Stubborn Leveling Jack Question

[smlranger]

Even though I replaced all the springs and lubed the shafts with silicone, my right rear HWH jack still refused to completely retract unless I push it up the last 2" or so. I do notice that one of the new springs seems stronger than the other......the jack foot is tipped sideways toward the stronger spring.

Any ideas out there??

[wagonmaster2]

My left rear one is usually the last one to retract but haven't noticed the foot at any angle unless the ground was unlevel where it touched. Have you called HWH to see if they have any ideas or suggestions? That's really a bummer after replacing the springs and still have the jack not completely retract. Bet those things aren't exactly fun getting the new ones hooked back up either.

Wagonmaster2

[skigramp]

I suggest you call HWH ... they are very helpful ... it sounds to me like you either have a faulty jack or a faulty manifold/solenoid

They will be able to help you detect the problem ... and help you (or a locl mechanic) fix the situation ...

They are a wonderful company ...

[JayLodge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger Even though I replaced all the springs and lubed the shafts with silicone, my right rear HWH jack still refused to completely retract unless I push it up the last 2" or so. I do notice that one of the new springs seems stronger than the other......the jack foot is tipped sideways toward the stronger spring. Any ideas out there??

I had the same problem the first summer (just last summer!) w/ my MH. Also, would not maintain level; I'd have to hit my auto-level every day or two to bring back to level. Lived with it, then took it to dealer end of season. While I thought I had checked all my "fluids", I had never removed the step to look at the jack pump, etc. Dealer reported the fluid was quite low. I'll find out in a few weeks when I fire it up for the season. I'll post something if it did not fix the problem.

[Petro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger Even though I replaced all the springs and lubed the shafts with silicone, my right rear HWH jack still refused to completely retract unless I push it up the last 2" or so. I do notice that one of the new springs seems stronger than the other......the jack foot is tipped sideways toward the stronger spring. Any ideas out there??

Gary;

Is it possible that the ram is slightly bent? I had that problem on a previous MH and replacing the jack was the answer to the problem. Low hydraulic fluid has no effect on retraction IMHO. If you feel the spring is the problem you could exchange it with another jack and see what happens. I agree with skigramp that a call to HWH would be helpful.

Worst Case Scenario would be to try out your new paint job and plan a trip to HWH. You and Julia could take a little side trip to Weyauwega and spend a few days with the Morgans. They would be most happy to show you some of our beautiful state. Maybe we could even go to Oshkosh and meet Skigramp for lunch somewhere.

Don

[Cheryl Bisson]

After burning out two solenoids within a few months of each other, all new solenoids and new heavy duty springs were installed, all courtesy of HWH. During all this the right rear jack was always slow and we were told by our local dealer that it was because it was last in line in the hydraulic system . Finally, when we were in North Dakota for another solenoid burnout repair a sharp eyed tech felt that the right rear ram was bent. Again, all new solenoids and a new jack cylinder were installed, again courtesy of HWH, and everything has been fine for two years and over 200 jack extensions/retractions.

[smlranger]

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. And Petro, your offer is tempting and we will certainly get to your part of Wisconsin soon.

Before calling HWH, I decided to poke around a bit more. Looking under the beast, I found nothing obvious....nothing bent (to my eye), no kink in the hydraulic line, etc. So, I extended the jacks almost fully and sprayed some Super Lube dry lubricant on the ram (I had previously used silicone spray to no avail). Well, the jack retracted fully in short order. So it seems to be working for now.

[newk72]

I was having the same problem with our 09 Tour. The problem was I was hitting the auto store button as soon as the jacks showed to be retracted. This would stop the red blinking light, but also kept the fluid in the lines from completly empting into the resivour. I was informed of the '5 minute rule'. That is, allow 5 minutes for the lines to clear of all fluid. After the wait, the blinking light will go out. This solved my problem. I hope it will help with yours.

[MrTransistor]

The 5-minute rule is not to allow all hydraulic fluid to drain from the lines. In fact the lines remain completely full of fluid unless there is air in the lines, which shouldn’t be there. The reason for the wait is to allow the cylinders to reach the top of their travel since the switches will activate a bit before the cylinders reach the top of their mechanical travel. If you watch for the light to go out and turn the HWH off at that instant, then the last jack up may jostle slightly down causing the alarm to go off while you are driving.

[Duner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheryl Bisson After burning out two solenoids within a few months of each other, all new solenoids and new heavy duty springs were installed, all courtesy of HWH. During all this the right rear jack was always slow and we were told by our local dealer that it was because it was last in line in the hydraulic system . Finally, when we were in North Dakota for another solenoid burnout repair a sharp eyed tech felt that the right rear ram was bent. Again, all new solenoids and a new jack cylinder were installed, again courtesy of HWH, and everything has been fine for two years and over 200 jack extensions/retractions.

Burned out solenoids is related to slow jack retention. Have you noticed how often you hear about someone reporting the solenoids burnt out? I burned out all 4 of mine last summer. I had one slow jack - the right rear and after about 30 min to 1 hr all 4 solenoids were fried and all 4 of the corresponding 15 amp fuses were blown.

What HWH doesn't put in the manual is that $450 of solenoids will burn up if the jacks don't retract in 10-15 min. This should be a BIG warning label in the manual.

I was able to fix my one slow jack by adding two helper springs 12" long x 1" dia from Lowes (about $5 ea). I never lube any of my jacks per HWH recommendation. I do use the coach all the time since I'm fulltiming so they get wiped & lubed during retraction. Sometimes the rt rear jack is the 1st one up now.

Good luck,
Bill