Hydraulic System is Whacked!

[coachmanrvr]

On vacation going around Lake Michigan....While trying to retract my hydraulic jacks my front jack is actually extending when I hit "All Jacks Retract" It does the same in manual and holding the "All Jacks Retract" button? I have a LCI hydraulic system that powers two jacks in the rear, one in the front, and two hydraulic pistons on my LR slide.

I even turned all the solenoids to the "manual" position and hit the all jacks retract and the front still extended? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am done for the night!!!!

[coachmanrvr]

Added some fluid to the system today and so far (fingers crossed) it has worked. Ran the slide in and out one time and used the jacks to level the coach.

I'll post tomorrow when we leave if everything works as advertised. If so, low fluid can show up as you need to trade in your coach because it is cursed....

["007"]

When your solenoids open the springs are what retract your jacks. The solenoids have ground wires ,white, that are grounded to a bolt attached to the frame just behind your front bumper drivers side. Reason I say these wires could be loose as on my coach when bought and you need to check,clean and add a star washer to keep the nut tight. You also have a ground wire that winds up on your fuse panels above.
If you have high resistane connections your solenoids will not open very well.

[coachmanrvr]

No springs on the LCI system on my coach. Hydraulic down and up....well, uh..sometimes. I'll let you know in the morning. Thanks for the tips.

[coachmanrvr]

Ok, we let out this am and everything worked fine. Just set up on the shore of Lake Superior and everything continues to work as it should. So....if you have a Lippert Hydraulic system, never ever let it get low on fluid. When I say low, I added two qts to mine and it is at the very top of the fill level. So to look at mine it was maybe an inch or so from the top when I started. Definately not low to look at it.

Apparently I am whacked and my hydraulic system works as advertised. Ah, RV life.

[gg]

Did you find any leaks from the jacks, cylinders, hoses, pump, maniford?
2 quarts down? where is the fluid going?

LCI says you should change the fluid in the resevior every 36 months.

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachmanrvr Ok, we let out this am and everything worked fine. Just set up on the shore of Lake Superior and everything continues to work as it should. So....if you have a Lippert Hydraulic system, never ever let it get low on fluid. When I say low, I added two qts to mine and it is at the very top of the fill level. So to look at mine it was maybe an inch or so from the top when I started. Definately not low to look at it. Apparently I am whacked and my hydraulic system works as advertised. Ah, RV life.

i learned with our lci unit that you need to periodically recalibrate the system.
its like windows and gets bored ad will dump the programming so to speak.
now every 6 months i do a manual recalibration. if you ever accidently shut off coach or chassis batteries it will also dump the brain and cause weird things to happen until its recalibrated their website has down loadable directions

[coachmanrvr]

Not sure how much the system holds, but it was never full after the second time it was replaced for leaking fluid from the motor. Before I added fluid it was only down about 1 inch or so from the very top of the reservoir. With the slide out and the jacks down it was maybe 1/2 full. It did not appear to be low at all. I added it just to say it was full. The outcome was it fixed my problem.

As far as the programming, I am familiar with the calibration set up and such, but always level manually. That is why when I say I pressed any button the front would extend. The side slide would come half way in and then turn around and go back out without ever releasing the retract button. It was posessed.

Keep it full. Lesson learned.

[-Gramps-]

I missed this post, sounds like you had some fun!

[coachmanrvr]

Gramps,

I wish I had pictures of the RV up in the air and stuck in the mud. (I just wanted the RV down and did not stop to take pics until it was down.) I was at the back wheels and had the DW in the RV pushing the rear down button on the leveling jacks. I was not watching the front at all....she finally stopped when she sensed something was not right.

I looked up wondering why she stopped and the front wheels were about a foot off the ground!!! Any time she pushed the all jacks retract the front would extend MORE. It was crazy.

Anyway, we survived and are on the way back home for the barn. Should arrive some time tomorrow.

[bullydogs1]

I am also a member now of the LCI hydraulic motor blown club....am waiting for the new one to arrive....meanwhile, I stare at the thing in my driveway...it blew just when I was taking the slides in before we were about to leave for Amish country....so much for that....at least I have another reservation with no cancellation and LCI is stepping up. This could have been much worse and I'm glad you are on your way....but I dare not toy with this thing until the new motor is in. I have one slide 1/4 way in and put the coach up on wood blocks on the left to tilt any water from rain away from right opening of coach..This actually worked as we had some bad weather in and everything was OK.