Hydraulic Fluid for HWH Levelers

Gary, yes when I first purchased the coach, the hydraulic line to the left "rear" jack had a leak and I had it repaired. The coach was a hold over when I bought it, so I really have no idea how long it had been leaking. Once repaired, I "assumed" the technician refilled the tank...evidently not. Poor assumption on my part.

Canadian Rainbird... yes, with the red dye in the Dextron III, was able to actually see the fluid on the dip stick and it showed almost full. Didn't want to overfill, so I stopped at two quarts.

Thanks for the replies

Ron

lanerd wrote:
Well, no luck with the fluid fix. Dumped both the quart of HWH fluid and a quart of Dextron III and the jack still will not hold position. Ordered a new solenoid (per owner's service manual recommendation) and will install this weekend.

Ron

BUT did you get a reading on the dip stick? The reservoir is LARGE and holds a lot more than 2 quarts, at least on the HWH system that I have.

Yes, if it is that low there is leak somewhere.

If you dumped 2 quarts into your system I would look for a big leak somewhere. You should be able to see that kind of leak even without the red dye.

Well, no luck with the fluid fix. Dumped both the quart of HWH fluid and a quart of Dextron III and the jack still will not hold position. Ordered a new solenoid (per owner's service manual recommendation) and will install this weekend.

Ron

lanerd wrote:
Ok, you convinced me. I have a quart of the HWH stuff and the dip stick still doesn't register any fluid on it. I'll go get a quart of Dextron III and see if that fills the reservoir.

If you can't find Dexron III in stock, Dexron IV is backwards compatible.

Ok, you convinced me. I have a quart of the HWH stuff and the dip stick still doesn't register any fluid on it. I'll go get a quart of Dextron III and see if that fills the reservoir.

dougrainer wrote:
While you can state Dextron 3 is Hydraulic oil, it only confuses people. The OP asked about (HYDRAILIC OIL) he sees at auto parts stores. NEVER install real Hydraulic type oil in a HWH systems or any RV leveling system. Doug

So stating the truth, that Dexron 3 is a hydraulic fluid confuses rather than educates people? Interesting. The fact is that Dexron 3 is specific type of hydraulic fluid that meets the specifications of a no longer maintained GM standard. All Dexron 3 is hydraulic fluid, but not all hydraulic fluids are Dexron 3. I expect most people are smart enough to realize that using the manufacturer recommended fluid in their jack system is best, just as they know not to use a 90 weight gear oil in their engine in place of the recommended 10-30 or some such. I also note that HWH themselves label their fluid "HWH Hydraulic Jack Oil". So much for not using a "real Hydraulic type oil".

While you can state Dextron 3 is Hydraulic oil, it only confuses people. The OP asked about (HYDRAILIC OIL) he sees at auto parts stores. NEVER install real Hydraulic type oil in a HWH systems or any RV leveling system. Doug

toban wrote:
Why not stick with the recommended oil HWH recommends instead of using something different with possible problems?

Toban

AS the other stated. HWH fluid IS Dextron 3 without the Red Dye added. The only real reason to use HWH fluid is IF you have HWH slide rooms and you have an internal leak, the HWH fluid will not stain the carpet inside as bad as the Red Dye fluid. Doug

Transmission oil IS hydraulic fluid! Dexron III will work fine. HWH would rather you use their stuff because they don't make any money when you buy the equivalent elsewhere.