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DFWRusty's avatar
DFWRusty
Explorer
May 02, 2013

'94 Pace Arrow levelling jack help!

My jacks have not worked at all since I bought my RV. I knew this going into it when I bought my rv, so I didn't really ever think about it. Until now, a couple people I camp with have older rv's and they claimed there jacks didn't work when they bought their rv's either. They both claimed it was loose wires, or something simple. Well anyways, I have been trying to dig up info on how to trouble shoot my levelers, and it's hard to find on the web. So I turned to my rv owners manuals... Whilst digging through the binder, I found a receipt from 2008 from the previous owners at a rv service shop in OK.

On the receipt it said that they did a full service and trouble shoot on the levelers. That the pump was good, controls were good, that everything was good. Except a level indicator switch in the tank was faulty and making the system think that the jacks were down when they were up. It also said that they bypassed the level indicator by snipping the brown wire (what ever that means). The last thing on the reciept says that the jacks work as normal except after cutting the brown wire that none of the indicator lights work on the controls.

My question is this..... The rv dealer told me when I bought my unit that they couldn't get the controls to come on, therefor the controls are bad. After reading this reciept I am starting to think otherwise. Since they rv dealer didn't think they worked they never showed me how to use them. There is no instruction manual for using my jacks. Could someone tell me how to use my jacks.... Farely detailed instructions would be all so help full! My wife is going to our camper after she drops our munchkin off at school to take a picture of the controls and txt it to me, as soon as I get it I will post it here.

Thanks for any help!
  • You have Power Gear Bigfoot jacks, same system as I have. The red light is the "Jacks down warning indicator" that will only flash if the fluid level is low in the resivoir and you put the RV in gear, or release the parking brake.

    You might have either 3 or 4 jacks. Yours is a newer system than I have, I do not have separate lights for the Netural sensor, or parking brake. I also do not have a "Extend and retract button" however I have a "All" button that retracts all the jacks. Mine is a 97 RV built in November 96.

    The warning on the bottom, that says do not use to jack up to remove a tire is astern one, and justified, the jacks can retract without notice. When I changed my tire on the side of the freeway, I only put down the jack to level the RV, then used a 4 ton jack to lift the axle, and remove the tire.

    Fred.
  • Do you have HWH or Bigfoot jacks?

    I have bigfoot jacks, they have about a 12" diameter round foot, and a cylinder about 2" diameter, so it is lower hydralic pressure than a typical jack with a smaller diameter cylinder.

    My guess is the hydralic jacks have a leak in one of the jacks, maybe two? Then the fluid level went below the minimum required to shut off the "Jacks down" light and beeper. So in one case, I did not have extra fluid with me, and I pulled the 10 amp fuse near the front tire, so the beeper would shut off. Later when I had the right funnel to add more fluid, I put in about 1/2 a quart of transmission fluid, and that refilled it enough to indicate the "Jacks up" so the alarm was off.

    I am guessing that the brown wire they are talking about is the jack fluid level sensor?

    If they had only put in a quart or less of hydralic oil, or transmission fluid, it would have worked normally. No need to cut the wires and repair them again. Repairing the wire is simple, just a quick connect stak-on fitting.

    Instructions:

    For my jacks, I need to first set the parking brake, and put the gear in park or netural. I can have the engine on or off.

    Then I can turn on the jacks. If they are up, the red light should be off. If it is on (says jacks down) while the jacks are actually up, this will indicate a low fluid level. When I push the "Front" or "Rear", it will push hydralic fluid into that end of the RV, lifting it. If I push right, it will pump fluid only to my right rear jack, left is only to the left rear jack. I only have one front jack.

    If I push "All" it will raise all of the jacks. To stop raising the jacks, I need to turn off the jacks, and turn it back on, then it will reset to allow raising the jacks again. If you push all, then shut off the jacks, it will keep the soilnoids open to allow fluid flow back into the resivoir, so the jacks can not stay down while driving.

    So if you get one side of the RV to high, and need to drop it a little bit, make sure you push all, then as the RV settles, shut it off, then back on, then push one of the buttons (front, rear, or right or left) to keep the fluid from all returning to the resivoir.

    If the parking brake is released, the jack system "Should" release all the pressure from the jacks, and drop the RV back to the ground. Also starting the engine, and putting it in gear will bring on the "Jacks down alarm" and also retract the jacks, with the fluid returning to the resivoir.

    You will want to find out the location of the jacks fuse, where you can remove that fuse should the resivoir not have enough fluid in it to shut off the "Jacks down alarm". I also carry a pint of transmission fluid, and the correct funnel to add fluid to the system, should I have a leak while camping.

    Fred.
  • I'm not sure... I can't find any manuals for the jacks....

    Here are the pics my wife just sent me.