Hydraulic Jack not fully retracting - 2012 Adventure 35P

[ATONOFUN]

travelling back from Florida to Canada our hydraulic level system alarm went off several times while driving over larger pot holes. It was suggested I check our hydraulic fluid level. I did and it was low. I filled the container and it solved the alarm from going off. The issue I have now is that my rear pistons do not fully retract. The drivers rear is about two inches from full retraction. The passengers piston is approximately 4 inches from fully returning. I have tried several ups and downs but nothing seems to be working.

Any suggestions would be appreciated before I bring her in for service,

 

[be happy]

My passenger side rear jack seems to lag behind the others. I have found that using a silicone base spray on the cylinder and the seal helped. At least every other time I will go and spray all the jack cylinders before retracting. I know the springs that pull the jacks up at some point need to be replaced, but not ready for that project.

 

[RayIN]

HWH brand? If so replace the retract springs. You said you ran them up/down several times, that should have purged all air from the system.

 

[creativepart]

HWH brand?

As per most newer Winnebago Gas motorhomes the leveling system is a Power Gear system. Winnebago used HWH on diesel motorhomes much of the time, but used Lippert, Kwikee and Power Gear on most of their Gas chassis motorhomes.

Power Gear says to:

While the jacks are extended down, spray the chrome
rod with silicone spray. If the jacks have a zerk fitting in
the bottom collar of the jack assembly, apply all purpose
lithium grease. Three pumps with a manual grease gun are
recommended. Retract the jacks and then extend the jacks.
Lubricate the jacks again as above. Repeat this process two
more times.

 

[ATONOFUN]

My passenger side rear jack seems to lag behind the others. I have found that using a silicone base spray on the cylinder and the seal helped. At least every other time I will go and spray all the jack cylinders before retracting. I know the springs that pull the jacks up at some point need to be replaced, but not ready for that project.

I did spray and after a couple ups/downs they did retract. Thank you

 

[ATONOFUN]

As per most newer Winnebago Gas motorhomes the leveling system is a Power Gear system. Winnebago used HWH on diesel motorhomes much of the time, but used Lippert, Kwikee and Power Gear on most of their Gas chassis motorhomes.

Power Gear says to:

did spray and it appears to have worked. I will have my shop grease up when I get the unit serviced before heading south. Thank you

 

[ATONOFUN]

HWH brand? If so replace the retract springs. You said you ran them up/down several times, that should have purged all air from the system.

second owner, I agree for a 2012 its time to replace the springs. I did spray the cylinders and they did retract, Thank you

 

[HouseofFaith]

Springs are the first and likely solution, but eventually the seals wear down on the jacks themselves. On our previous 2004 Adventurer, I took the jacks to a machine shop to get rebuilt, but they didn’t last long. I ended up getting certified rebuilt jacks from HWH—it was well worth the price!

 

[ldfeat]

travelling back from Florida to Canada our hydraulic level system alarm went off several times while driving over larger pot holes. It was suggested I check our hydraulic fluid level. I did and it was low. I filled the container and it solved the alarm from going off. The issue I have now is that my rear pistons do not fully retract. The drivers rear is about two inches from full retraction. The passengers piston is approximately 4 inches from fully returning. I have tried several ups and downs but nothing seems to be working.

Any suggestions would be appreciated before I bring her in for service,

 

[ldfeat]

I have the HWH jacks and they are spring loaded to retract the jacks. When you hit the button to retract the jacks, it opens a valve to allow the fluid to bleed back into the reservoir. Which relieves the pressure that holds the jacks down. If your springs are weak, they won't fully retract the jacks. These springs will wear out over time. I believe this to be typical for all (most?) hydraulic jack manufacturers. You can use a makeshift prying tool like a 2x4 or a pry-bar of sorts and move the jacks up. You will probably need to strap/tie the jacks up to stop them from falling down while ur driving. If you leave your jacks down while in storage like many of us do, your springs will get weak quicker than if you don't. HWH sells the jack springs for their jacks. Good luck. Larry 2014 Reyo P