Forum Discussion

cKarlGo's avatar
cKarlGo
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014

Hydraulic failure on 5th Wheel

I am currently stuck in Gettysburg, PA because the hydraulic system on my 2012 Keystone Montana has failed. I cannot completely extend the slides, nor can I retract them. I cannot retract the leveling jacks. The site is rather unlevel, so I thought that maybe the fluid was drawn down too far. When I checked, lo and behold, it was very low.

I made a run to Walmart and got a quart of ATF, which is what the manual says that the system uses, thinking that there might be a float switch or sensor that cuts out the system if the levels get too low. Adding this has had no effect. When I try to trigger either the jacks or the slide rooms, the motor itself clicks once, but does nothing else. I cannot locate any sort of reset that may need to be triggered.

Has anyone else run into this sort of issue?
  • Need to find out what caused the fluid to leak out also.
    Don
  • There is no monitor or switch that cuts out if the fluid is low. What you describe doesn't sound like a fluid level problem. The pump will turn whether the fluid is high or low. Are you using the switches or the remote?? There are known issues with the control unit "locking out" manual switches. Try using the remote (ensure you have a fresh battery) to operate the slides/jacks. If the remote works and the switches don't there is a "glitch" in the control unit interlock system. That is a frequent occurrence and can be bypassed by moving one (or two) wires.

    The Lippert web site has several manuals of the the hydraulic systems. You can use a drill motor to operate the pump and the slides/jacks bypassing the motor. You will have to manually open the appropriate hydraulic valves for either the slides or the jacks. The manual explains how to do this.

    I highly recommend you join the Montana Owners Club Forum (www.montanaowners.com), a no charge, privately owned web site, dedicated to all things Montana. There is lots of information on the hydraulic systems (and much more) there.
  • I had a 2002 keystone sprinter with hyd slides and landing gears as as I remember there was a octagon hole in the end of the hyd pump that you could spin with a cordless drill to run the pump.
  • I posted a message in the Good Sam ESP forum. The coach is covered under their warranty. I'm going to call it a night here because it's cold and rainy and then head over to the Camping World in Hanover tomorrow morning. It's about 15 miles away and they may be able to help.

    Thank you for the suggestions! Keep em coming.
  • My suggestion would be to bite the bullet and find an RV repair man who can come to your site and get your slides in and landing gear up. Then you can pull it to a RV repair shop that can fix what ails your Montana.

    That is what I had to do when I was far from home and had a slide that wouldn't come in. I tried everything I could think of to get it in, but finally gave up and got a professional to do the job. I was back on the road the next day.

    If I were you I would start by calling Keystone Customer service at
    (866) 425-4369
    They can probably give you some advice as to what to do. I think your unit is probably still under warranty.
  • Sound to me like a low voltage problem or bad ground. That is what I would check first.
    Also check connections on the electric solenoid valves