2022 Jay Feather Micro 166Fbs Tongue Jack Issue

TomC_AZ · 10-06-2021, 01:43 AM

I am new to the forum and a new/first time trailer owner. We love this trailer however have an interesting issue that appears to be somewhat different from other posts I have read on this forum.

I am having a power issue on our tongue jack. It is the FIC model. We went on our first trip and after coming home the jack no longer works when using the battery (no light or jack function at all). However it does work when plugged into the truck... For reference the battery is new and full and everything else that is 12v on the trailer works fine without being plugged into the truck.

I have followed the wire it goes to a junction box on the front of the frame. Nowhere on this wire is there any fuse as mentioned in other posts. Also there is no fuse in the junction box. The bottom of this trailer has a cover, would the fuse be under that cover on the bottom of the trailer?

I do have one 15amp (not 30) fuse in the fuse box inside that when I remove the fuse it does not have a little red light (showing broken connection) it also does not make any spark when plugging back in. This is the very top fuse.

Any help would be appreciated!

Dkastner · 10-06-2021, 05:39 AM

Congrats on your 166FBS! We have a 2021 model and really like it as well.

I recently had an issue with our FIC jack. It would not move in either direction, however, the light would work.

Rather than risk the long wait by scheduling service at the dealer we bought it, I contacted the Customer Service rep for FIC. They were very patient and thorough in their troubleshooting, waiting on the line while I completed different tests. In the end, it appeared that it was merely jammed.

I would recommend contacting them first to determine if why it works only while plugged into the truck. If you are inquisitive, I do recommend removing some of the screws for the bottom cover to take a look under the trailer. Pretty sure you will not find a fuse, but you may be surprised at what you do find. I know I was.

Is there anything different on the trailer between your recent trip and now that might affect it? I don't think it is in the loop for the jack, but how about checking the battery disconnect?

Good luck on getting the issue fixed! Please post a followup when it gets resolved.

TomC_AZ · 10-06-2021, 01:52 PM

Thanks for the info, I have not tried the battery cut off however if that was loose or disconnected I wouldnt think anything else inside the trailer would work, and it does. I'm with you and dont want to wait on scheduling any repair for something that should be simple :-) I do have a request into Jayco support, but have not heard back from them yet. I will try FIC directly, didnt know they would help..

TomC_AZ · 10-15-2021, 01:59 PM

Ok update time and asking for some help identifying these..

I guess on the new trailers they no longer are putting normal "inline" fuses on for the tongue jacks. I took the time today to trace everything, take the bottom off the trailer and to test with volt meter. I found that on battery I am only getting 9 volts at the jack wire. When tracing it down there is a "junction bar/fuse" that I found it connects to (red/white wire) in the area by the hot water heater. On that the top has 12v but the bottom has 9-10v. So bad fuse or what ever this is... Might be self resetting fuse but not sure. Does anyone know what these are? I believe if I replace it I will be fine again.. I hope... nothing was or is loose as well so all of that is good.

Dkastner · 10-16-2021, 03:00 PM

Here is an update on my jack issues. I had it working and then it was "jammed" up. I tapped on the tube in the upper right area and it started working again. I have checked it by hitting the button the last few days and it seemed to work, albeit somewhat slowly.
Went to pick up trailer today and no power at switch. Tapped on it and it worked, but when hitching it up, it had no power to raise the frame. Plugged it into the truck and still not enough power and it finally stopped working at all. Light still worked but no jack motor. Used the manual wrench to hook it up and pull it home.

Began working sporadically at home and I started thinking - wiring/connection issue, most likely a ground connection. So I removed the jack from the trailer frame. The three bolts holding it to the frame were badly corroded and instantly suspect. (Somewhat surprising as it is only 5 months old. Florida rain I guess.) Proceeded to remove the shroud from the motor and at least a half-cup of rust-colored water came out.

The top of the motor had indications that water was sitting on top, so I cleaned it all up and reassembled the connections using dielectric grease.

Cleaned all the bolts and mounting holes on the jack frame. Tested the jack by grounding the jack to the negative post on the battery and it worked fine.

Reassembled everything with dielectric grease after getting rid of as much corrosion as possible. The jack now seems to work like it did when new. I plan on fashioning some sort of waterproof cover to help keep water off of that whole area. For now, a lawn size garbage bag will have to suffice.

