HWH jacks & slides don't work

wagonmaster2 · 05-31-2012, 09:50 PM

If it weren't so much fun RVing I wonder how many of us would continue to put up with the sorry workmanship we have to deal with? On my 2004 Meridian 36G I retracted the slides a couple of weeks ago due to a storm approaching (it's setting in the back yard right now) and retracted the HWH leveling jacks yesterday to move the tires to a new position.
Today when I tried to extend the bedroom slide it only moved 4-5 inches very slowly then stopped. Attempting to retract it got only an inch or two inward before it stopped completely. Then I found out the jacks won't extend downward even though I can hear the motor running very loudly.
The 110V cord is plugged in (voltage at Energy Management shows 13.2V), batteries are only about a year old, fluid level is up to the top, not sure what else to check. Planning on a call to HWH tomorrow.
Other than the phone call anyone have any other suggestions? The symptoms seem almost identical to what happened to me 3 years ago (June 4, 2009) while camping and it required a new shuttle valve. Surely not another one so soon.

Wagonmaster2

RickO · 05-31-2012, 10:04 PM

Sorry, I've got nothing but sympathy because you've checked all of the obvious things.

Best of luck and keep us posted as to what you find out.

Rick

gMw · 06-01-2012, 04:29 AM

Not sure if this will help or not, but something to check…

Recently I opened the bedroom slide but found it wouldn’t retract. The pump motor ran fine, front slide opened and closed (front slide intermittently filed to retract before, but worked fine this time), and the jacks worked fine.

I checked fluid levels, which were okay. What I found was the connector to the bedroom retract solenoid had become disconnected from the wiring harness. And the connector for the front retract solenoid wasn’t latched up and about to separate.

Checking it out further, the wiring harness wasn’t secured to anything, the only thing holding it up was the room solenoid connectors.

Once the connectors were mated up, everything worked fine, no problems.

I used tire wraps to secure and suspend the harness. And for added security, put tire wraps around each connector.

SVTotem · 06-01-2012, 06:51 AM

Like gMw eludes to, check connectors and grounds. It also sounds like the system may not be pressurizing. You may want to check that relief valves on the solenoids are snug.

Any leaks evident?

I know it is pretty new, but it does sound like the shuttle valve.

Good luck with this. It is frustrating. I was just at HWH in May with worn and leaking lines.

hamguy · 06-01-2012, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

Sorry, I've got nothing but sympathy because you've checked all of the obvious things.

Best of luck and keep us posted as to what you find out.

Rick

My hydraulics quit on Sunday. Got to Camping world in Albuquerque. Analysed as bad pump. $600 + shipping from Moscow and labor. ~$1200 total. OUCH!

TurtleKent · 06-01-2012, 07:11 AM

Try starting the engine first. Seems like my HWH jacks are powered by the chassis batteries, and on Winnebagos the chassis batteries do not recharge on shore power.

codgerbill · 06-01-2012, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurtleKent

Try starting the engine first. Seems like my HWH jacks are powered by the chassis batteries, and on Winnebago's the chassis batteries do not recharge on shore power.

I agree with that statement. I have had a control board replaced and solinoids replaced. The HWH tec (Elkhart Indiana) also mentioned that the engine should be running when deploying the jacks because the hydraulic pumps run off of the engine batteries and if there is not enough "juice" in the battery the jacks and slides will not deploy.

Ding-a-ling · 06-01-2012, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

The symptoms seem almost identical to what happened to me 3 years ago (June 4, 2009) while camping and it required a new shuttle valve. Surely not another one so soon. Wagonmaster2

Grandma's RV Park
Shepherdsville, KY

Yes, I would bet it is the shuttle valve, again.
I had a similar problem with slides and jacks - was able to use the MH for the weekend - and when we got home all was ok! A couple years later the jacks wouldn't retract - had a mobile mechanic open the hydraulic lines to bleed the pressure so they retracted. Drove to HWH (we were in SW Wisconsin) to have the shuttle valve replaced.
The valve can bind from dirt, crud, etc. Tapping the top of the pump assembly with a mallet or similar tool may dislodge the dirt and allow the valve to work properly.
FJF

1ciderdog · 06-01-2012, 08:32 AM

I was at Winnebago in Forest City last month for slide repairs and the tech there also suggested the engine be running when moving slides in or out. So if not running the diesel I push the momentary switch to connect the house batteries for additional battery power.

SVTotem · 06-01-2012, 08:41 AM

"and on Winnebagos the chassis batteries do not recharge on shore power."

True prior to 2007 or so. If you have an earlier model I highly recommend installing a Tric-L-Start to allow the chassis to charge from shore power.

I have done this and it is one of the best investments made in the coach. Cheapest, too.

lajuene · 06-01-2012, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTotem

"and on Winnebagos the chassis batteries do not recharge on shore power."

True prior to 2007 or so. If you have an earlier model I highly recommend installing a Tric-L-Start to allow the chassis to charge from shore power.

I have done this and it is one of the best investments made in the coach. Cheapest, too.

