Stuck Jack

[Mikanjoy]

Originally Posted by Old Scout

...help us help you--add your year and model of Alpine to the sig block so we know your coach when you post. Many older Alpines have this issue--often its the jack next to the radiator stack. Heat build up from the engine tends to expand the fluid in the jack and push it down a bit. Tip--always let the HWH system complete its auto store function before you start the engine to leave in the mornings. New springs may help but probably not.

Thanks Old Scout. Yes, thats the one, Dr.,side, rear. It’s a relief to know this is not uncommon vs A failure requiring repair or replacement. Might try new spring if problem persists.
Thanks again, and I’ll remember to state year and model in future.
Mike

[TheKassman]

Fixed it by putting a floor jack under and pumped it up. Kick would not go up but the coach started to rise. I turned on accessories and hit store and it went right up. Let it down and sprayed it and now it works fine. A friend told me if it ever gets stuck while traveling to air up the coach. This will give me 3 or 4 inches between jack and ground. Place a piece of 2x4 under jack and press dump. That should fee it.

[TheKassman]

Happens to me once in a while. I press store and it goes away. Don’t know which jack it is as I am traveling at 60mph and my wife won’t stick her head out the door and look underneath.

[Winemaker2]

Helpful to not only clean the shaft w WD40 but also clean the lip of the rubber seal. A Q tip w WD40 works well. I was surprised how much dirt I got even after cleaning the shaft.
If it still sticks HWH recommends spray again and retract w/o wiping. I've also had good luck w that step.
If it persists the jack m as y need to be rebuilt.

[whalepirot]

I reviewed this with a guy I really respect, for what he has and can do. He said the jacks have two seals; the visible one is largley to keep dirt out and but the real seal is inside and does not allow (as some have stated here) any applied lube past.


I love WD40 as a cleaner, water displacer, ultra light lubricant etc., but the thin film it leaves collects dust and dirt and needs redoing. The (dry) silicon will not collect such. To each their choice'eh?

[Old Scout]

...agree -- owners have choices but manufacturers make recommendations [eg. HWH only recommends using WD-40 on jacks] based on business decisions like: engineering, testing, warranty issues, operating experience????.....so "choose" wisely grasshopper!!!!

[DrDaveMA]

Originally Posted by TheKassman

Fixed it by putting a floor jack under and pumped it up. Kick would not go up but the coach started to rise. I turned on accessories and hit store and it went right up. Let it down and sprayed it and now it works fine. A friend told me if it ever gets stuck while traveling to air up the coach. This will give me 3 or 4 inches between jack and ground. Place a piece of 2x4 under jack and press dump. That should fee it.

The way the HWH system retracts Jacks is by opening the valve and letting the fluid flow back to the reservoir (you will notice the pump does not run as you retract, it is not a “powered” retract, unless you count gravity as power, the slides do run the pump on retract, so that is a different situation). Once the retract cycle is complete, regardless of the jacks position it closes the valves. So you can push and pull and swear all you want but the only thing you will do is raise the coach as Kassman found out. If you have a jack that has not retracted all the way (and sometimes it could be be as little as a 1/2”) go back into the coach, turn the system off then back on and press stow, you now have about 5 minutes to get the jack up. I carry a 4’ long piece of 2x6 that I put under the jack and lever it up. The other thing you can do is extend the jacks, clean with WD40 or HWH fluid and then retract, 90% of the time they will come right up. You can also do as Emike suggests clean then lubricate the jacks every 18 - 24 months.

If you choose to replace the springs, be sure to contact HWH to get the correct springs, they have multiple sizes, so get the correct ones.

[azpete]

or.... you could repair or replace the non working jack. we all know thats what really needs to be done, we just put it off, and complain.
i know, i do it myself.
note, replacing springs rarely works to solve this problem, although i do recommend replacing springs when a cylinder is replaced.
when im at the rallies, i hear a lot about methods of prying the jack up, and discussions on the merits of material used, i.e. shovels. iron rods, iron pipes, blocks, but mostly, the lengths of
2 x 4 needed to do the job.
paul maddox

[Refuse1]

The ultimate solution is to double the springs. There is a thread here somewhere about exactly how to do that and it includes the manufacturer and part number of the springs that will fit inside the existing springs. It is a little trick to get them installed, but it solves the issue once and for all. I did it a couple years ago and it solve the issue entirely.