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Buellah · 01-19-2019, 05:24 PM

Power gear problem

I have a 2001 Fleetwood pace arrow with power gear jacks. The Jack system is the manual system which shows that it is in use 1999 to present. My Front Jack’s work together and that portion of the system works. Neither rear Jack is working right now. I was working on it yesterday and trying to figure out why my left rear Jack would not go down and now neither of the rear jacks work. I went through the flowchart and everything that it shows on the flowchart seems to be good. When I hit the button the motor runs but for some reason the Jack is not going down. I have continuity across the leads of all three solenoids. I pulled the solenoids and the internal parts are moving freely and I hooked 12 V power to them and all of them seem to be in working order. I took the solenoid for the front jack and moved it to the rear left position in the solenoid block and it still does not operate. But the front solenoid and or front jacks are still working which kind of tells me from my thinking that it’s the control unit. The thing that I can’t figure out is why the motor is running but it doesn’t seem to be actuating the rear solenoids. All the fuses on the controller are good. I have continuity on all wires. I have power at the solenoids and I have power on both sides of the leads to the solenoids at the connectors. According to everything that I’m looking at it seems like they should be working… But they’re not .

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

WinnieView · 01-19-2019, 05:30 PM

Welcome back from Glendale.

Is there any chance the rear jacks could have both been bent in some unforeseen circumstance?

Buellah · 01-19-2019, 06:02 PM

No. I can run them up and down using the front leg power if I want

Waiter21 · 01-19-2019, 09:15 PM

The controller should supply a ground to the appropriate solenoid when you press the down button.

i.e. press the left rear down button, the controller supplies a ground to the left rear solenoid. If you hold a metal screwdriver close to the to solenoid, you should be able to fell it energizing.

Gary RVRoamer · 01-20-2019, 09:13 AM

Sounds like a wiring problem to the rear jack solenoids.

alank · 01-20-2019, 10:00 AM

Not for sure if you tried this, sounds like you've done about all the troubleshooting except the controller. You say the front jacks work. Can you take the controller wires off the front solenoid, that works, and put the wires on either/both the rear solenoids to see if they work, when pushing the front jacks controller button. If they do, then a controller may be in order.

Another thing would be to put a voltmeter on the front controller wires to see what voltage reading you get when you push the front button, since you know it works. Then do the same connection to the two rear solenoid wires, checking for the same voltage. You might be able to do this right on the controller terminals. Then you would know if there's nothing coming out of the controller.

Waiter21 says the controller provides a ground connection to complete the circuit for the solenoids. If so, then a volt meter connected to the solenoids ground wire connected to the controller, should show 12V until the controller makes the connection to ground, then it will go to 0v.

The touch pad control buttons may also not be making a connection. If the electronics are on circuit boards where components can be changed, I would consider that, and cleaning the button contacts. If they are sealed in plastic, then replacement is deeded. If the pump motor runs when you push every button, then it's OK.

Buellah · 01-20-2019, 10:03 AM

I’m thinking it’s the controller. It’s completing the circuit to the hydraulic motor, so that’s running but it’s not activating the solenoid. I have continuity on all the wires from the solenoid to the control box. All the fuses on the control box are good. I only had one Jack in operable until I went to pull the fuses and change them out, and once I did that I have now to Jack’s in operable. I’m thinking there’s a short inside the box or an open circuit inside the box. Looks like I have to find some new old stock power gear gear.

DonR · 01-20-2019, 10:36 AM

try pulling the connector off of the controller that goes to one of the rear jacks and connecting a 12 volt battery to the red and black wires.
reverse the connection to make the jack go the other way.

if the jack moves by doing this then the jack motor is good. Then try moving the wires from the front jacks to the plug on the controller for the rear jacks.
if they work then the controller is good.

if the test proves the controller is ok, then start checking grounds on the rear jacks

DonR · 01-20-2019, 10:47 AM

I just reread your post. You said the motor on the jack runs,
there is a shear pin in the jack. if that is broken then just replace the shear pin and the leg will move up and down.

Buellah · 01-20-2019, 11:31 AM

They are not electric jacks they are hydraulic jacks controlled by electronics.

I just pulled the leveling control box out and it looks like there is a little bit of excessive heat in it and I’m sure there’s a couple of transistors in here that are pretty well roasted. Looks like I’m in the market market for a new leveling control. Anybody out there you got a line on new old stock of power gear?

hayward3411 · 01-20-2019, 11:31 AM

I snapped a sheer pin and my legs dropped down. I had to string them up to get home.

alank · 01-20-2019, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buellah

Power gear problem

The thing that I can’t figure out is why the motor is running but it doesn’t seem to be actuating the rear solenoids.

I have power at the solenoids and I have power on both sides of the leads to the solenoids at the connectors.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

When you push the button to run the front jacks, a switch turns the pump motor "ON", and a separate switch turns on the appropriate solenoid. The switch for your front jacks solenoid works, the two switches for the rear solenoids do not work. All this is in the controller.

When the controller is "ON" the controller applies 12V to one wire on all the solenoids, but if the second wire is not grounded, it will also measure 12V until it is grounded.

fairway2002 · 01-20-2019, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buellah

They are not electric jacks they are hydraulic jacks controlled by electronics.

I just pulled the leveling control box out and it looks like there is a little bit of excessive heat in it and I’m sure there’s a couple of transistors in here that are pretty well roasted. Looks like I’m in the market market for a new leveling control. Anybody out there you got a line on new old stock of power gear?

Double check your ohms on the rear solenoids before you install new control.
Don't want you to cook the new board.
Good Luck

Jim.B1 · 01-20-2019, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buellah

. Looks like I’m in the market market for a new leveling control. Anybody out there you got a line on new old stock of power gear?

Take the Power Gear Level Control model number off the controller and check Amazon.com. You can also contact Power Gear direct to see if there is a cross reference number.
I just got through repairing an issue with my jacks and Amazon was significantly less expensive than any one else by as much a 25% and 3 day delivery.
In my case, the issue ended up not being the controller and Amazon refunded me, no question asked!
Good luck with the repair.