LCI Hydraulic Pump - Good Experience

[Happycarz]

Bob,
My magnet was sitting in the bottom of the white tank. You are right. It is there to help keep the metal out of the system.
I hope to see you in Quartszite next month. I still have some docs for you.

[gg]

The Lippert owner manual states- Replace the ATF fluid in the tank every 36 month with DexronIII or Mercon5. I strongly recommend you pour the fluid in a clear glass and look for foreign material- metal / rubber pieces ect. Then you can repair it at home. Fish out the magnet and check it.

Lippert also states to clean all the large electrical connections on the pump motor, and if corrosion in present, spray with WD40. Also spray open cylinders with silicon spray.

My 11 day vacation at a service center could have been avoided if:

1. Seal material checked by Lippert quality control.
2. Assembly process of the seals in the cylinder to avoid damage.
3. Company Backbone to stand behind the product.

I did recieved a new pump assembly but had to pay for Labor. This happened after 2 days phone calls by myself and the Service Center.

The Company backbone started to grow only when the numbers of owners on this and other websites shared the ( Lippert experience) and the fact the system failure could lead to have the jacks or slide deploy while moving down the road.

Pic of cylinder seals See Lippert slideout on I75 in the search function

[davecampbell]

A couple notes having some hydraulic design training:

1.) the seals may not have been greased or otherwise lubed when installed. Seals MUST have lube or they are destroyed quickly. It may have also been a shaft finish problem (roughness on the shaft)

2.) two references to "black fluid" indicate a SERIOUS problem somewhere, and a leak doesnt add up. ATF is good for up to about 450*F. To burn, it got about that hot, or hotter.

3.) cleanliness is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL in a hydraulic system, and visual inspection of fluid in a glass jar is NOT sufficient. "Flush and change." One study in a big-name hydraulic manual cited a test on a brass fitting which liberated 60,000 metal shavings from just being tightened and loosened once. Shavings we cant see...After burnt fluid, the entire system must be flushed, including both actions (double-acting cylinders) on the lift cylinders.

4.) magnet is very important, as it it being clean. Common in Chrysler auto power steering pumps. It is a weak substitute for a filter. Should be cleaned at fluid change. Should be glued down to the bottom of the reservior. A magnetic drain plug would be the cats meow!

5) the motor is damaged from fluid between the brushes and commutator, its not a short circuit. The contamination causes brush arcing which burns the fluid and the brush/commutator. If there has been a leak, wise to also clean the brush/commutator a/o polish both.

Its one thing to get particles in a motor/pump, but if they get in the cylidners...4 x the disaster.

Hydraulic systems specify particle sizes in the micron range (as in doing damage). Theres no seeing them, and they are difficult to filter.

Theres nothing wrong with Chinese seals or bearings, my wife was a conveyor engineer back in 2001 and they got better quality from the Chinese than the so called "American" companies (to their great dismay). The Chinese are getting VERY good at manufacturing some items because they have cheap labor and new factories.

[gunnersdad]

We bought our 2011 Monaco Cayman in late October. We took 1 overnight to Maine then parked it. For Christmas we surprised our grandchildren with tickets to Disney $1,800. We planned to leave this friday am. Guess what!
front slides don't work! Call dealer and they did send someone out this morning. Said it was the pump. They called LCI and they don't have any in stock. 5-10 days to get and ship. The dealer called Monaco and they are trying to get one off the production line. Doesn't look good. We will have to cancel this trip and tell the kids we can't go. Unbelieveable!
Question: If this has been an ongoing problem why are they still installing faulty pumps in 2011 coaches? I just found this site and wish I had sooner. Anyone know where we can get a pump sooner?

[38 Special]

LCI told my repair guy the same thing, but it came in in three days. Call Lippert and tell them your situation, tell them you are willing to pay air freight not to dissapoint grandkids. I was told they make them all to order. I know of no place to get other than Lippert.

[gunnersdad]

Thanks for the advice! I called LCI and spoke with Gary, he said I could be in luck, he's calling my service dept now for coach info. I'll let you know how we make out.

[gunnersdad]

Thank you so much for the heads up to call Lippert myself. Our pump will be in the air today and to our service dept tomorrow! Had it not been for the advice to call them myself 2 little hearts would surely have been broken! This was kind of a lousy way to start off our new RV experience, but knowing there are others out there to lend support and advice along the way gives me great comfort. We plan on being full timers as soon as our home sells. Again thanks.