We are taking a short trip with it so if there are any new developments, I will post them.

JayLo · 10-16-2021, 10:23 PM

Thanks for such a thoughtful post and solve. My power jack on 171bh sounds like it hates me, but I have no reference. I will now what to do when trouble comes!!

Dkastner · 10-17-2021, 05:33 AM

I am surprised that this issue arises so quickly, but i really shouldn't be considering the direct exposure to the elements. We live about 12 miles from the ocean but still suffer effects of some salt corrosion.

When we return from our trip, I will be replacing the star washers and bolts that attach the jack to the frame, possibly with stainless steel, and sealing them with silicone.

Hopeful that TomC_AZ is successful at troubleshooting as well.

mokurt · 10-17-2021, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomC_AZ

Ok update time and asking for some help identifying these..

I guess on the new trailers they no longer are putting normal "inline" fuses on for the tongue jacks. I took the time today to trace everything, take the bottom off the trailer and to test with volt meter. I found that on battery I am only getting 9 volts at the jack wire. When tracing it down there is a "junction bar/fuse" that I found it connects to (red/white wire) in the area by the hot water heater. On that the top has 12v but the bottom has 9-10v. So bad fuse or what ever this is... Might be self resetting fuse but not sure. Does anyone know what these are? I believe if I replace it I will be fine again.. I hope... nothing was or is loose as well so all of that is good.

Not an electrician but with the labels on them I would guess they are fuses also.
Should be the same voltage across.
Did you check the crimping on the wire terminals?

If its under warranty you could go that route.
Or find a new fuse.
Or buy and inline fuse and wire directly to the battery.

Just searched and found that those are circuit breakers available from Amazon.

Dkastner · 10-23-2021, 06:23 AM

Follow up on our trip and the jack. TLDR - Fail.

Longer version is that it failed while hooking up the TT to the TV. It will work fine one second, then not move the next. When it does work, the motor sounds very tired indicating a weak connection. It is totally random.

I can still get it to work again by (light) tapping on the right side of the tube with a dead-blow hammer. In fact, at times it will work/sound normal, then slowly degrade in performance.

Will be contacting the manufacturer for replacement.

Dkastner · 11-08-2021, 12:02 PM

Update on the jack connection issue.

Contacted the manufacturer for replacement and they asked me to do one more thing. According to the CSR, the company changed their manufacturing method by shortening the wire and grounding it to the motor/tube connection bolts. This in effect turns the tube into the ground connection when it gets bolted to the frame. He recommended running a wire from the grounding post on the motor to a ground on the frame. Even though this would require complete disassembly of the head, he had no problem with a homeowner doing it themselves and would not affect the warranty.

Finally got to it today and did as he instructed. I ran the wire all the way to the main grounding post on the bottom, front of the frame. Buttoned it all up and it works very well. No power loss or slow running motor.

Royal Tar · 11-16-2021, 08:40 AM

I had a similar problem on our 212QB that also has the FIC power jack. Found one of the issues to be a broken auto resettable breaker that wouldn’t reset. Purchased a replacement from Amazon: Fastronix 20A 12V Type 1 Automatic Reset Circuit Breaker w/cover for $9.99. So far so good.

Also purchased a cover for the jack motor/controller from Amazon: Bouge RV 600D polyester electric tongue jack cover $9.99

GatorFan123 · 06-01-2023, 07:27 PM

For security purposes I want to be able to cut power to the power jack. Any way to do this short of disconnecting the battery? I want to make it harder to steal. Thanks.

GatorFan123 · 06-01-2023, 07:28 PM

For security purposes I want to be able to cut power to the tongue jack. Any way to do this short of disconnecting the battery? I want to make it harder to steal. Thanks.

RogerR · 06-01-2023, 08:01 PM

you could add a battery cutoff switch on the hitch power line. Some like the GOGONFLY , $12, on amazon have removable switch knobs. Won't stop a determined thief, just buy some time. Hitch locks and wheel locks look a lot more positive and likely to work at stopping a thief.

L&LSimpson · 06-02-2023, 02:00 PM

My neighbor had their electric tongue jack stolen so what i did was put 3 tack welds on mine. Now even if they take out the bolts, they can't get it off without a grinder and a cutting wheel. Still not impossible to steal, but will cause a lot of noise and hopefully attract attention.

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