hydraulic leveling jack replace / rebuild

I have a 2002 Alegro Bay 35db . I had a hydraulic company repair 3 of them. About 1000 dollars. Seals were bad. Waiting for the other one to go now:)
They have to break the weld on the jack and re weld to change the seals from what I understand

The HWH service manual for the Joystick-controlled 200/210 says to "take the hose loose at the jack, if it doesn't retract, replace the cylinder. If it does retract, loosen the hose for that jack at the valve. If the jack retracts, replace the valve. If the jack does not retract, the problem is the hose."
If it is the jack, you can replace just the cylinder and not the complete jack.

I had a rear HWH jack that would not fully retract and was replaced at Red Bay. My cost for part and labor so I asked for and got the malfunctioning cylinder. Took it to my local ESECO hydraulic repair facility and they rebuilt it for a bit over $125. It did take a while as they had to special order the necessary seals, but I now have a spare if/when I need it. Cheap insurance. Very easy R&R.

Per HWH, you maximum cost to rebuild will be $371 per cylinder. It may be less, but they quote a maximum. Doug

The paperwork in the MH says it is an HWH 200 series, joystick controlled, straight acting cylinders that pivot. I believe Doug is correct that the internal seals are sticking. When weather and health permit I will remove the jacks and send to HWH for rebuild.
Thanks for the help and info.
George

s N s wrote:
If you know the model of your system go to rvleveling.com and give them a call. The name of the company is Stuart's Services and they are in Elkhart, IN. The number is (800) 826-6267. I've always had the best results from them when having a problem with the jack system. My guess is you have the HWH325 system on your coach. If the jacks are not going up it's probably a bad solenoid which would be located on the pump manifold. There would be four (4) of them, one for each jack. Good luck and hope you get it taken care of.

Note that he states the Jacks DO retract. They just stop when there is no added weight to force them up. So, that means his solenoids are OK. He also opened up the Hydraulic lines at the jacks(bypassing the solenoids). They still did not fully retract and he had to pry them up when in store mode. That always points to bad internal sticking seals. Doug

If you know the model of your system go to rvleveling.com and give them a call. The name of the company is Stuart's Services and they are in Elkhart, IN. The number is (800) 826-6267. I've always had the best results from them when having a problem with the jack system. My guess is you have the HWH325 system on your coach. If the jacks are not going up it's probably a bad solenoid which would be located on the pump manifold. There would be four (4) of them, one for each jack. Good luck and hope you get it taken care of.

If all else fails and it turns out it's your cylinders, call around or visit shops that rebuild cylinders to see if they'll help you. I had Kiwkee Level Best levelers on my previous MH and ruined a seal. The Kwikee cylinders are powered both ways - there's two hoses to each leveler and no springs. Technically, they are not serviceable. After assembly, they are welded closed. I found a couple of shops that would renew the cylinders if I cut them open - they'd replace the ram and seals then weld them back up for me. The cost was around $300 per cylinder - not cheap but much better than buying a new cylinder. I carefully used a cut-off wheel on a 4 inch grinder to cut the old welding bead and the top fell off. The repaired cylinders worked great and never leaked while I owned it.

If the jacks retract when the weight of the motorhome is on them, then they stop and the springs cannot retract fully, your Inner seals are bad. 3 ways to go.
1. Remove each jack and send to HWH for a rebuild---cheapest way
2. You have already found out what the NEW cylinders cost
3. Find a local Hydraulic shop to rebuild for you
HWH does NOT sell rebuild kits
If it was MY unit, I would send to HWH for rebuild. HWH has changed the Inner seal design and the new seals will not have this problem in the future. Doug

Look at where the pump is located and you will see all the hoses coming back to one valve per hose. Those valves control the fluid coming back. Have someone hit store and you have your hand on those valves and one maybe is not clicking. You might be able to see which hose goes to the jack that is sticking. If so hit store and wait till the pressure is lost, then take the hose loose and then the valve and see if it stuck or gum up. With it out and connected to plug, hit store and see if you feel it click. You might have to ground it to the frame for it to work. If it works then check the passage for something in it or use the troubleshoot manual for your system, check the voltage on the pins.