Hydraulic Leveler Not Retracting All the Way

[rv4jimnme]

Hi our rear passenger side Leveler on Winnebago Adventurer Model 38T is not retracting all the way. Therefore the "alarm" will not go off. Is there a simple way to service this until we get to the Dealer? New to Hydraulic and clueless. This is the second time we have had this happen the first time in Los Angeles Traffice but when we pulled over it came up. Now it will not.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

Pangaea Ron wrote:
Listen to Doug,

Every thread that has been presented here about HWH leveling systems is usually solved by him.

And many other problems too. I have yet to see a poor answer by Doug, let alone a wrong one.

[Pangaea_Ron]

Listen to Doug,

Every thread that has been presented here about HWH leveling systems is usually solved by him.

[Pirate1]

dougrainer wrote:

rv4jimnme wrote:
Hi Everybody,
I wanted to post one last time for those of you who may still be wondering about Hydraulic Levelers. First our System is NOT made to retract or work without the Engine running because it drains the Engine Battery. We had to jump start the Coach trying it this way. Your situation maybe different. Carrying a piece of two by four has been a "godsend" because we still have one Leveler that will not retract all the way. We have been told it could be as simple as replacing the spring or as complicated as rebuilding or replacing the Jack Itself. Also the One Service Manager has suggested that perhaps the Hydraulic Fluid needs changing as it can thicken or thin (cannot remember which one) over time. So our choice is to take it in and get the necessary repairs over with. So as you can see there is much to learn on here, however some advice might not be specifically for you or your Coach. Big Thanks to all!

OK.
1. You CAN retract and extend with the engine OFF. IF this drains the chassis battery, you have a BAD chassis battery. To retract takes less than 5 minutes and pulls hardly any battery power.
2. You NEVER need to change the HWH hyd fluid. It does NOT thicken or thin. This statement is complete nonsense and I would NOT have a shop that the Service manager states such a thing work on my RV.
3. Springs or Not? Simple way to determine. The newer better springs are tapered the last 2 inches. The older style springs that loose tensile strength will be the same diameter top to bottom. If you have the old style springs, replace all 8 springs.
4. But, when you have worn springs, you have the Jacks in retract mode, if the jacks and internal seals are OK, and a jack fails to retract, you can easily push the offending jack up to full retraction with your hand. IF you have to lever it up with a pry bar or 2 x 4, that jack needs rebuilt or replaced. If that Service center does NOT know this, do not have them work on your RV. Doug

For years I carried around a 2x4 to lift up my front jacks even after putting on new springs. Too lazy to change them out. I decided to finally try WD40. What a change. My jacks fly back up now. Spray it on them once a year.

[dougrainer]

rv4jimnme wrote:
Hi Everybody,
I wanted to post one last time for those of you who may still be wondering about Hydraulic Levelers. First our System is NOT made to retract or work without the Engine running because it drains the Engine Battery. We had to jump start the Coach trying it this way. Your situation maybe different. Carrying a piece of two by four has been a "godsend" because we still have one Leveler that will not retract all the way. We have been told it could be as simple as replacing the spring or as complicated as rebuilding or replacing the Jack Itself. Also the One Service Manager has suggested that perhaps the Hydraulic Fluid needs changing as it can thicken or thin (cannot remember which one) over time. So our choice is to take it in and get the necessary repairs over with. So as you can see there is much to learn on here, however some advice might not be specifically for you or your Coach. Big Thanks to all!

OK.
1. You CAN retract and extend with the engine OFF. IF this drains the chassis battery, you have a BAD chassis battery. To retract takes less than 5 minutes and pulls hardly any battery power.
2. You NEVER need to change the HWH hyd fluid. It does NOT thicken or thin. This statement is complete nonsense and I would NOT have a shop that the Service manager states such a thing work on my RV.
3. Springs or Not? Simple way to determine. The newer better springs are tapered the last 2 inches. The older style springs that loose tensile strength will be the same diameter top to bottom. If you have the old style springs, replace all 8 springs.
4. But, when you have worn springs, you have the Jacks in retract mode, if the jacks and internal seals are OK, and a jack fails to retract, you can easily push the offending jack up to full retraction with your hand. IF you have to lever it up with a pry bar or 2 x 4, that jack needs rebuilt or replaced. If that Service center does NOT know this, do not have them work on your RV. Doug

[rv4jimnme]

Hi Everybody,
I wanted to post one last time for those of you who may still be wondering about Hydraulic Levelers. First our System is NOT made to retract or work without the Engine running because it drains the Engine Battery. We had to jump start the Coach trying it this way. Your situation maybe different. Carrying a piece of two by four has been a "godsend" because we still have one Leveler that will not retract all the way. We have been told it could be as simple as replacing the spring or as complicated as rebuilding or replacing the Jack Itself. Also the One Service Manager has suggested that perhaps the Hydraulic Fluid needs changing as it can thicken or thin (cannot remember which one) over time. So our choice is to take it in and get the necessary repairs over with. So as you can see there is much to learn on here, however some advice might not be specifically for you or your Coach. Big Thanks to all!

