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Old 07-02-2016, 05:36 AM   #1
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Hydraulic jack warning while driving

I have a 2007 Winnebago Vista 33t. One day while merrily driving along I hit a small bump and my "jacks down" warning light came on. I immediately pulled over but they were not down. I hit the "all up" button and carried on. The next day it happened again while driving. Again I pulled over only to find they were still up. I should mention that while camping they functioned properly and leveled as normal. This became a daily issue so I brought it into a shop. The mechanic showed me where the jacks were slipping ever so slightly ( maybe a half centimeter). He said it needed a whole new ( can't recall exactly what it is called) hydraulic motor. It's an expensive repair, $2500 I think. Since I have an extended warranty I only paid my $100 deductible. Anyway, I drove home happy until I pulled into my driveway and the warning light went off again! I went back to the shop and he bled the hydraulic lines, filled them again but I'm still having the same issue. He seems to be out of ideas. Thoughts?
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Old 07-02-2016, 05:49 AM   #2
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Not sure this is your situation but sounds similar. I used to have the same problem intermittently on my 2014 Itasca. I talked to the folks that made the system and they advised it was most likely a loose connection on the jack sensors and jacks actually were not dropping. I went through and tightened/checked all connections and the issue seemed to clear up over time.
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Old 07-02-2016, 05:55 AM   #3
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Usually if ALL the lights on the control panel start flashing along with an audible alarm, it is a sign that the reservoir fluid level is too low. I know that the reservoir should be completely full right to the top of the opening.
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Old 07-02-2016, 06:12 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -Gramps- View Post
Usually if ALL the lights on the control panel start flashing along with an audible alarm, it is a sign that the reservoir fluid level is too low. I know that the reservoir should be completely full right to the top of the opening.
I too suspect the fluid level is low.
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Old 07-02-2016, 06:28 AM   #5
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X 3 on the fluid low. There is a very small margin between full and not full. Just a hair below that "not full" causes the "jacks down" light, alarm and lots of blinkie lights when in any gear. Guessing that bump you experienced was just that hair and, until topped up, all the other occurrences. I believe the book says 1/4 inch makes all the difference.
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Old 07-02-2016, 06:49 AM   #6
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Had the same problem - one jack was not returning all the way - I added fluid until I was able to remove the jack and repair it - the piston had come loose and unscrewed not allowing full up. no more warning lights .
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Old 07-02-2016, 06:52 AM   #7
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HWH has a post about thermal expansion of the fluid. We bought ours in Jan. of 15 and by March with the heat here in Fl. our Jack down alarm started and I had to pry them up just a hair. Recently took a 2800 miles trip and followed the leveling procedure HWH recommended and it worked. Basically, when you level your coach you have to wait up to 7 mins. before you turn the ignition from accessory to start the coach & then while driving you must run in the store mode. This process worked and the alarm didn't sound once.
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Old 07-02-2016, 07:47 AM   #8
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I occasionally get that alarm when turning a LEFT corner. Based on previous postings I have out it down to the reservoir sensor as well. Haven't topped up the reservoir as it is really pretty occasional ... Besides it reminds me to take it easy and make the ride a nice gentle one for the passengers. 😀
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Old 07-02-2016, 11:04 AM   #9
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There is another thing that may be causing the problem. If your '07 Winnebago is the same as my '06 Itasca, then it doesn't use the fluid level to determine if the jacks are down. Look at the top of one of your jacks. If there is a connector with two wires attached at the very top, then it uses a proximity sensor to determine if the jack is up. These are wired in series and if just one of them fails, the alarm will go off. I had the same problem with my Itasca and finally traced it down to a faulty sensor. You may be able to locate a new sensor, but I was not able to and did a work around. Here's a link to the post I made on the "re-engineered" solution.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/kwike...em-211049.html
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Old 07-02-2016, 01:48 PM   #10
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Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm going to try to tackle this problem tomorrow utilizing all of these ideas for my diagnosis. I'm guessing (hoping) one of them is the answer to my problem. I'll comment back on what I discover.
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Old 07-02-2016, 09:02 PM   #11
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I received a jack down alarm intermittently for a few days while traveling in the CA maritimes. Not fun when caravaning. Anyway, one of the guys told me to always allow the HWH system to "time-out" after retracting the jacks, otherwise one or more may not be fully retracted, especially in cool weather.

That solved my problem.
When you check oil level, make sure all jacks are retracted, the hyd. slide does not matter because that is a double-acting piston type, so one end or the other is always full.
FWIW, HWH says to use type A transmission fluid for my system.
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Old 07-03-2016, 08:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray,IN View Post
I received a jack down alarm intermittently for a few days while traveling in the CA maritimes. Not fun when caravaning. Anyway, one of the guys told me to always allow the HWH system to "time-out" after retracting the jacks, otherwise one or more may not be fully retracted, especially in cool weather.

That solved my problem.
When you check oil level, make sure all jacks are retracted, the hyd. slide does not matter because that is a double-acting piston type, so one end or the other is always full.
FWIW, HWH says to use type A transmission fluid for my system.

Ray - what do you mean by "time out". I always wait for the "jacks down" light to go off. Is that what you mean?
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Old 07-03-2016, 03:08 PM   #13
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Had similar problem. It was bad sensor on top of one leveler. A bit of a pain to change, but not impossible. Changed it without removing the leveling Jack.


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Old 07-03-2016, 03:47 PM   #14
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I've driven hundreds (maybe over a thousand?) of miles with the "Jacks Down" light on when I knew the jacks were up.

It's likely just a switch out of adjustment.
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