I second that recommendation. I installed one and now the chassis battery always stays fully charged. Especially handy when in storage and plugged in. Very easy installation.

wagonmaster2 · 06-01-2012, 09:38 PM

My Energy Management panel shows both house and chassis batteries to be above 12.6 V but I'll use my multimeter tomorrow and double check that the chassis batteries are indeed up like they should be.
Appreciate all the suggestions. I'll come back when/if HWH returns my phone call. They didn't today so I'm assuming it won't be till Monday or Tuesday. They are always helpful eventually but I've sometimes wondered what would happen if a person was on a very tight travel schedule and HWH wasn't able to get back for several days. Certainly makes for interesting travel doesn't it.

Wagonmaster2

rvarner · 06-05-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

My Energy Management panel shows both house and chassis batteries to be above 12.6 V but I'll use my multimeter tomorrow and double check that the chassis batteries are indeed up like they should be.
Appreciate all the suggestions. I'll come back when/if HWH returns my phone call. They didn't today so I'm assuming it won't be till Monday or Tuesday. They are always helpful eventually but I've sometimes wondered what would happen if a person was on a very tight travel schedule and HWH wasn't able to get back for several days. Certainly makes for interesting travel doesn't it.

Wagonmaster2

Try cleaning your battery connections. Good battery readings do not translate to max power to the pump. Measure the voltage at the pump while somebody pushes the the switch. Good Luck
Richard

Fastcar · 06-06-2012, 02:42 AM

I just went through this on my rig. Found that the voltage was fine but after about 7 seconds the amps dropped off. Amps is what moves your slide.

You may find your batteries are ng. If so replace with a couple of 950 or more CCA batteries.

Largeandy · 06-07-2012, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamguy

my hydraulics quit on sunday. Got to camping world in albuquerque. Analysed as bad pump. $600 + shipping from moscow and labor. ~$1200 total. Ouch!

you are lucky if camping world in albuquerque did anything right at all so good luck to you. I had the worst rv service experience with these misfits i have ever had. Have bought 2 new class a coaches since that horrible experience and made sure i avoided doing business with those fools at all costs.

I had a better experience with camping world in flagstaff but as a general matter other than supplies, stay away feom the and find someone else!

wagonmaster2 · 06-07-2012, 08:15 PM

UPDATE--

Finally got to talk to someone at HWH this morning after waiting since last Friday morning for a return call. The tech said he'd been hearing a lot of that but had no idea why it should be happening.

By removing the "U" shaped line off the top of the manifold (one end attaches to the shuttle valve) and capping the joint opposite the shuttle valve let the slide-outs work. Leveling jacks won't work in this way though. So diagnoses was a bad shuttle valve. No explanation why it should have failed in exactly 3 years almost to the exact date.

If my brain had been working at all I could have done this days ago as this is the same form of testing I was instructed to do 3 years ago. I still had the brass cap I purchased back then but for the life of me I couldn't remember which joint to cap off after removing the "U" shaped line. If my brain had been working at all I'd have known it wouldn't do any good to cap the shuttle valve since that was supposedly what was not working.

Anyway, now we're waiting to receive the new valve. Maybe I should have had them send me a couple of them.

Wagonmaster2

hamguy · 06-08-2012, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Largeandy

you are lucky if camping world in albuquerque did anything right at all so good luck to you. I had the worst rv service experience with these misfits i have ever had. Have bought 2 new class a coaches since that horrible experience and made sure i avoided doing business with those fools at all costs.

I had a better experience with camping world in flagstaff but as a general matter other than supplies, stay away feom the and find someone else!

Wow. My experience was exactly the opposite. I had fast friendly service. Of course, they had to order the pump from Moscow, Iowa and it took 6 days to ship. Not CW's fault. But when it came in, they had the tech work overtime to install. They found the problem to be a small leak in the front slide hose. But they couldn't service the hose due to time. But, they gave me a couple qts. of fluid to keep me until I could get to a place to do it.

Plus, the cost was under estimate.

wagonmaster2 · 06-10-2012, 09:35 PM

Was your problem the pump or actually the hose leak causing your problem? Or did they just stumble onto the leaky hose while installing the pump?

Wagonmaster2

rvarner · 06-11-2012, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamguy

Wow. My experience was exactly the opposite. I had fast friendly service. Of course, they had to order the pump from Moscow, Iowa and it took 6 days to ship. Not CW's fault. But when it came in, they had the tech work overtime to install. They found the problem to be a small leak in the front slide hose. But they couldn't service the hose due to time. But, they gave me a couple qts. of fluid to keep me until I could get to a place to do it.

Plus, the cost was under estimate.

There was a recall on some hoses back in 2002. Got mine replaced for free. Call HWH and ask em about it. There is a number on the recalled hoses but I can't remember what it was.
Richard

Largeandy · 06-12-2012, 08:12 AM

I am glad you had a good experience. If CAMPING WORLD in Albuquerque has improved since my nightmare with them, that is good. Safe travels to you and yours.