User Tag List

Results 1 to 4 of 4
  1. #1
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    11
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Lippert Level-Up: Stabilizer leg gradually dropping while unit being towed

    I have 2017 Solitude 310 with hydraulic leveling. This morning after our normal hook up procedure and beginning to leave the park we were flagged down by a fellow camper who informed us we had a stabilizer leg that wasn’t fully retracted. And we did. The rear left stabilizer had dropped 3 ins and middle left stabilizer had dropped maybe 1.5 ins. All other stabilizers were fully retracted. We stopped and raised all stabilizers and watched for the next 5 mins and sure enough the problem repeated. This time we disconnected the RV from the TV and only had the front jacks extended. While we had the RV front legs extended we went looking for hydraulic leaks and found none at either the jacks or the manifold. We did find a slightly loose electrical connector on one of the hydraulic solenoids and re-seated it. We watched the rear stabilizer for 30 mins and observed no further unexpected extension of the stabilizers. We buttoned up every thing and continued on our journey of 150 miles and had no further issues....until we arrived at our next destination. We went through our normal disconnect and level procedure. It looked like “auto level” worked except instead of getting a beep for success we got a “Check Components and press Enter to acknowledge” message in the LCD. After pressing “Enter” we briefly got a “Success” message. Our site is level and the system didn’t seem to have any issues except for its reluctance to claim “Success”. I can’t find any reference to a “check components” message. And I have no idea how a loose electrical connection could sole our original issue. I’m at a loss and am hoping someone can share some insight as to what’s going on and how to resolve.

    Many thanks
    Dave

    2017 Solitude 310 G/K
    2017 Ford F-350 CC SRW
    B&W Companion Hitch
    Travel Buddies: Golden Retrievers - Gaines and Guinness

  2. #2
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Tampa Florida
    Posts
    2,044
    Mentioned
    103 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Chances are good you have a leak in your hydraulic system. This leak could be from a seal on one of the cylinders, from one of the connectors, or internally inside of one of your solenoids (it could also be from one of the valves located inside the curbside propane compartment).

    Here is what I would do, in order...

    First, I would hitch up the camper and retract all the leveler legs, then I would check the level of hydraulic fluid in the reservoir to ensure the tank is at the full level. If the fluid is low, then you probably have a leak in the system. If, as I suspect, your reservoir is full then you have an internal leak in one of the solenoids (or one of the valves that controls the slides inside the propane compartment).

    I would close, and then re-open both of the slide valves to ensure they are fully open (this is probably not the problem, but I like to eliminate the simple things first).

    If your fluid is low, then you need to check all the legs and hose connections for an oil leak. The landing gear and the front leveler legs are easy because you have (topside) access from the propane compartments and front hold, the rear legs will require you to get below the coach and inspect from the ground. Lower the legs and feel the exposed cylinders for excess oil, look at the feet for an accumulation of dirt or oil, check the tops of the pistons to ensure there are no leaks where the hoses are attached.

    If your fluid level is full and you haven't spotted any leaks, then one of your solenoids is probably bad, this could be as simple as a defective "O" ring or there is contamination in the system and debris is allowing hydraulic fluid to bypass the closed solenoid.

    Now is the time to decide if you want to do this yourself, or if you want to call the dealer or a mobile repair technician.

    If it were me, I would figure out which solenoid controls the rear levelers and either buy a replacement solenoid, or re-build the existing solenoid. Repairing and/or replacing the solenoid will probably fix your problem.

    If you determine that debris caused your problem, you will need to flush out your system and replace the fluid and filters. If you determine that the problem was caused by a defective "O" ring, you should be safe to simply replace the solenoid.

    Here is the link for the Lippert Master Repair Manual (Leveling and Stabilization) to get you through all the steps and replacement procedures:

    https://support.lci1.com/master-owne...-stabilization

    Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    11
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Thank you for your quick and well thought out reply. I wish I had some progress to report, but I really don’t have much to add. We’ve moved the RV every 2-3 days since this problem first started and we have had no recurrence of the self extending leg. However we have had two more occurrences of the “check components” message at the end of the Auto Level sequence. However the system has never refused to level. I agree with your theory of a leaking solenoid and I will get that addressed this winter while in storage. Now that thanksgiving has passed I’ll call Lippert and get their take as to what conditions trigger the “check components” message. I’m guessing they will reach the same conclusion as you.

    I have a full hydraulic tank and can find no fluid leaks.


    Again many thanks and I’ll keep you posted.
    Dave

    2017 Solitude 310 G/K
    2017 Ford F-350 CC SRW
    B&W Companion Hitch
    Travel Buddies: Golden Retrievers - Gaines and Guinness

  4. #4
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    169
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Easy to identify which solenoid goes to which med/ rear leveler jacks... Blue is curbside and purple is road side... the mid/rear levelers are connected and operate in tandem separately on each side.. of solenoid is sticking ... which I doubt it is this is how to identify..

    More likely you’ve got an internal leak on one of the two cylinders and this will allow leak down..easy to isolate this ... download the LCL Lippert app and go to support section under hyd towable leveling system and you’ll find procedure to test leveler legs for internal leak..

    The other error you are seeing may simply require you to remove level up control panel and remove the ribbon cable on back side and reseat it

    One other issue that could cause your one leveler leg to leak down is air in the system and this can be purged simply by extending and retracting a few times... system is self. Bleeding

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.