HWH Leveling system fail and repair

[redbaron73]

Yesterday I pulled my coach out of the garage to wash it. I did a normal leveling procedure using hydraulic levelers. They coach appeared to have leveled, but my screen did not show the leveling complete.

When I walked around the coach, I noticed one of the rear Jack's was only partially extended.

I tried to manually extend the jack and the system would not move the leg. I then tried to return to ride height, and the system said it was doing so, but nothing happened.

I went thru the normal hit the reset switch procedure and when the system rebooted, still no response from the jacks.

I then went into full reset, by disconnecting all batteries and reconnecting after 15 minutes. This did not change anything.

At this time I should point out that my system is HWH ActiveAir with HWH hydraulic. This problem and procedure will apply to all systems using the hwh hydraulic, but your display will not have the same feedback as what I am posting.

At the front of the coach, door side, just left of the generator is where Newmar places the Hwh hydraulic pump, reservoir, and the master solenoid relay.



This solenoid relay is a vital part of the leveling system for all coaches with HWH hydraulic levelers. Without this, the pump will not run, nor will the leveling computer have power to operate the valves and other components.

For those with Active Air, it's even more important, as this relay is active the entire time the coach is driving. Without this, you can not reach ride height, and you will have to air your system manually.

The solenoid relay is a 4 post continous duty relay, Trombetta #684-1212-012 This is rated at 250amps, 800 surge.

I tested the battery side and the switch signal and both had 12v. The switched battery side was 0v. Running a jumper between the battery terminal and the switched terminal brought the system to life, allowing my legs to retract and the coach to return to ride height. I removed the jumper and the system died...proving the solenoid was the only issue. Time to replace the solenoid. By this time it was midnight and nothing could be done til morning.

Today I started looking for the solenoid relay. The only source I could find the exact part was amazon. Since I wanted same day, I started looking for close match. A local RV dealer had a Trombetta Bear class ,#114-1211-010*
(http://trombetta.com/images/pdfs/dcc...ear-family.pdf) that was close enough. It is 200 amp 600 surge, which according to HWH is good enough. The important thing is to make sure you get a continous duty.

It was a very simple install and the coach is now working as it should.

[Qwert66]

Thanks for the alt. Solenoid description. Did you try to dissect the bad one for possible repair and spare? Curious if it was the contacts or the coil.

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by Qwert66

Thanks for the alt. Solenoid description. Did you try to dissect the bad one for possible repair and spare? Curious if it was the contacts or the coil.

I have kept it, as I intend to open it and repair. It is riveted with about 10 small rivets around the base. I have not drilled these out yet.

[101stveteran]

Those solenoids are junk. We had one fail in the closed position. When key was turned on the hydraulic pump ran. Bought a spare to carry with us.

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by 101stveteran

Those solenoids are junk. We had one fail in the closed position. When key was turned on the hydraulic pump ran. Bought a spare to carry with us.

I do not know about the actual part's quality, but I do know that the install location is terrible. The condensation from the DASH AC lines will continuously drip on this solenoid. It is always damp from the drip. When I installed, I rotated it a bit to get it out of the drip path, and plan on using some dielectric grease over all the exposed metal to prevent premature failure.

[turbopilot]

Originally Posted by redbaron73

The solenoid relay is a 4 post continous duty relay, Trombetta #684-1212-012 This is rated at 250amps, 800 surge.

Today I started looking for the solenoid relay. The only source I could find the exact part was amazon. Since I wanted same day, I started looking for close match. A local RV dealer had a Trombetta Bear class ,#114-1211-010*

Good post. I see #114-1211-010 on Amazon. Do not see the original #684-1212-012. Do you have a link?

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by turbopilot

Good post. I see #114-1211-010 on Amazon. Do not see the original #684-1212-012. Do you have a link?

No, other than the PDF i posted above. This shows what each of the numbers mean, so that if you find one that is close, you can see what you lose/gain.

This was at an RV dealer. Most likely when one is searching, they are going to end up with another device. So posting known good numbers may be important since the specs will have to be compared with what is on hand.

[osok]

There is a way to manually retract the jacks. The four solenoids each have a white lever. Flip each white lever and the jacks will retract and then flip the white levers back to original position. Do not force levers if does not want to flip then turn around somewhat and try again. It does not require pressure.

The FWS has a black toggle switch on top of the control board in the same area. Toggle this switch one way and see if slide moves, if not, toggle opposite direction and slide should move. Hold into this position until slide completely closes.

Do not know if this will work if pump is dead. My FWS failed recently due to 40 amp fuse failure and above worked.

[Dutch Star Don]

"redbarron73".....What perfect timing for me, sorry not for you. I've been carrying a spare Trombetta 114 1211 010 as a spare part for over 10 years. It was a spare for the battery and B.I.R.D. systems used in Monaco coaches. They all used this one. I'm guessing that's why the dealer just happened to have that one in stock.

Just last month, I cleaned out all my old spare parts in preparation of getting the new coach and put the Trombetta in a cupboard in the garage. Well....I guess it will go back into the spare parts and will probably get carried around for another ten years.

Thanks for the write up.

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

"redbarron73".....What perfect timing for me, sorry not for you. I've been carrying a spare Trombetta 114 1211 010 as a spare part for over 10 years. It was a spare for the battery and B.I.R.D. systems used in Monaco coaches. They all used this one. I'm guessing that's why the dealer just happened to have that one in stock.

Just last month, I cleaned out all my old spare parts in preparation of getting the new coach and put the Trombetta in a cupboard in the garage. Well....I guess it will go back into the spare parts and will probably get carried around for another ten years.

Thanks for the write up.

I thought I had followed up on this post. The relay worked for me the entire summer. Multiple uses of the HwH Jacks, and constant use of the HwH Active Air, all requiring this solenoid.

When I returned from my summer trip, I put the 2013 up for sale. Everything was perfectly tested, and I had several buyers interested. One of the buyers flew to Texas from NJ to test drive the coach, and have an inspection. He arrived early in the afternoon, and wanted to test drive it that night before the inspector arrived the next day. The coach drove beautifully, and when we were done, it leveled perfectly.

The next day when the inspector arrived, one of the tests she wanted to see was the jacks return and redeploy.

It failed

Of all times to fail, it chose that moment. I did the manual bypass quickly, and we continued the demonstration. I called HwH and ordered the correct part number, and installed it on the coach.

Amazingly, I didn't lose the sale, and all ended well.

So to sum up this issue, yes, the Trombetta 114 1211 010 will work for you for a while, but will not be a permanent fix.

I used it for almost 3 months, and over 6500 miles, with continuous running due to my HwH Active Air. If you don't have Active Air, it will most likely last even longer, since it will not be continuously running the entire time you are driving, only when leveling.