Leaking ram, ram not retracting fully...

SaltLife · 08-04-2019, 05:29 PM

The rear drivers side ram goes down fine, but comes up only partially and stops. The passenger side rear works fine, but is leaking hydraulic oil when extended fully, under pressure. The outside of the tube is soaked. One drip about every 3 seconds. That's not good. Ram needs to be refilled? Leaky fitting? Causing the drivers side to not fully retract?

Thanks.. .

SaltLife · 08-04-2019, 05:58 PM

Rebuilt not refilled.

I can reach the top fitting, barely. I'm guessing that's what's leaking. Not sure how to work on it when I cant even see it...

SaltLife · 08-05-2019, 02:49 PM

I read about the stuck ram not retracting in the maintenance section. But what about the leaky one?

Jim_HiTek · 08-05-2019, 06:59 PM

What brand of jacks?

Although you'll hear different, maybe consider using some ATF Stop Leak.

I had a pretty bad leak in my Power Gear rear passenger side jack that I cured using ATF Stop Leak. Every once in a while I would park on an unlevel surface and it would cause it to start up again, but usually not as bad. So about once a year I'd have to add Stop Leak. Sort of a maintenance kind of thing. It use to leak about a cup to a cup and a half into the landing pad but after the stop leak, that slowly got to be less and less. I used a plastic turkey baster to remove some ATF from the hydraulic tank and replaced it with stop leak of equal amount according to instructions based on volume. Guess work really.

Others will suggest removing the jack, taking it to a hydraulic shop and having it reworked. New seals and what not. Any shop should be able to do it for less then what a new jack costs. I would have done that but the stop leak worked so well, didn't get around to it over the 12 years I owned that RV.

For the other ram, follow the manufacturers shaft lube recommendation to see if that helps make it retract more. And if they are HWH jacks, then I think you need new springs. The replacements are stronger. They have a tapered top and bottom instead of the flat tops and bottoms your pics of the springs show. Usually, for a ram that doesn't want to retract, and before you get new springs, you just use a couple pieces of wood to lever it up the final few inches. I did that until I got the new springs, now don't need to. Ebay and Amazon both carry the new springs with the taper.

Finally, I'd recommend you make some wood landing pads so your Jack Pads aren't sinking into the dirt like you're showing in your pics.

Here's my article on how I made mine...there are no ads: Homemade Ground Pads

SaltLife · 08-05-2019, 07:12 PM

Thanks 4 the reply. I read another post and tried the WD40 trick, it worked! They are HWH. I think the leaky one is leaking from the top fitting. The fluid is all down the side of the ram. So I don't think it needs to be rebuilt...

SaltLife · 08-05-2019, 07:18 PM

I guess the leak isn't terrible. This has been sitting for a few hrs. We're on our maiden voyage. A local campground....

Jim_HiTek · 08-05-2019, 07:33 PM

It might have slowed a bit because you've got it on a nice solid platform now...that wood.

Anyway, since it's a '03 Winnie, and an HWH, you need the new tapered springs, otherwise you'll constantly be messing with them trying to get them to rise all the way to shut off the alarm. It especially gets tough to get them all up in the cold. Those springs don't like pulling in the cold. Definitely will need a lever set up then.

SaltLife · 08-05-2019, 11:03 PM

I used a 2x8 to lever it up to the fully retacted position in the past...

bobmac · 08-11-2019, 05:17 PM

Band aid solutions are only postponing the inevitable. The jack(s) needs to be rebuilt and the seals replaced - they are 18 years old and the seals don't last forever.

SaltLife · 08-11-2019, 06:45 PM

16yrs, but ya, I want to delay fixing 4 now... Maybe next year...

cptdzl · 08-11-2019, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaltLife

I used a 2x8 to lever it up to the fully retacted position in the past...

I carried a 6' 2X4 (right next to my 6' step ladder) and a block as a fulcrum to get mine to retract the last 2 inches. It wasn't consistent, sometimes I thought it was temperature related the colder it was the more often it would happen. I purchased a new ram but like you never got to that project. If anyone needs a HWH rear ram email me, pm dont seem to get to me.

