connected? Also, where is the manual crank for the slideout in case it is necessary to crank it out.
 

marc515

Well-known member
To get to the manual crank you would need to remove the plywood panel under the refridgeator; it appears to be glued on, so good luck removing it without doing damage. Hope I never have to access it.

The manual retractor in my MPG-181 takes a 1/2" wrench/socket. A wratchet type wrench looks like it would work the best.
 
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