Uflex hatch lifter malfunction

[Russell]

I did not find anything on the Uflex electronic hatch lifters with the search engine so I am wondering if anyone has had trouble with the pair on the big fish box showing intermittent operation. Mine operate for about 2 seconds and then stop. I have to release the switch and they reset and will run for another 2 seconds. They do this all the way up and down and even if the hatch is lifted by hand at the same time. I called technical support and the person asked me about red and blue wires and the weight which is no where near the maximum and then said after 10 years they may be worn out. The batteries are new and having the battery charger on does not help. I think there is a relay that cuts power in case of too much weight that could be malfunctioning but the technician said that was not possible. The one over the engine works perfectly and it is opened more often than the ones on the fish box so I cannot see how they would be worn out. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

[Tree]

Russ I'm not familiar with these. Are they hydraulic or purely electrical?

[Carl]

Russel, I have had the same issue with the same hatch on my 28 since new. They still work, but I might have to hit the switch up, down, up, several times before it gets all the way up. I just did a search as well and found this below from another site. Will investigate this possible issue with wire size when it warms up a bit.


"Being a new Prowler owner I'm not sure this is a new problem but it was new to me. My engine hatch would lift but only actuator would work. When I initially hit the switch, both would start but the port actuator would quit and the starboard actuator would lift the hatch. Pulled the port actuator out and when connected to a battery, it worked fine. So since one actuator had beenn replaced with a different brand I thought that was the problem. So I ordered two new actuators. Installed them and the same thing happened. So I replaced the dash switch and still no joy. When the light finally went on I knew the wire running from the switch to the actuators was too small and the voltage drop was killing me. I believe it is 2 conductor 18 gauge (16 amps max) wire. So I ran a piece of 2 conductor 12 gauge (41 amps max) wire from the switch to the starboard actuator and then connected the two actuators with a piece of 2 conductor 10 gauge (55 amps max) wire. Both actuators work great now. Runs up and down a lot faster on both battery and shore power.

Just thought I would pass this on in case other Sonic owners are having a similar issue.

OBTW - if you need a repalcement actuator let me know. My original two work fine."

[Russell]

Thanks Carl but I think the wires Albin put in are 12 or 14 gauge. When my brother gets here to help me I will disconnect the lifters from their brackets and see if they both operate. If we figure out the problem I will post it, if not I think I will just live with it. We hardly ever have to open that hatch and if there is an emergency the lifters allow for opening by hand although in that case the hatch will not stay up without a support. They seem to be very nice electrical units but over $500 each.

[bobm]

i have had the same problem on my 2005 28 FD "REEL LOVE". Replaced both actuators. Helped some but not enough. I replaced the old connectors between wires in the bilge and that helped as well. Still not perfect. I think the problem is with the electrical current. They work better when on shore power or generator. Still usually will not rise all the way on one push of the switch. Will close properly. Flex USA told me to disconnect both actuators from hatch and then retract both completely. Close hatch and manually extend and reconnect both to the hatch. Then operate with the switch. This is supposed to synchronize the operation of the 2 lifters so they work together. That seems to help but they don't always stay synchronized for some reason. If they don't work together at the same time the hatch is too heavy for one and the lifter will stop. They work enough to get by but I may try new larger wires when i get a chance. Good luck and let us know if you find a better fix.

[Russell]

Finally got around to repairing this intermittent lifter problem. My brother suspected that the problem was in the communication red and blue wires. He disconnected them from the port lift and found their opposite end connection on the starboard wiring harness. Checking for continuity showed one of the connectors had corroded internally. He replaced the connector and it works like new. It turned out to be a very simple problem but knowing where to look was the key.

[furball]

Russell,
I am working a similar problem.
I checked the red and blue wire continuity this weekend. All appears fine. I did notice however, the red wire on the starboard side connects to the blue on the port side and the red on port connects to blue on starboard. Is your setup the same way? Mine has been wired this way all along.
I have good connections from the switch to the lifter, I'm now thinking it's a relay in the lifter going bad. Power for the forward hatch lift is jumped from the aft switch. Never have issues with the front lifter so I'm confident it's not a power problem.

[Russell]

Yes my wires are connected like that. It seemed wrong so one of the first things I tried was switching them to match their color. No help. Then we got the instructions and found they were wired correctly by the Albin factory. You would think that Uflex would change the color of the connectors for pairs but they probably have only one configuration and if you have two lifters working as a pair you just have to follow the instructions.
The intermittent problem came back last year and again it was continuity in one of those small feedback wires. This time one broke completely off the connector. They should have used larger gauge wire but trying to save a few pennies causes a lot of problems. This time along with a nice section of heat shrink tubing, I put cable ties everywhere to keep them from moving. You can fold them and tie them to the larger cables. If you are having the same problem where it runs for a few seconds and stops I would check those feedback wires very carefully. Without the feedback one lifter gets ahead of the other, they jam and a relay turns them off. A few seconds with the switch off and they are reset to go again. If yours are doing this, the relay is probably functioning the way it is supposed to.

[furball]

Thanks Russell,
For the last nine years its been pretty consistent. Stops and starts a couple of times most lifts. Sometimes no stall at all, all the way up. Not usually. It recently got worse. You would hear them run and quit, no deck movement at all. Toggle the switch a couple times and nothing. Sometimes I would hear the replays click. Sometimes it sounds like only the port lifter running. Sometimes 1/2" at a time.
So Sat morning I opened it up.
Replaced the switch, checked for continuity on the wire connections and jumpers between the aft and forward hatch lifter switches, checked for continuity between switch and strut. And from starboard and port strut. Checked both the red and blue wires and they were fine. I made a short jumper and jumped the blue wire across the bilge just for fun and that made no difference.
I would drop the hatch a bit and try to raise it back and same problems. Really had to work the switch over and over to move it back to full open position. Reconnected the original wire.
Confident I have a good power supply since the forward hatch power comes off the same power feed and never a hiccup on the front hatch.
Friend stopped by and we rechecked a couple. He worked the switch really fast back and forth and the lifters started working. Ran the hatch all the way down and all the way back up. Like new. 5 or 6 times. Perfect. No stalls at all, top to bottom. Called my wife out to check it out. Perfect.
Put everything back together. Happy Camper!
First time I hit the switch, nothing, nothing, nothing.
Back to it this weekend. Going to disconnect the lifters from the hatch and see if they cycle. Then I'll call Uflex back and see what they say.
Wondering if that fast rocker switch movement freed a stuck relay and it's stuck again. Tried to recreate the last time, almost used a hammer no dice.
Still working on it.

Thanks again,
John

[Russell]

John
That is really bizarre. I hope you find the solution and post it so we all can learn what to do when it happens to us.

[furball]

Well, looks like the lifter is shot.
After getting the hatch open, removed the pins from the hatch and disconnected both lifters. The starboard lifter slid back into the lower tube without resistance. Not the port lifter. Retracted the lifters and tried again. Only the port extended. The motor would engage in the starboard lifter but only briefly enough to start to twist the lifter arm and then quit.
Talked to Uflex and there is no repair option so once I confirm the length, I'll order the replacement.
I think a relay is bad or running it up and down 4-5 times in a row was not a good idea
I'll let you know how it turns out.
By the way, when I asked the guy about replacing one or both he said,
" well, you can try replacing just one. "
Let you know how it works out.

John

[Russell]

John
Did you ever resolve this lifter problem?

[furball]

Yes, replaced the starboard lifter and all is good. No more stalls when it goes up. Appears the port lifter is good.