[dougrainer]

rv4jimnme wrote:

siggyd777 wrote:
Hydraulic levelers are being pulled up by the springs , but the engine must be OFF and you must be in ACC to have the valves open for
the hydraulic fluid to return to the tank when you press Store.
Siggy

So you cannot have the engine running or the hydraulic fluid remains in the lines? Also we still cannot locate the reservoir, apparently one would have to stand on their head? Winnebago said it would be on right side in front does that mean facing the coach or not? I mean is right side the drivers side or the passenger side?. Thanks

He is wrong about his statement. You can have the Engine running at anytime you are operating HWH jacks, whether extending or retracting. To find the reservoir. have someone operate the jacks(extend) and walk around the RV until you locate the noise of the HWH pump. Right side or left side is stated when sitting in the drivers seat/ Right side will be the Pass side. Doug

[rv4jimnme]

siggyd777 wrote:
Hydraulic levelers are being pulled up by the springs , but the engine must be OFF and you must be in ACC to have the valves open for
the hydraulic fluid to return to the tank when you press Store.
Siggy

So you cannot have the engine running or the hydraulic fluid remains in the lines? Also we still cannot locate the reservoir, apparently one would have to stand on their head? Winnebago said it would be on right side in front does that mean facing the coach or not? I mean is right side the drivers side or the passenger side?. Thanks

[Gjac]

Have you tried any of the suggestions? Did you get your jacks to retract yet? Let us know how you make out.

[rv4jimnme]

Thank you all for the valuable information. If you are following this thread please don't unsubscribe, apparently everyone has a different opinion on how to fix this problem. I hope to end this thread with the resolution that works for us and in that way can possibly help folks sort thru what is the right thing to do. I can see that everyone has handled this for the most part in totally different ways.

[subtroll]

We have one lazy Hydraulic rear jack that once in a while refuses to retract completely. On the road, I carry a small 3" x 3" x 6" block of wood with a 24" dowel handle (looks like a wood mallet) and a 24" piece of iron pipe. When its cold and I'm ready to get on the road and it refuses to come up all the way, I assist it with my pipe and wood block. A little grease in the zerk at the next convenient opportunity solves the issue for another year.

[AllegroD]

HWH Maintenance Manual

[Pirate1]

WD-40. Tried silicone, wiping tranny fluid, new springs, etc. WD-40 once a year and they work perfect and go up quick.

[dougrainer]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
If you are in a place with cooler temps, the jacks will retract slower then during the hot Summer. If you just cannot get it to retract all of the way, you can put a bottle or scissors jack underneath it and use that to push the cylinder up to a full retraction.

Cooler climate will indeed slow the retract time, but if you have to use any other means other than the springs to fully retract you have a defective jack. Doug

[dougrainer]

rv4jimnme wrote:

PF&PM wrote:
We struggled for a few years with one that wouldn't come up, then another. Changed springs.. worked for a while. They would drop slightly while driving so I would unplug the the system at the control box under the hood opening to shut off the alarms. Had to use a 2X4 to lever up two of the jacks.. Finally got tired of doing it and had the jacks removed and I sent them to HWH to be rebuilt. The removal and installation upon return cost 250.00 and HWH charged 750.00 to rebuild them. I painted them myself because HWH wanted 20.00 each to paint them. They work fine now.

Wow thanks for the input I wonder what the life expectancy is? Seems like maybe electric would be the better choice in the long run? We never had any problems with our levelers on the Fleetwood Pace Arrow 2007 thru 2016 except minor one time towards the end of 2014.

HWH charged $750 to rebuild 4 jacks. IF you have Electric jacks, just 1 jack will cost more than $750 to replace. Electric jacks are NOT reliable and cost more to fix when they break. That is why you rarely see Electric leveling jacks on motorhomes in the past 5 to 7 years. Doug