Problems w/ Electric Motor on 93 Sun Deck

I have a '93 BFN and can not get the sun deck / motor cover to raise properly. I have had the electric motor checked out, bought a 900 CCA Gel battery, and even installed larger gauge wiring (in the rear only) to see if this would help. You still have to "help" it up manually (to a certain point), but it lowers just fine. Someone on planetnautique.com suggested taking apart and putting new grease in cylinder, but im not sure exactly where to start (looks like a sealed unit). Any body got any experience with these units, or have any idea how to fix this problem? Has anybody replaced the electric unit with some type of hydraulic rods (like found on the newer model boats and rear hatches of vans and SUV"s)? Let me hear from you!

Thanks for the reply! You got my brain in gear with your suggestion, which was great! To eliminate the possibility of the wiring OR the switch, why not just connect it directly TO my new battery? That should tell me something about the motor / mechanism, or if I do have a problem, like you said, in the switch (or possibily the wiring). Thanks again for your help! (and making me think )
Tomfooter

BP, And how will he know what the nameplate amps are supposed to be unless there is a nameplate on the side with the amp draw? I have a feeling there isn't. The motor is stalling under load and this may be a voltage problem. How is the motor shop going to simulate the load? If he has a low voltage condition, do you know what that will do to the amps? The very first thing a motor shop is going to ask is what voltage are you delivering to the motor. What happens when you don't get the voltage to the starter motor? It doesn't turn the engine over correct? The voltage is something he can check. Depending on his findings will determine the next step.

behindpropeller wrote: 8122- Let me know what gives you the most HP: 12v at 100 MA or 12V at 10 amps. Voltage does'nt mean much unless you are delivering the correct amperage.

P=IV. The voltage at the motor and the current it is drawing are both important.

BP, I never stated that amps weren't important whereas you seem to feel that amps are the governing factor. It's pretty basic stuff that 1 HP is 746 watts and watts is a funtion of amps and voltage. I want you to replace the battery in your car or boat with a equal amp rating as the exsisting but use a 6 volt. See what happens. I recommended to Tom to get a voltage reading because it is a simple test to perform that can tell a lot.

I have a friend with a CC with one of these linear actuators on the hatch lid. The first time I heard it operate and the sound it was making I knew it was under a lot of load. 79nautique must have some expierience with them as well since he fells the same way. CC went cheap and or the engineering department was out to lunch when they calculated the moment of force on the hatch lid.

It may come down to replacing the actuator or go the cheaper route with gas springs.

WOW! You guys are a wealth of knowledge! Thanks for all of the suggestions and ideas. 8122, do you know anyone that has actually converted over to "gas springs"? Would you need to install a latch in front? Does anyone know if you can have a larger motor installed were the original one is on the actuator? (I really would like to stick with the electric option if possible) Thanks again guys for all of your suggestions. I hope to do some work on it this upcomming week. I'll keep you posted if I make any progress.
Tomfooter

Well, guys, good news I finally got her fixed!! I did as I said I was going to (hooking the motor straight to the battery) and it worked great. That told me it was in the wiring or the switch. So I pulled the dash pannel thinking I had a bad or worn switch, when I noticed the two red (power) wires going into the switch didn't look like they were crimped very well into their connector. I cut the old connector off, re stripped the two wires and crimped them to a new connector. Now every thing works great!! Thanks for all of your help and input! You really helped me help myself!
Tomfooter

Tom, Glad to hear that it turned out to be such a simple problem. The volt meter at the linear motor would have shown low voltage under load but it wouldn't have indicated why. Electrical problems can be a rear search and rescue mission. I recommend that everyone have a volt ohm meter even if it's a real cheap one.