Jack Sounds Loud?

[Diesel67]

The motor on one of my Rieco Titan electric jacks sounds louder than the other 3…. I bought the camper new on April 14th and the jack has always sounded louder than the other jacks.

This is on a 2021 Palomino HS 8801 Backpack Edition truck camper.

Anyone know why the jack would sound louder than the other 3 ??

Thanks!

[Longshore]

I would think that the one jack is maybe binding or working harder than the others. I sure would call the factory on this...

[Diesel67]

Originally Posted by Longshore

I would think that the one jack is maybe binding or working harder than the others. I sure would call the factory on this...

Thanks for the reply!

I’ll call the dealer in the morning… Found some info in a search about some Rieco Titan jacks letting water get in… Not sure on that?

Thanks!

[WPRam]

Let us know, I would like to know more.

[Diesel67]

Originally Posted by WPRam

Let us know, I would like to know more.

I’ll let you know.
Thanks!

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by Diesel67

Thanks for the reply!
I’ll call the dealer in the morning… Found some info in a search about some Rieco Titan jacks letting water get in… Not sure on that?
Thanks!

The Happijack 4160's on my 2018 Northstar literally 'drink' rain water!

I had to install a new jackmotor on the first day I took the new camper home!
Thus far (since 2018) I have gone thru 3 electric motors and one new leg.
On the plus side I've gotten pretty good at rebuilding the jacks & motors.



I now put a rain bonnet (plastic food storage bin) over the jack location I've had the most water intrusion trouble with.
(Right Rear due to A/C condensation runoff)



Pictured below is a shot of an old rebuilt HappiJack 4160 leg next to a bran-new 4220 leg...



Here's a pic of two new motors. . . <$$$ bang head>



So Diesel67,
It could be water intrusion into the jack motor and/or leg.
I have Lippert HappiJacks (not Rieco Titan) but I'm sure if my Lippert jacks can be rebuilt at home so can your RT's
Good luck and keep us posted,
-Jake-

[Diesel67]

Originally Posted by Electrojake

The Happijack 4160's on my 2018 Northstar literally 'drink' rain water!

I had to install a new jackmotor on the first day I took the new camper home!
Thus far (since 2018) I have gone thru 3 electric motors and one new leg.
On the plus side I've gotten pretty good at rebuilding the jacks & motors.


I now put a rain bonnet (plastic food storage bin) over the jack location I've had the most water intrusion trouble with.
(Right Rear due to A/C condensation runoff)


Pictured below is a shot of an old rebuilt HappiJack 4160 leg next to a bran-new 4220 leg...

Here's a pic of two new motors. . . <$$$ bang head>

So Diesel67,
It could be water intrusion into the jack motor and/or leg.
I have Lippert HappiJacks (not Rieco Titan) but I'm sure if my Lippert jacks can be rebuilt at home so can your RT's
Good luck and keep us posted,
-Jake-

Was your jacks still under warranty when all this happened?

And do you know where the water is getting in?…. You would think these jacks would be sealed better than that, especially when it’s just condensation from your AC unit.

This shouldn’t happen at all !

My dealer is 6 hours away from me and I told him what was going on. He said it sounds like water got inside the motor, and he’s sending me out a new top piece with the motor.

I took the plastic cover off the motor housing and rust/water is coming from inside the motor… So, the jack already had water in the motor when I bought it, because my camper has been under my metal carport with my pontoon.

My jacks have a rubber plug on top and that would be the only place where water could be getting in.. So I guess the rubber plug isn’t sealing properly… This shouldn’t happen to any brand of jacks! IMO!

Thanks for the reply and thanks a lot for the pictures!… I guess I’ll start putting something over my jacks like you did, but we really shouldn’t have to go through this!

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by Diesel67

Was your jacks still under warranty when all this happened?

And do you know where the water is getting in?…. You would think these jacks would be sealed better than that, especially when it’s just condensation from your AC unit.

This shouldn’t happen at all !

1.) Yes, It was under warranty.
The camper was only one day old when the motor failed. It was a custom factory order purchased thru TruckCamperWarehouse.com in New Hampshire.
And no, I didnt use the warranty.
I went on Amazon and just bought a new motor. Unpleasant but quick & easy with no fuss. Actually I seldom use warranty service on anything. The same goes for my truck (a Ram 3500), all recalls & warranty repairs were done by "me".
It's costly but way safer than letting an FCA dealer's incompetent hands touch my $70,000 truck.

