Community Forums

quaterhorse · 11-01-2014, 12:28 PM

I have a 2013 Outback 5er. I have one front jack that will not extend or retract motor works fine and other jack is fine. Any ideas before I rip everything apart. What should I look for. I am a very mechanical person but not sure what I am getting into. Thanks!

bobz41 · 11-01-2014, 05:23 PM

If it has one motor look at where the shaft connects there is a pin that shears. I have replaced them with a machine screw and kept spares.

quaterhorse · 11-01-2014, 05:26 PM

I got the leg to catch and go down by putting upward pressure on the leg then pushing the switch almost sounds like a loose gear. Hoping to tear it apart tomorrow

Franka548 · 11-01-2014, 06:23 PM

quaterhorse,
There are miter gears driving the worm screw through a nut to raise and lower the leg. There is usually a bronze bushing holding the input shaft, but if it is plastic that could be your problem.
Most manufacturers use a square tube slipped over the end of the shaft with a roll pin driven through to connect the 2 jacks. Sometimes the holes round out on the tubing and this causes problems also. Good luck on finding and fixing your problem. If you need any other advise after you get into it just ask.
Frank

sk734 · 11-02-2014, 04:42 AM

Most legs have a jack nut that the threaded rod runs through. Try to keep it lubricated as many rust and cause problems like blown fuses and bolts or gears breaking. I drilled a hole above mine and I keep it oiled. So far I have never had a problem. Grease is also good if you have a grease fitting built in-my previous 5ver had one. Good luck

IC2 · 11-05-2014, 07:44 PM

Many, not all 5er landing gears are by Atwood. There are several failure modes but the most common is the pin on the driven gear either backs out or shears. If it backs out, beat it back in place. You can possibly buy the pin but it is a kind of odd size and type to find. You can also use a roll or spring pin (same thing, different name) and the correct size is a hardware item in those drawers at Ace or other hardware stores.

The second mode of failure is the gears, usually both the drive and driven gears fail. Atwood sells a rebuild kit for about $30 bucks and it works well though can be a real PITA to install as you have to pull the leg to do it right including a good clean up and grease.

The third mode - the gear set bolted to the drive motor can fail. You replace that entire assembly. Motors don't fail often, luckily

The 4th mode - the long drive screw and/or the big 'nut' inside the leg will strip - with the only recourse being to replace them.

Lippert legs are similar as is every other brand - motors, gears, pins, drive screws - all can fail.

None of this is repair work is beyond the realm of a fairly competant DIYer with a decent set of common SAE (usually) tools. It is time consuming, is often in hard to get to areas and not the cleanest of projects.