Oh and it also seemed to depend on how far I extended the cylinder, half way and it would retract all the way on its own. If I extended it 90% it would protest by not retracting the last 2 inches.

Part #RAP9517

Rick

jbrattain · 08-11-2019, 08:16 PM

Just hope your jack cylinder doesn't get so bad that it needs a rebuild. Could be like mine. The jack cylinders on my 2002Winnebago Sightseer are sealed units, not rebuildable. I had to replace all four of mine due to leaking. Cost was $1040 each from Lippert Components, plus labor for the changeout. Total came to about $5000.

The cylinders were a special model made for the "Level Best" leveling system on Winnebago Sightseer motor homes from about 2001 to 2006.

SaltLife · 08-11-2019, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrattain

Just hope your jack cylinder doesn't get so bad that it needs a rebuild. Could be like mine. The jack cylinders on my 2002Winnebago Sightseer are sealed units, not rebuildable. I had to replace all four of mine due to leaking. Cost was $1040 each from Lippert Components, plus labor for the changeout. Total came to about $5000.

The cylinders were a special model made for the "Level Best" leveling system on Winnebago Sightseer motor homes from about 2001 to 2006.

Dang! The sticky one is about 6" short of retracting all the way. I found a 2x8 works much better than a 2x4. Can push it up twice as far b4 adjusting blocks...

SaltLife · 08-11-2019, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cptdzl

I carried a 6' 2X4 (right next to my 6' step ladder) and a block as a fulcrum to get mine to retract the last 2 inches. It wasn't consistent, sometimes I thought it was temperature related the colder it was the more often it would happen. I purchased a new ram but like you never got to that project. If anyone needs a HWH rear ram email me, pm dont seem to get to me.

Oh and it also seemed to depend on how far I extended the cylinder, half way and it would retract all the way on its own. If I extended it 90% it would protest by not retracting the last 2 inches.

Part #RAP9517

Rick

Sounds like we have the same one. Guess the R is for rear. I checked the fronts. So it's not rebuildable?

Journey39n · 08-12-2019, 02:09 AM

I had a similar experience with a front jack on my RV. Problem was, I was the culprit. I was sweeping our ground carpet, and remember, absentmindedly sweeping sand and grit toward the underside of the RV, just behind the front wheel. Ouch, that sand and grit coated the extended jack leg, and dug into the seal when I retracted it.

As it went up, it got hung up, I forced it by prying a bit, then when extending again, the fluid started leaking from the bottom seal. (not your problem apparently). But to fix, I found a new jack on Amazon, $175, free prime shipping.

Took my son and myself about 45 minutes to remove the old, install the new, ran it up and down several times, has been working great the last three years.

jbrattain · 08-12-2019, 05:54 AM

Mine are made by Lippert and are double action, hydraulic return. Yours are made by HWH and are single action, spring return. So, yours may be rebuildable. If not, hopefully they won't be so expensive.

DryCreek · 08-13-2019, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrattain

Mine are made by Lippert and are double action, hydraulic return. Yours are made by HWH and are single action, spring return. So, yours may be rebuildable. If not, hopefully they won't be so expensive.

During really cold weather (say, below 30 degrees), one or two of our jacks will ooze fluid. I wasn't aware that the Kwikee Level-Best jacks were not rebuildable. Were you told that by a hydraulic shop, or by a parts seller?

ETA - I would have to say that I prefer the single acting jack with spring return - rather than dual-action.

jbrattain · 08-14-2019, 05:17 AM

Mine were definitely NOT rebuildable. Top caps were welded on when manufactured.

And, I agree. I would prefer single action, spring return cylinders. BTW, I've seen other posts from owners with single action cylinders who replaced the springs to solve retraction problems.

SaltLife · 08-14-2019, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrattain

Mine were definitely NOT rebuildable. Top caps were welded on when manufactured.

And, I agree. I would prefer single action, spring return cylinders. BTW, I've seen other posts from owners with single action cylinders who replaced the springs to solve retraction problems.

Might be the best thing to try first....

SaltLife · 08-15-2019, 10:15 AM

Thanks 4 all the advice. Does someone have a link to the new springs for my setup, HWH?