2.) Yes I know how the water is getting in!
The seam between the motor and the gearbox cover.
It uses an o-ring for a gasket and that seam leaks. In the pic below the motor/gearbox seam is circled in red...



I have taken the cover off my motors for a general inspection and literally poured out an ounce of rusty water.
Quite nasty!
Below is a pic of the gearbox cover removed...



My HappiJack motors leak so much water that they overflow rust water into the jack-screw part of the jack leg and start to rust the jack leg gears. Then the entire jack can get ruined!

The Rieco-Titan units may have the same problem with a leaky seam.



I have coated my o-ring seals with Permatex gasket sealer to try and stop the water intrusion but it seems all I did was slow it down some.

3.) I agree with you! We really should not have this problem with new equipment.
But then again I really should not have had so many problems with my new truck the first year I had it.
(But to fair about it... my Ram/Cummins was not nearly as big of an issue as the fact that the FCA dealer-service network is incompetent to the point of being dangerous)

Now, getting back on topic. . .
I have since learned that my jacks will need yearly tear-down inspections, I have no choice, they all leak. I pour out the rusty water, clean & grease, reassemble, and then I'm good for another season of camping.
If I neglect doing it I'll end up having a jack failure at a bad time and be stuck buying a new jack and/or motor.

If it helps any...
I have heard about way more problems with HappiJack equipment than Rieco-Titan.
You may have experienced a one-time issue.

Happy Camping!
-Jake-

[laj]

Thanks a lot jake. Now you’ve made me paranoid to where i’m going to go tear mine ( happy jacks ) apart and see. [emoji15] Seems like they could have fixed this issue yrs. ago with a little machining and sealed them up tight[emoji35]. thanks tho

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by laj

Thanks a lot jake. Now you’ve made me paranoid to where i’m going to go tear mine ( happy jacks ) apart and see. [emoji15] Seems like they could have fixed this issue yrs. ago with a little machining and sealed them up tight[emoji35]. thanks tho

Pop off the motor gear cover and take a look.
If it’s clean & dry under there then that’s probably all you’ll have to do. However, if it’s wet & rusty then an overhaul of the gearbox and leg is in order.

No one wants to get stuck far from home with the camper off the truck and a jack leg failure. 🍺

[laj]

Well i got lucky i guess. All clean, and well lubed under there. Hope things stay that way.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by laj

Well i got lucky i guess. All clean, and well lubed under there. Hope things stay that way.

. . . . . . . .

[Diesel67]

Originally Posted by Electrojake

2.) Yes I know how the water is getting in!
The seam between the motor and the gearbox cover.
It uses an o-ring for a gasket and that seam leaks. In the pic below the motor/gearbox seam is circled in red.

My HappiJack motors leak so much water that they overflow rust water into the jack-screw part of the jack leg and start to rust the jack leg gears. Then the entire jack can get ruined!

The Rieco-Titan units may have the same problem with a leaky seam.

I have coated my o-ring seals with Permatex gasket sealer to try and stop the water intrusion but it seems all I did was slow it down some.

3.) I agree with you! We really should not have this problem with new equipment.
But then again I really should not have had so many problems with my new truck the first year I had it.

Now, getting back on topic. . .
I have since learned that my jacks will need yearly tear-down inspections, I have no choice, they all leak. I pour out the rusty water, clean & grease, reassemble, and then I'm good for another season of camping.
If I neglect doing it I'll end up having a jack failure at a bad time and be stuck buying a new jack and/or motor.

If it helps any...
I have heard about way more problems with HappiJack equipment than Rieco-Titan.
You may have experienced a one-time issue.

Happy Camping!
-Jake-

Thanks for the reply and info!

Does your HappiJac electric jacks have the rubber plug on top?…If so, are you sure water isn’t getting in that way because the plug isn’t sealing tight?

If water is getting in through the seam between the motor and the gearbox cover, could the long bolts that hold the motor on not be tight enough? (Just a thought, but I’m sure you know because of all the problems you have had)

And if you added permatex gasket sealer, you would think that would keep out all water…. That’s why I asked if your jacks had the plug on top.

I read last night that some jacks are getting water in the legs… How would you check that?… I think I’ll get rid of my electric jacks and put the hand cranks on. lmao.

Thanks!

[laj]

Interesting thought. Mine don’t have the plug in the top. It is just a solid cap with no holes or seams except where it mates with the gear box.