HWH leveling

[princesslily143]

I have a 2011 Winnebago Vista that has HWH leveling. I have always had problems with the rear jacks not retracing all the way. This last trip I had to help them up. Any suggestions?

[okgc]

I could not get my local dealer to admit there was a problem with one of my HWH jacks. They even billed me to look at it under warranty.
An aluminum floor jack stored in the basement works great to push the HWH back up when needed.

[JCMSr]

Barb,

The sequence you describe is identical to what we have experienced. As long as we are on the road and using the jacks every couple of days they work fine. If we sit for an extended period of time I usually will clean/lube the cylinders at least every four weeks (more often if we have been at or near the beach).

[JCMSr]

Doug,

All I can tell you is that the jacks were looked at two or three times during the warranty period and were always said to be "within tolerances" as to the retraction time. The last time they replaced both the springs solenoids. Everything worked fine for a few weeks and then the retraction times gradually increased until my patience was gone.

[dougrainer]

BarbaraOK wrote:
Doug,

All I can tell you is that when we are moving every day or two, jacks come back up very quickly/. If we are spending several 1-2 week stays in a row, then each month Dave wipes down the pistons and the retraction time is very quick. If he doesn't do it, then it takes much longer. We use ATF fluid to wipe them down. We did replace our springs several years ago which made a BIG difference.

Barb

My point is, you do NOT have to do that on correctly functioning HWH jacks. If you have the 2002 still, HWH changed the design and tension on the springs in or about 2005/06. The way you tell which spring is better is if the ends are tapered. Older springs that wore out quicker did not have the tapered ends. As I ALWAYS tell people. Why would HWH spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year replacing these jacks under warranty when HWH could just tell people to clean and lube as you do and think is a valid fix??? Doug

[BarbaraOK]

Doug,

All I can tell you is that when we are moving every day or two, jacks come back up very quickly/. If we are spending several 1-2 week stays in a row, then each month Dave wipes down the pistons and the retraction time is very quick. If he doesn't do it, then it takes much longer. We use ATF fluid to wipe them down. We did replace our springs several years ago which made a BIG difference.

Barb

[dougrainer]

JCMSr wrote:
Our 2011 Winnebago also has HWH jacks that become slow to retract every so often. Twice during the warranty period the jacks were checked, serviced and even had the springs replaced. They work fine for a while and then gradually become slower and slower to retract. Despite the comments by HWH that these jacks do not need to be cleaned I have found that a periodic cleaning of the jacks with Automatic Transmission Fluid keeps them functioning properly. First I extend the jacks all the way and wipe down each cylinder. Next, retract the jacks and repeat step 1 making sure to wipe off all excess ATF thoroughly. This keeps the jacks not only clean but free of dirt and road grime. Doing this regularly keeps the jacks retracting in 30 seconds or less rather than 8 to 10 minutes in some cases.

The jacks should have been replaced under warranty when it WAS under warranty. I replace probably 20 to 30 jacks per year under HWH warranty due to this EXACT problem. HWH jacks never need any lube or such lube type maintenance. Springs ARE NEVER a factor in this type problem for units less than 5 years old. Besides, like I stated, HWH jacks are IMMERSED in ATF when retracted, so why do the wipe down with ATF?????? Doug

[JCMSr]

Our 2011 Winnebago also has HWH jacks that become slow to retract every so often. Twice during the warranty period the jacks were checked, serviced and even had the springs replaced. They work fine for a while and then gradually become slower and slower to retract. Despite the comments by HWH that these jacks do not need to be cleaned I have found that a periodic cleaning of the jacks with Automatic Transmission Fluid keeps them functioning properly. First I extend the jacks all the way and wipe down each cylinder. Next, retract the jacks and repeat step 1 making sure to wipe off all excess ATF thoroughly. This keeps the jacks not only clean but free of dirt and road grime. Doing this regularly keeps the jacks retracting in 30 seconds or less rather than 8 to 10 minutes in some cases.

[RE-TE]

Run the jacks all the way down then spray them with Silicone, do not use WD-40. Do not use oil or grease. Do this every 3-4 months and I dont think you will have any more problems.

[dougrainer]

C&J wrote:
There is a "service tip" about this on the Winnebago website and it involves, believe it or not, a simple fix with WD-40. Go to the main Winnebago site, click "Resources", then "Service", then "Service Tips" and scroll down to the one called "2010-08 Care of HWH Jacks."

Last fall we had a rear jack that was taking nearly 10 minutes to retract in cold weather. We did the WD-40 treatment and it has worked fine ever since.

That tip is for kick down jacks and PROPERLY functioning HWH jacks NEVER need maintenance other than making sure there is no debris mud on the silver piston. WD 40 is NOT recommended at all. The HWH jack pistons are IMMERSED in ATF when retracted. The OP's problem is indeed defective internal seals. ANY HWH jack exhibiting this problem is replaced by HWH under warranty by HWH, they NEVER state to lube the jack and go on because HWH does know that the problem is a defective internal seal. Doug

[C_J1]

Here's a link to the Winnebago service tip:
http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2010-08%20Care%20of%20HWH%20Jacks.pdf

[C_J1]

There is a "service tip" about this on the Winnebago website and it involves, believe it or not, a simple fix with WD-40. Go to the main Winnebago site, click "Resources", then "Service", then "Service Tips" and scroll down to the one called "2010-08 Care of HWH Jacks."

Last fall we had a rear jack that was taking nearly 10 minutes to retract in cold weather. We did the WD-40 treatment and it has worked fine ever since.

[wandasone]

I had the problem on my 2003. The HWH manual has some pretty good ideas for troubleshooting. I tried calling the tech line but they were only taking messages and calling back (which they did in 3 days). I went to the jacks in question and cracked the hydraulic line to see if the jack would then go up. If it did I figured it was in the solenoids or such in the controls. Mine did not go up, it stayed about 2-3 inches down. I even took a 2 x 4 and tried to lever the jack up to see if the springs were weak. Wouldn't move. So I took it off and brought to a hydraulic shop who disassembled it and found a snap ring out of place inside the unit. Took him literally 3 minutes to fix. No charge. Put it back on and voila works great now. Mine was only one jack but the opening the line trick should work on any number.

[dougrainer]

You have bad inner seals on those jacks. Springs on a unit as new as yours will not be the problem. Doug

[sch911]

Call HWH they have very good support. You most likely need to replace the retraction springs.