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Troubleshooting the Level Best 3000 System
I've searched this forum and others quite a bit and have spent time reading many threads about issues with the Winnebago-specific Level Best automatic levelers. I've got a new-to-me 2007 Sightseer 35J which is equipped with that system, but I have no real history or experience with it. When I inspected it, all four jacks were down on the ground and the coach was level with the slides out, but it was parked on very level ground to begin with. In retrospect, I should have pulled the slides in and tried to use the jacks to un-level the coach to really check their function, but that's water under the bridge.
The previous owner told me that he had an occasional fluid leak from one particular jack (the left rear, I believe), but it was not actively leaking when I looked at it. On the test drive, the system gave me the "jacks down" warning but having spent a bunch of time with an older HWH system with slightly weak springs, I was used to that and didn't associate it with a problem, assuming it was just a switch that was mal-adjusted or failing. Again, I had seen the coach with all four jacks down to the ground, slides out, and level and I thought that was enough of a test of function. Lesson learned.
Once I got it home - or, actually, to the storage lot since my driveway is way more of a grade than any leveling jacks could ever fix! - I hit the button to try out the auto-level feature so that I could put the slides out and start loading things on board. The pump ran for what seemed like an eternity and eventually stopped with all four individual jack lights flashing at the same rate. That is to say, it was four lights on, four lights off, four light on, and so on. I saw in the manual that there were different codes for two of the lights to be on while two were off, but no mention of all four lights blinking at the same time. From a Kwikee manual for a different system, I read that it meant that there basically wasn't enough jack stroke (giggity) to level the coach, but I have no idea if that applies. In my case, I had three jacks on the ground, the front-right was most of the way down, and there was very little lift of the coach.
Upon hitting the retract button, the jacks all came back up. I tried again using the "bi-level" buttons to just bring the front up. In that case, it started to raise the front a little bit - maybe a half-inch - but it did put all four jacks down. I raised them all up, added some Dexron - actually over-filling the system by accident - and tried the process again. This time I still got very little lift, but the right rear jack wouldn't retract until I gave it a little shove with a long bit of angle iron I had to use as a prybar. Once I gave it a push, it retracted just fine.
I have unplugged the control unit for a few minutes to reset it and I also tried the emergency retraction jumper when the one jack wouldn't come up. Neither of those actions seems to have changed the function. I am assuming that since the emergency retract didn't bring the one stuck jack up, it was not a control problem. I would also add that I have tried the jacks again since that incident and that problem has not come back.
In short, it seems like the basic problem is that the jacks will function okay when there's no real load on them, but once it's time to start pushing the planet down and away from the coach, the system is wimping out. I know that hydraulics are fairly simple but what I don't know is how to go about testing the individual components of the system. My understanding of the system is that there's a pump that builds 1800 psi or so of pressure in the system. That fluid is routed to a manifold block that has a directional valve to pump the fluid to the raise or the lower lines. There's also a valve for each jack so that the system can push the fluid to an individual jack without affecting the others - although the system works in pairs to avoid twisting the chassis, that appears to be a computer-controlled function, not a hydraulic function. From those valves, there's two pressure hoses that run to each jack and inside each jack there's a shaft with oil seals.
So first question: Is my assumption of the basic operating principle correct? Are there any other parts in the system that I am missing?
Second question: How do I isolate each part of the system to determine where the fault is? I do not have a pressure tester to verify that the pump is doing its job, but is there a test that I can perform that would indicate the likelihood of a pump failure?
Third question: I've read about various screens in the system getting clogged up and needing to flush the system. If it is possible that either dirty fluid or clogged screens are my issue, where do I find those screens and is there a procedure for flushing the system?
Fourth Question: If we assume that there is a leak from that left-rear jack, and/or there is at least one jack that isn't staying retracted, is that strong enough evidence to say that my problem is in that jack or those jacks, and I should stop screwing around with things until I've taken it/those off and had it/them rebuilt?
I'm a pretty hard-core DIYer and I don't mind getting in there and starting to tear things apart, but what I don't want to do is just load up the parts cannon and start firing at will.
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