By: The Getaway Couple Rae & Jason

Nothing can create that sinking feeling in your stomach quite like pressing the button to operate your leveling jacks and having nothing happen. That can make for a bad start to a trip or it can provide a terrible ending to an otherwise fun getaway. Whether your jacks are stuck up or down can make a big difference in the criticality of the fix.

If you are in a motorhome and your jacks are stuck in the raised position and will not lower, this will not necessarily ruin your trip. Obviously, you will want to address the issue as soon as possible and get things corrected. If you are parked on a fairly flat lot, then the issue will be more of an inconvenience than a showstopper. You can probably go ahead and enjoy your trip and address the repair when you return home. However, if you have a towable and your jacks will not lower, this means you are unable to unhitch and set up camp.

On the other hand, if your leveling jacks are stuck down and will not retract, then you have a more immediate problem in front of you. You cannot move or drive the RV with the jacks down, so you have to get this fixed right away. You will likely be under a time crunch as someone else may be scheduled to camp in that same spot later in the day.

First, if you are scheduled to check out that day, you should notify the campground office of your issue. Most RV parks are mindful of these kinds of issues and will be willing to work with you on scheduling. In the meantime, you should take these 5 steps to troubleshoot your RV hydraulic leveling jacks so that you can get back on the road.

Manual for 400 – 1000 models Manual for 1000 – 3000 models. Water Treatment Manuals. Residential Filtration. READ THE ENTIRE OPERATOR’S MANUAL BEFORE OPERATING. KEEP PEOPLE AND OBSTRUCTIONS CLEAR OF ROOMS OR GENERATOR SLIDE WHEN OPERATING. ANY OBJECT OBSTRUCTING MOVEMENT MAY BE CRUSHED CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH AND VEHICLE DAMAGE. NEVER PLACE HANDS OR OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY NEAR HYDRAULIC LEAKS. HWH REGENERATIVE HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT ML37939/MP65.990M 20APR06 CYLINDER EXTEND The rod diameter is.875' or.601 sq. 3.14(.4375×.4375) The net force this cylinder will produce when the cylinder is extending is 0.601 (Area of the Rod) x P (3000 psi) = 1803 lbs. This manual is intended for use by experienced mechanics with knowledge of hydraulic and automotive electrical systems. People with little or no experience with HWH leveling systems should contact HWH technical service (800-321-3494) before beginning. Special attention should be given to all cautions, wiring, and hydraulic diagrams.

1. Perform Basic Tests

HWH REGENERATIVE HYDRAULIC CIRCUIT ML37939/MP65.990M 20APR06 CYLINDER EXTEND The rod diameter is.875' or.601 sq. 3.14(.4375×.4375) The net force this cylinder will produce when the cylinder is extending is 0.601 (Area of the Rod) x P (3000 psi) = 1803 lbs.

This step may seem pretty basic, but it can help get you started in the right direction. There are some things that you can easily observe that will assist in the troubleshooting. First, when you press the button, do you hear anything? If you don’t hear any noise, it could be a power-related issue. It may even be as simple as a blown fuse. However, if you hear the jacks attempting to operate but nothing is happening, it’s likely a more complicated mechanical issue.

Attempt to operate the jacks independently to see whether you have a problem with the whole system or whether it is limited to the front jacks or rear jacks. You may even be able to narrow it down to one single jack that is causing the issue. Once you’ve performed some basic testing at the control panel, it’s time to take a deeper look.

2. Visual Inspection

Walk around the RV and put eyes on each of the jacks to determine if there are any obvious issues preventing you from getting the jacks retracted. Look closely to see if there is any hydraulic fluid leaking anywhere as well. If the temperatures are below freezing, you can pour some warm water on the base of the jacks to make sure they aren’t frozen to the ground. If you still can’t figure out what’s causing the problem, move on to the next step.

3. Read the Owner’s Manual

Your owner’s manual contains detailed information about the operation of many components of your coach, including the jacks system. While you may have read up on the manuals when you first picked up your rig, now would be a great time for a refresher. We keep our owners manual in the back of our truck for easy access. The manual will walk you through detailed troubleshooting steps that can assist you with tracking down the issue. You should be able to use the results of the testing you did previously to walk through the troubleshooting chart and determine the likely causes of the problem.

If you’re in a time crunch and need to vacate a site, you may have to explore temporary fixes. Your owner’s manual can also walk you through the manual retract process for your jacks. We used our manual to learn how to manually retract our jacks when our fuse blew once. Since each system, such as HWH, Lippert, and Quadra Bigfoot, has its own specific procedures, it is important to refer to the manual for your particular system.

4. Perform Manual Retract

Most hydraulic leveling jacks found on RVs today are HWH systems. These systems typically have a manual override that will allow you to retract the jacks in order to get your rig to a repair shop. This usually involves opening the manual release valve and then manually prying the jacks up.

If you make it to this step, be sure you take all proper precautions to avoid injury. Never put yourself or anyone in a position under the vehicle when attempting to manually retract the jacks. Once you’ve gotten the jacks retracted, leave the release valve(s) open until you get to the repair shop. Searching online for your specific model number should quickly show you exactly where your release valves are located.

