"popping" jacks

[Takemeanywhere]

DH and I are camped in Palm Desert, AZ and we've recently noticed something disturbing. It sounds (and feels) like our leveling jacks are slowly retracting...one notch at a time. By feeling, I mean the coach sometimes rocks a little at the time we hear the popping sound.

Since the leveling gauge is a little off anyway, we use carpentry levels at different places on the coach, but we haven't noticed any appreciable difference. Also, we notice it most as the desert temps change whether warming in the morning or cooling at night.

We have a 2015 Winnebago Sightseer 35G. Anyone have anything like this occurring?

[Effy]

Mine pop now and again with movement in the coach but I don't think they are retracting. You are several tons on metal stilts bolted to a metal frame with a lot of the weight off many normally moving parts. Not to mention you may have some frame twist with levelling. I would think some creaking would be normal. usually I can get all the creaking out in a day and after that things settle down. But I've never lost any height. I think it's normal.

[Ginvest]

Putting wood between the jacks and the ground did not work for me. But when I put the rubber Pad Foot pads between the jacks and the ground or between the jacks and the wood ...no more pops.

[Fiesta]

Easy fix! Put a block of wood between jack pad and the ground.
Ground is hotter or colder than the steel, absorbs sound and provides a cushion.

[jwmII]

It is just temperature swings as the sun comes up and moves across the sky during the day. The popping and biggest movement is probably coming from the sunnyside of the coach (probably the south side)where the largest amount of thermal expansion and contraction occurs. I responder on here may have hit on a fix by using a soft or rubber pad for the jack feet to rest on.

[azpete]

this time of the year, there is a larger differential between night and daytime temps. thermal expansion and contraction is whats causing the popping. goes up during the day, and down at night. try using wd40 on the shaft on each jack. that helps some. not sure there is a permanent cure.

[creeper]

Takemeanywhere wrote:

Since the leveling gauge is a little off anyway, we use carpentry levels

Did you try re-calibrating your gauges?

[Ginvest]

I had this same problem in my new Montana 5th wheel with the Lippert Leveling system. Lippert send me a fix by replacing some of the hydraulic fluid. But that had no effect. I soon figured out that with the temperature changes the metal was expanding and contracting and possibly there was slight ground movement which was creating the pops. I then found the Pad Food RV pad on Ebay. I put one under each jack pad and have not had any more problems since. The rubber jack pad absorbs any movement eliminating all pops and creaking noises.

[Billinwoodland]

This is from Lippert:
Fluid Recommendations for Hydraulic Leveling
1. Operation at air temperatures routinely above 0o
C (32o
F)
• Dexron 3/Mercon ATF
• Mercon 5 ATF
• Dexron 6 ATF
• PetroBlend (Mason City, IA) PHO 0022S (synthetic group 3 base blend)
• Bellman all temp 22 (Bremen, IN)
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point lower than -42o
C (-45o
F)
2. Operation at air temperatures routinely below freezing, 0o
C (32o
F)
• Mobil 1 full synthetic ATF
• Royal Purple full synthetic ATF
• Valvoline full synthetic ATF
• Amzoil full synthetic ATF
• PetroBlend (Mason City, IA) PHO 0022S (synthetic group 3 base blend)
• Bellman all temp 22 (Bremen, IN)
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point lower than -42o
C (-45o
F)
• Multivis (all temperature) iso 22 hydraulic fluid
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid (conventional or synthetic) with a pour point lower than -46o
C ( -50o
F)
3. Operation at air temperatures routinely below -18o
C (0o
F)
• Kendall Glacial Blue
• Benz oil (Milwaukee, WI) Flomite 530
• Or any conventional or synthetic ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point less than -57o
C ( -70o
F) and
viscosity less than 2850 cP @ -40o
C (-40o
F ).

[John_Wayne]

If they are Power Gear jacks drain the trans fluid and replace it with synthetic trans fluid.

[Clay_L]

That happened to me twice. Both times when the two rear jacks were extended way out.
The second time I put some leveling blocks under the jacks so they weren't extended so far and that stopped the noise.

[Sooner_Schooner]

ken1961 wrote:
I used the oil that Lippert peronnel said and the problem continued. Does not happen in very hot weather. Jack replacement fixes the problem. 2013 Itasca Ellipse.

But wasn't that very expensive?

[Sooner_Schooner]

Join the club! We are having the same issue, we bought the Catepillar additive and it made it a little better but did not cure the problem. I agree that it appears to happen in colder weather, but I seem to think it happens when the weather changes. Lippert was of little help, the tech told me that "it's the nature of the beast" so I took it as we just have to deal with it.

[mccsix]

Fought this problem for years on my new Entegra, even changed out all the jacks but the problem returned. Finally bought a qt of this and everything went quiet.
Caterpiller Hydraulic Oil Additive (Part # IU 9891).
Lots of discussion about this on irv2 under Entegra.

[chevyman2]

make sure the HYD fluid is full. Then manually level the coach to make level (using your carpenter levels). After it is level to your satisfaction. Turn your keypad off. Then press up arrow 10 times, then down arrow 10 times (rather quickly). Then follow instructions that will show on keypad. This resets the zero point on Lippert (LCI) 4 and 6 point levelers. OOOPS, I forgot to tell you to use wheel chocks before leveling. When the jacks retract-sometimes-the coach moves slightly back and forth. This will cause "popping" noises and a rocking feel. It can also cause jack legs to bend.