My latest issue...

[coachmanrvr]

Decided to clean up the underbay area this weekend and found my rear HWH hydraulic cylinder leaking at the piston rod seal area on the end of the assembly. (Living room slide piston) Not much, but drops had accumulated on top of the bay crossover area. Enough to show me where it came from. What does it take to have the piston redone to seal the unit again? For now I put a drain pan under the leaking point to see how much fluid we are losing. Since the reservoir is still full, it can't be much.

I would think take the piston assy off and take it to any hydraulic repair shop, but I'm a newbie at this area to date. Man, these things are a work in progress and mine has been keeping me busy these days...

[Oldrtrcr]

With a 2013 model year coach I would first suggest a trip to a dealer for some warranty work.

[coachmanrvr]

Haha...no dealer exists that could work on my coach as well as me...a hydraulic cylinder seal failure is HWH only...has nothing to do with Tiffin. I'll contact HWH tomorrow. They were great when Tiffin forgot the ground on the pump assembly so I"m going with them on this issue..

[coachmanrvr]

Just to point out we are 27K miles into our 2013 35QBA. We've had our issues, but this is a great coach...

[phredsee]

Had this identical leak on ours a couple of months ago and limped along for awhile until we went to Red Bay for some final warranty work. Welding shop put a spot weld on the end to solve the issue. If you can actually see where the fluid is coming from, I would think a reputable weld shop in your area could do the same.

[coachmanrvr]

I don't understand. Your piston was cracked and leaking and they welded it to fix it?

I'm thinking I would want a replacement. Mine is leaking from the rod seal I think. They hold be able to rebuild it.

[dabrooks]

Most hydraulic rams can be rebuilt. They sell seal kits for them. I have one leaking on a snow plow and am picking up the kit from the dealer this morning. I said most because there are some that are welded together. I had one on a John Deere lawn mower that the dealer told me was a throw away and replace item. The new cylinder was $350.00. I actually cut the cylinder where it was welded and removed the seals and sent them to a seal supplier. They matched up the seals for $ 9.00. I replaced the seals and welded the cylinder back together.

I would be interested to see what you find out from HWH..When I get a chance I am going to look at the motorhome and see if the cylinder looks serviceable. If not I would hope it is still under warranty.

[phredsee]

Originally Posted by coachmanrvr

I don't understand. Your piston was cracked and leaking and they welded it to fix it?

I'm thinking I would want a replacement. Mine is leaking from the rod seal I think. They hold be able to rebuild it.

That's correct, I asked for a replacement piston but TMH is more interested in less costly repairs. Other items were handled much the same way in Red Bay. I'm told by others if the fix doesn't last, then replacement is often approved.

[coachmanrvr]

Being technically out of warranty, I contacted HWH today. Out of good will they are sending a replacement since my coach is a 2013. I'll have to get my mechanic hat out as I've never changed a piston before. The system has a three page step by step guide for replacement, so I've got a bit of learning up to do before it arrives. She said that mine is no longer made so they'll have to build one up and could take 2 to 3 weeks.

Works for me. I've had a couple parts fail in this system but I must say, HWH has been first rate to deal with getting me going again.

[phredsee]

Good deal, let us know how you make out on the replacement. Would be interested in how difficult this would be if mine doesn't hold up.

[coachmanrvr]

I'll definitely follow up when I get parts. Keep in mind they said they have to build this piston, so it may be 2 or 3 weeks.

[CoastieSCPO]

It's very good that HWH is sending the part as good will. May I suggest that you contact Don Boyd or another service person at Red Bay and have them document your problem and that it happened prior to the end of the Tiffin warranty period. Just in case this fix does not work. I had several repair items on my 2012 coach that needed fixing prior to the end of my warranty but I couldn't get to Red Bay until after the warranty ended. I called Don Boyd and he made note of the issues in my file and when I went to the service facility everything was fixed for free. All I had to do was pay for 5 days camping fees.

[coachmanrvr]

They were faster than they thought. Got the replacement in today, but I'm chicken to change it out before my next outing. We have a trip planned and I think I'll live with a few drops and take the trip as is before swapping this thing out. More to follow.

[dabrooks]

It looks like you may have a nice weekend to change out you leaky cylinder. If you do don't forget to take some pictures.