5. Ask for Help

If you’ve made it this far and still can’t get things fixed, know when to call for help. This could be as simple as asking around the campground and finding someone more familiar with the hydraulic jacks who can assist. Almost all manufacturers have a direct customer support line and some will be able to walk you through a fix over the phone.

Additionally, roadside assistance programs like AAA or Good Sam have telephone helplines available so that you can speak to a certified RV tech to help you with issues. You may also consider asking the campground office for a referral to a mobile tech who can come out and address your problem. Either way, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

If you’ve camped long enough, you have probably encountered an issue that you didn’t know how to resolve. The RV community is great about helping others because they’ve all been there at one time or another. We are so thankful for the kind strangers that have helped us on the road and are always willing to return the favor.

Following these steps for troubleshooting your hydraulic jacks should make things a little easier for you when problems arise. Even if you are unable to fix the root problem yourself, you should be able to do enough to get moving and have a professional take a look at things.

From time to time the leveling solenoids on the front and rear hwh six packs develop leaks. The leaking of the o-rings is easy to find with the soap bubble test, and replacing them an easy project. Leaks inside the valves, at the seats, or internal o-ring, can be more difficult to diagnose and often exhibit themselves as leveling issues.

The six packs are easy to locate, they have airlines on one side and solenoid valves on the other. On each six pack there will be 6 solenoids. (2) are the R/L travel solenoids that work with the ride height control valve when you have a green travel light. (2) are the dump solenoids and (2) two are the raise solenoids. The dump and raise solenoids work when the system is in level mode.

O-ring Replacement

The valves are screwed on to the manifold with two o-rings, an inner o-ring and an outer o-ring. Those O-rings on the face of the valve make the seal against the “6-pack” manifold. The official HWH part number for the replacements is RAP6554.

The OEM kit contains (1) #015 and (1) #028 o-ring, both with a standard round cross section. You should be able to go to any hardware store and find the same ones (Buna-N / Nitrile)

Note that you can also easily remove the coil from each valve stem, its just held on by the nut on the end, remove that and it will lifts off. Sometimes that gives you a bit more room to maneuver. Don’t take off more than one at a time unless you mark where each one goes so you return them to the right stems.

The manifold should not be pitted / scratched where the o-rings seat. You should also clean off any debris on / around the seating surface, taking care not to knock any into the exposed openings.

A little grease on the o-rings is recommended by HWH, petroleum jelly or silicon grease are both good for this. If you use other than Buna-N / Nitrile materials (the most common) then you should check for material compatabilty. The lubrication is necessary to prevent tearing the o-rings as you lightly snug the valve down.

How tight to install, not sure if its 1/4 or 1/2 turn past finger tight, but you will get a feel for that when you remove the first one. Its a similar feel for an oil filter, with the same don’t over tighten warning.

New Valves

The HWH part number for our valves is RAP1940 for the raise and travel parts (3/32 orifice). The dump valves are a different number (RAP????) as they have a larger 5/32 orifice so they can move more air.

The valves contain a cone shaped seat, a plunger with a compliant face insert that rests on the seat, and a spring keeps it closed when the solenoid coil is not energized.

Replacing the HWH Plunger

Sometimes the seal at the seat will fail, maybe due to grit on the seat or often due to the compliant surface taking on a deep set with age. Although the valves are serviceable, you can take it apart to repair, finding a replacement piston/seat has been a problem. HWH will not sell just the piston, although they will service valves for less than 1/2 the cost of a full replacement.

Hwh 325 Series Troubleshooting Manual

Its been reported by some that you can reface the plunger face on a lathe, providing a new clean surface to the compliant face.

Others have used a Skinner replacement plunger V5-207-N (~$18) to replace the old plunger, however that has a smaller compliant seat of ~.20 vs the >.30 diameter on the original.

Use that information at your own risk, I am not endorsing use of the replacements.

The measurements of the piston are:

• Main Diameter: .442
• Length: 1.175
• Diameter at seat: .542
• Diameter of seat: .290

Hwh Service Manuals

O-Rings and Lubricants

There are O-ring materials that are not compatible with Vaseline petroleum jelly (same is true for silicone grease on some silicon O-rings). From the O-ring design and materials guide:

Hydrocarbon-based materials, such as petrolatum. As a clear to yellowish semisolid, petrolatum is better known as petroleum jelly (Vaseline®), but it is also available in liquid form. Petrolatum is typically suitable for use with

1. Nitrile / Buna N (the most commonly used elastomer for O-rings and other sealing devices.)
2. Chloroprene (often referred to by the trade name Neoprene)
3. Polyurethane (Adiprene, Estane, Millathane, Morthane, Pellethane, Texin, Vibrathane)
4. Silicone (general usage)
5. Fluorosilicone (fluorovinylmethyl silicone rubber)
6. Fluorocarbon (Viton)

You can also use the following site to check for chemical compatibility