Hydraulic leveler valves

[Gweedo]

Good morning, did a search and couldn't locate a specific match.  Couple trips ago the left rear jack wouldn't retract quite all the way, left about an inch down.  I extended it and then retracted it with my grandson pushing up and it retracted all the way.  Last week when retracting the control pad was going crazy blinking, couldn't start the rig,  after a few on/off with the key it worked normal but the front jack didn't quite retract.  couple up n down and they all seated.  (I have since watched the power gear videos on the system)

So when checking the fluid level I noticed one valve appeared to be leaking and maybe a second, hard to tell with the seepage. So my question is, will this leaky valve cause the above issue?  are these rebuildable or just replace them.  I'm thinking if one goes the others aren't far behind, so I will repair/replace them all.  I have attached a few pics.

 

Also the cap for the tank has never seated all the way down, threads have always been exposed.  Is this normal, it fits tight but when I parked it at a slight incline on my driveway it leaked fluid out.  I put some Teflon tape on it for a better seal, just need to know if this is normal.  

Thnx

 

[DavidL]

I would power wash the whole thing, let it dry, try to use the system and look for fresh leakage.  Hard to determine where it's leaking as it is now.

The fluid reservoir shouldn't be under pressure....it shouldn't be leaking even if the cap was very loose.  But certainly get the cap sealing before power washing it.

Jacks not retracting:  Does it have springs on the leg to pull it up?  One hydraulic hose per leg?  If so, then either the valve isn't releasing or the leg seals are binding a bit on the shaft.  Either way, bring the legs down, exposing the chrome shaft, and clean with WD40 on a rag.  Check your manual if the shafts need to be protected with WD40 or silicone spray.

[Gweedo]

I pressured washed several months ago, doing it again and checking makes sense.   I keep the cylinder's clean with silicone.  I should have looked when I saw the leaking on the driveway, but I was more concerned to move it off my new driveway.  I assumed it was from the cap because of the amount.  looking the the one valve that appears wetter than the others, I can see wet seepage under it.  I'm assuming these have an o'ring or two.  My thinking is there is a leak causing a loss of pressure to get the jack all the way up.  

[Gweedo]

Hello again.  So I am trying to find a leak I think is coming from the leveling valve.  You can see the wet. I have since cleaned everything n ran the jacks up n down n few times.  Nothing seen. So I have left the jacks down to keep under pressure. I’ll leave it for a day or so.   
 

Has anyone replaced these. I contacted Lippert. Valve is $350 n magneto is $85.  They say they are not rebuildable. Has anyone dealt with these or purchase them somewhere.   Do you know if they r rebuildable.  Not going to order until I’m certain at that price.  
 

[Gweedo]

The valve is leaking.  I’m gonna try n find o rings to see if this fixes it.  Can anyone tell me if these valves are under pressure when the jack are retracted. Thnx

[Happycarz]

There is no pressure when retracted. 
 

I have not had to replace any valves or O rings, but below are the numbers for the valves. I had them out to clean as I had a jack that would go bump in the night every few hours.  
 

If the jack will not retract the last inch, and you cannot force it up with a floor jack, it may have the nut coming loose.  Roy McBrayer had it happen to his Diplomat. He took the jack off, disassembled it, put in new seals and secured the loose nut on top. He wrote up a great white paper how to repair it, along with the part numbers. 
 

A few year later one of mine wouldn’t retract the last inch. I caught it in time. The nut on the ram came loose and was hanging on by a few threads. Roy’s white paper, that he posted on iRV2, sure made it easy and less intimidating to repair.
 

 

[RNMCBR]

Harry,

Your jack valve body looks way too clean. Are you sure you’ve used it or don’t keep your coach in a sealed clean room?

Roy

[Gweedo]

Thnx for the info.  I took the valve to a hydraulic shop and they said the o rings are specific to hydraulic.  Fortunately he had the o-ring that seats where the valve screws in.  That is where it was leaking.  I put it in last night and extended the jacks.  Sat all night no leaks.  

At Lippert the valve was $349.  at Northwest Rv is was $259, still waiting to see if an o-ring kit is available.  So I saved a few hundred dollars , the guy gave me the o-ring.   

 

[Happycarz]

Hey Roy, my coach is in a hermetically sealed garage, as it is a show piece.  When I go on a trip, I rent a coach.
I just make up stories about how I fix Monaco’s.  Most people believe me, so I’ll keep it up!

[RNMCBR]

That’s what I thought. It’s always so clean I couldn’t believe you ever used it. Has Cummins ever asked to use yours as s display engine? They should.