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Old 12-21-2020, 04:41 PM   #1
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Lippert LCI Leveling System Not Servicable - NOT!

So, we have owned our 2006 Damon Astoria for now 10 years. Taken it from Washington DC to Alaska, from Canada to Disney World (20 times). Over the years I have fixed/repaired most of the systems, those that I could. Sometimes, though, I get intimidated and pass, and let the "pros" do it.

About two years into ownership we couldn't get the Lippert LCI levelers to retract. Did the manual override thing, got them retracted, and took the RV to a big dealer in town. Was told the pump unit had failed, and replacement set me back $2,400 . OK, and that is just the price of ownership.

Last year the same failure occurred. Humming noise, but no retraction of the jacks. Back to the same dealer, and again, "pump motor failure", and replacement again $2,400. Only this time - I wanted the old unit. So, I tore into the old failed Lippert hydraulic unit. The Lippert Operational and Service Manual is clear - Page 4 - "There are no serviceable parts within the electric motor. If the motor fails, Pump Unit must be replaced." And that is just what your RV dealer will do.

I took out the 12 volt Bi-directional motor, thinking it had failed. I tried to second source a replacement - forget about it. The cheapest I could find was $800. And to my (too) limited electrical examination, it appeared shorted to me. So, it sat in the back of my car for a few months, and then I finally took it to an Automotive Electrical shop in my town. Straight out of the '30s....Starters, generators, alternators strewn all over the place, of every kind imaginable - my kind of place. One old guy behind the counter. I left the motor with him, told him "No hurry." A month later I get a call "Nothing wrong with this motor, works just fine..." So, I bring him in the entire Pump Unit, valves, solenoids and all, and leave it with him. Another month goes by, and I get a call - "Your unit is ready to be picked up..." I pick it up, and he indicates that a solenoid was bad and needed to be replaced....$145 out the door, and thank you very much.

So, I now have a full replacement unit sitting in my garage to swap out the next time the pump fails. Now, I can be as guilty as the next guy at throwing parts at a problem to fix it, but sometimes there are better ways of doing things. Electrical Motors that see only limited intermittent use are seldom the problem; the solenoid which does the actual switching also on a limited, intermittent basis is much more likely the issue. And if the manufacturer says there are "no user serviceable parts" within a unit, well, you just haven't found the right hole-in-the-wall place with good old boys who actually know what they are doing.
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Old 12-21-2020, 05:22 PM   #2
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Do you have any information on the solenoid they replaced. If our pump fails I will definitely start my diagnosis with there. Thanks for sharing the information.
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Old 12-21-2020, 06:05 PM   #3
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Unfortunately I don't have that information right now but will research it when I get back from present trip. I know there are four of them on the pump unit, and i did not get the impression that they were difficult to source.
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Old 12-21-2020, 06:23 PM   #4
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Sorry it cost you so much for the fix, but at least now you have been shown the correct direction to take.
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Old 12-21-2020, 06:32 PM   #5
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I have bought several LCI hydraulic parts over the years.
Solenoid coil.
https://store.lci1.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=174184
Cartridge valve.
https://store.lci1.com/cartridge-val...ac-177094.html
A few years ago downloaded the manual for my system, it has pictures and all the part numbers. Parts are not cheep.
Pressure switch.
https://store.lci1.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=142927
Motor
https://store.lci1.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=167567
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Old 12-21-2020, 07:53 PM   #6
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hard to find a place that does rewinds now day. Fortunately I have one about 80 miles from home sounds like your guy. He has pulled some apart while I was there and had him say nope can't fix this one.
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