Hydraulic Jacks

[scooterbob]

I have a problem with my Right front jack not fully retracting, about 1" from the up position, Any ideas ?

[CLIFFTALL]

How's your fluid level ?

[dls461]

Had the same issue a couple of years ago on my MH. After verifying the fluid level was OK, here is what I did:
1) Remove the cap from the Hy fluid reservoir
2) Have someone press and hold the retract jack button
3) use a pry bar or wood to pry the jack into a fully retracted position.
I had a air bubble in that part of the fluid line that was expelled by prying the jack up with the cap open to let it escape. Make sure all the other jacks are fully retracted or you will have fluid all over the place with the cap off.
Not sure if this is your problem but it is a simple and cheap try before digging into other items

[Fred Cooper]

I would fully extend the jack, clean the shaft, lube it with whatever type of lube the jack manufacturer recommends, then try retracting it. If you can't find a recommended lube, I would not hesitate to use a little transmission fluid.

If it is a PowerGear jack, check for a grease fitting at the bottom of the jack cylinder. If it has a grease fitting, give it one shot of grease.

[HicksRA]

New springs?

[ga traveler]

If you have factory jacks, they are power gear. Power gear is not prone to binding. Is the spring bent or loose? Have you tried putting about three 2X6 boards under the pad and see if it goes up? If so I would put the jack down and clean and lube the rod.

[nomad10th]

Brand new RVer here and had the same problem last night. Hit the retract all jacks button and got a blinking left leveler light. Tried to lower and raise them a few times, powered off and on a few times.. same blinking light. Crawled under the RV and found a 3/4" rock lodged against the leveling pad and the stopping point that caused my leveler to get stuck. From a quick look everything seemed fine. So I suppose it could be something wedged in there if you haven't crawled under the RV yet. Couldn't see it without crawling under and had to knock it out with a hammer. Now all is well.

[scooterbob]

Fluid level is full. Spring looks a little bent. Goes all the way up but the last inch. I can raise it with a pry but doesn't stay up, I think I need new spring.

[Jim_HiTek]

Along with the other excellent advice, I'd add this:

You can avoid having to pay for a new spring and the work to replace it for a while by cutting the power lead to the control box for the jacks, usually under the dash, and adding an off/on switch. You know it's only short by an inch so the jack pad won't be scraping the ground. Then it's just a matter of 'knowing' where the jack is, and flipping off the switch so the annoying beep won't bother you on the road.

Another trick to delay the work for a while, is to retract all the jacks as far as they'll go and add a little more fluid so the 'jack is down' sensor is satisfied the jack is up.

[Modela]

I notice a very small amount of fluid on one cylinder of my front jacks. Everything works ok. If the leak gets worse, can the jack be rebuilt or will I have to replace it? I have a 1999 F53 with PowerGear jacks.

[Jim_HiTek]

Originally Posted by Modela

I notice a very small amount of fluid on one cylinder of my front jacks. Everything works ok. If the leak gets worse, can the jack be rebuilt or will I have to replace it? I have a 1999 F53 with PowerGear jacks.

I've read of people just taking the jack to a cylinder shop and getting it rebuilt for like $50-$100. Less then just the kit from Power Jack.

All I do is every year or so add some AT Stop Leak to the tank. Leak goes away after extending/retracting a couple times. Then, of course, I try to avoid sites where the jacks might be hyper extended or at an angle. Or sometimes I'll use wood under them to even things up or shorten the stroke.

[Modela]

Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek

I've read of people just taking the jack to a cylinder shop and getting it rebuilt for like $50-$100. Less then just the kit from Power Jack.

All I do is every year or so add some AT Stop Leak to the tank. Leak goes away after extending/retracting a couple times. Then, of course, I try to avoid sites where the jacks might be hyper extended or at an angle. Or sometimes I'll use wood under them to even things up or shorten the stroke.

Thanks Jim I will try this.

[biosensai]

I noticed that one of my jacks wasn't fully retracting after spending time at a desert campground, where there'd been a lot of wind. I sprayed it down with the appropriate lubricant and whipped it down, thinking that maybe it had gotten dirty. So far, so good.