Drop-down tv mechanism will not drop down

[Bruce B]

I have a 2004 Signature with the front drop down tv, after getting the coach out of storage the tv will not drop down.  When I press the button to activate the lift I hear a grinding or spline-like sound slipping and no movement from the unit.  How do you get access to the motor compartment?  I can expose the back of the tv but that does not help get at the motor.  There are caps with screws either side of the ceiling surround, does anyone know what function they do?  Is there a release that would allow the tv to be brought down in order to expose the motor components?  Thanks for any assistance or advice.

 

Bruce in Indio, CA

[Ron Van Arsdall]

Pop off the two button caps and remove the screws on the sides. That will allow you to drop the complete housing and gain access to the motor and linkage. The housing is not heavy but is awkward because of it's size 

[James Weir]

I have a 2007 Dynasty with a lift system that appears to be very similar to yours. On mine there is a gear box and shaft on the front left side (drivers) looking forward out the windshield.  Mine is tucked up neatly and at first is not obvious. That shaft moves slightly toward and away from the gear box, approximately 1/4" travel.  If I recall correctly pushing the shaft toward the gear box/motor engages the drive assembly, pulling away from the gear box disengages the assembly. You may try moving the shaft back and forth to ensure it is fully engaged.  Disengaging the gear box allows manual turning of the shaft allowing lowering or raising the lift. It's a slow process to manually move the lift but can be done.

James

2007 Dynasty

[Bruce B]

Thanks Ron and James, I’m going to try and expose the mechanism today. 

[Paul J A]

Some ppl use a awning rod to turn the end oblong hole in the drive.

[Frank Bergamo]

There should be a little plastic fork looking device that holds the crank in the out position. By pulling out the crank, it wedges in a groove, disengaging the manual operation of the crank. Your plastic fork like lock may be missing, allowing the crank to partially engage, causing your grinding problem. Hope this helps.

[Bruce B]

Everyone 

with the help of a friend we dismantled the surround and exposed the motor mechanism. Nothing was found to be an obvious issue so we tried the lift and it worked. I cleaned up the wiring and put it back together and so far so good. The one difference is that rather than screw the backing panel to the rear of the tv lift I’m going to use heavy duty Velcro a la Marathon coaches example. 
 

thanks for the advice and information.