Nana Ooch

[drivemach1]

I just bought a 2009 Motorhome that had under 6000 miles on it. It was basically new. I tried to use the levelers the very first evening I pulled it up to my home. It didn't fully go down and wouldn't retract. After trying to learn the system operation and make sure it wasn't something I was doing wrong, I checked and found some leaked fluid and a popped circuit breaker. After a reset, I was able to get the levelers back up. I tried putting them down and got the same problem, this time with my wife watching and she saw a puff of smoke. The motor was VERY hot to the touch. I took it to my dealership and it did the same thing. Popped the circuit breaker, smoked, and drew a ton of amps. The pump sure looks all clean and new, but it developed a leak and died the first time I used it.

I sure am glad I burn up my new motorhome using a DEFFECTIVE product that should have been recalled. I have an extended warranty that will cover the repair with a $100 deductible, but not until 30 days from now. That would be great except I have movers coming next week and will have no home starting Saturday. The plan is to drive away in the motorhome.

I'm going to call Lippert and ask for a replacement to be sent out right away and just pay for installation. Since I am the second owner of the motorhome, I hope they don't give me trouble.

[teddy1]

I too bought a 2009 Monaco Cayman with 4000 miles last march. I immediately found leaking hoses that were manufactured poorly. Lippert sent me 2 hoses that I replaced. 1 month ago I started getting a minor leak on one jack and constant popping noises from another as though the jacks are dropping. Measurements cannot detect any dropping of the jacks. Called LCI and was told they only warranty for one year to original owner and the popping must be from sever temperature swings in Arizona (that was crap). Every time we set the jacks we get the intermittent popping noises and getting no help from LCI. Luckily we haven't had a seal or motor failure. We've been trying to get by without using the jacks until we go home in April. Not feeling good about LCI though. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[drivemach1]

I think I came across pretty negative in my previous post and it is too late to edit it. I guess I was bit frustrated after burning a whole day researching and troubleshooting, all while I have too many things to do in prep for the move and a retirement. Perhaps LCI will be helpful and I will get the repair done in time.

I believe the seal should have been replaced in all vehicles via a recall a long time ago. Letting people get stuck with levelers down or slides out because of a bad part they know about is flat out wrong. I'm glad they have helped some people, but supplying replacements on a case by case basis after a problem they know about causes failures for a lot of people doesn't make me think of them as a good company. When Firestone finally recalled the famous Explorer rollover tires after multiple deaths and lawsuits, they weren't exactly being friendly.

Originally Posted by drivemach1

I just bought a 2009 Motorhome that had under 6000 miles on it. It was basically new. I tried to use the levelers the very first evening I pulled it up to my home. It didn't fully go down and wouldn't retract. After trying to learn the system operation and make sure it wasn't something I was doing wrong, I checked and found some leaked fluid and a popped circuit breaker. After a reset, I was able to get the levelers back up. I tried putting them down and got the same problem, this time with my wife watching and she saw a puff of smoke. The motor was VERY hot to the touch. I took it to my dealership and it did the same thing. Popped the circuit breaker, smoked, and drew a ton of amps. The pump sure looks all clean and new, but it developed a leak and died the first time I used it.

I sure am glad I burn up my new motorhome using a DEFFECTIVE product that should have been recalled. I have an extended warranty that will cover the repair with a $100 deductible, but not until 30 days from now. That would be great except I have movers coming next week and will have no home starting Saturday. The plan is to drive away in the motorhome.

I'm going to call Lippert and ask for a replacement to be sent out right away and just pay for installation. Since I am the second owner of the motorhome, I hope they don't give me trouble.

[drivemach1]

I ended up with a new Lippert pump through the dealership I bought the motor home from. It seemed like everything was good. All legs came down and it leveled. After trying it on several locations that appeared to be pretty flat, I noticed it wouldn't level right from side to side. I ended up with one leg slightly off the ground on each side. I decided to try adjusting it manually to even it out. I found out the right button activates the Right front and the Left rear. Nice.

It looks like they either wired it wrong or hooked up the hoses wrong. Since I am about 1500 miles away from the dealership, I'm hoping I can make the switch myself tomorrow when the rain stops.

[38 Special]

Originally Posted by drivemach1

I found out the right button activates the Right front and the Left rear. Nice.

It looks like they either wired it wrong or hooked up the hoses wrong..

I think the wiring is in a plug. So that part is probably correct, unless Lippert wired the new pump wrong. They had to remove the hydro lines to replace the pump. That is what I would swap to make it correct. Put something under to catch a little fluid. Hoses may have pressure, so crack open and let drip a little before removing.

[ImagineIF]

Anyone know where I can get the small o-rings that are on the hoses that mate to the flat metal fittings of the adapters on some Lipert pumps?

[38 Special]

Originally Posted by ImagineIF

Anyone know where I can get the small o-rings that are on the hoses that mate to the flat metal fittings of the adapters on some Lipert pumps?

If you can take the O-ring in, I'm sure Motion Industries could match it up.

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