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04-12-2020, 09:35 AM #11
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04-12-2020, 12:08 PM #12
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The CAT fluid is next on my list as soon as we get back to some normal existence. I spent 4 months this winter in FL in my 2020 Solitude and encountered the popping in the hydraulic system. It would get hot during the day and cool off at night, this when it was noticeable and annoying.
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04-12-2020, 01:06 PM #13
- Join Date
- Apr 2019
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- Central CA Coast
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Thanks for all your feedback! I am going to tackle this job in the next few days or so and will let you know how it goes. I currently have the Torco RFF Grade 15 fluid, but based on the feedback I received here, I'm going to try and find the CAT fluid here locally tomorrow & see if I can find it first. Of course, if I don't find it conveniently nearby, I will have to go with the "bird in hand!" I will keep you all posted! Thanks again! -Diego
Last edited by Gran Casita; 04-12-2020 at 01:07 PM. Reason: Spelling Error
2017 Ford F350 DRW 6.7L Custom Ordered
2018 GD Solitude 310GK
40,900+Miles
"Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself." -Potter Stewart
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04-13-2020, 10:46 PM #14
- Join Date
- Apr 2019
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- Central CA Coast
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Oil Changed
Ok "boys and girls,” so I changed the hydraulic/ATF fluid for the 6-point LevelUp system today. It also operates two slides, the dining slide and the kitchen appliance slide. Here are my takeaways:
(1) I used jack stands and retracted all my landing gear. If your slides are open you should close the ones that are hydraulic.
(2) I used a hand pump to empty the reservoir tank. The next time I need to drain/refill the tank, I will probably use the siphon pump with the small black rubber ball. It will probably be easier and less messy. Make sure you have a tub large enough to collect the contents. It amounted to nearly 7-quarts!! I don’t know where they got 2-quarts in the LCI Manual?!
(3) Early on after I purchased my coach, my reservoir tank had been leaking ever so slightly, not enough to require constant refill, but enough to make a mess, so I placed a small paint tray with absorbent material below the reservoir. Solving the leak was added to my list of “I’ll get that later!” Well this was later, almost 3-years later!
[TANK Removal/Installation] I removed the four pan-head Phillips screws that secure the reservoir tank with a metal collar and removed the tank. NOTE: If you choose to remove your tank, be careful. It sits on an L-shaped metal shelf and you have to carefully tilt the tank out from the bottom to get around the shelf on the outside, and around the two sump pipes extending into the tank. After removing the tank, make sure the debris screens on the bottom of the sump pipes don’t come off. The main reason I removed the tank was to inspect it more closely for any possible cracks. As it turned out, this made it easy for me to clean out the debris that had collected on the inside bottom corners of the tank. I thoroughly cleaned the tank and found no cracks. Re-install the tank in the reverse order. Remember, be careful with the sump pipes.
As far as the origin of the leak, I can only surmise that the screws that secure the tank to the metal collar had vibrated slightly loose. I decided to use some Permatex #59235 thread sealant solely for the “prevents leakage from vibration” properties, and because I had some on hand. (You could probably use Loctite “blue” thread locker instead if you want to.) I re-secured the tank by tightening the screws in a crisscross pattern to make sure the flange seated properly. I hope this will solve the leak, but I will have to report back after I hit the road, whenever that may be!
(4) After re-installing the reservoir tank, I added 1/2 of the Torco fork oil bottle, followed by several quarts of the ATF fluid, the remaining Torco fork oil, and then topped it off to the FILL line with the ATF fluid. I figured this would help mix both fluids together. The capacity of the reservoir tank refilled to the proper level came to 5-2/3rd-quarts of ATF fluid + 1 liter of Torco RFF Grade 15 fork oil for a total capacity of a little over 6-2/3rd-quarts.
(5) I re-labeled the FILL line and added a few other labels for future reference.
(6) At a later date, I plan to cycle the hydraulics several times to disperse the fresh fluid & purge any air that may have entered the system (as per the LCI Instructions). The system is self-purging and if you don’t remove the tank, you probably won’t introduce any air into the system.
Final Notes: The job is not a hard one. It can potentially get messy so have the appropriate gear. The job would be far easier if you did not have to remove the reservoir tank. On the other hand, if you want to get the sludge out of the bottom of the tank, you will need to remove the tank. The OEM labels came off during the cleaning process and were contaminated with ATF fluid. I chose to dispose of them after I took a picture of them for future reference. There’s some pertinent details that I may need in the future. I will let you all know if I solved the leak and if the Torco fork oil did what I intended it to do (i.e., prevent “popping” noise in the hydraulics). The bottle does say it also helps in other ways like lubricating, reducing friction, etc. I would have gone with the CAT fluid, but I was unsuccessful in finding it by the time I received the Torco. I decided to use the Torco since it was a “bird in hand” and because I was running out of virus-quarantine-projects and didn’t want to get “cabin fever!”
Done for now. Cheers! -Diego
2017 Ford F350 DRW 6.7L Custom Ordered
2018 GD Solitude 310GK
40,900+Miles
"Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself." -Potter Stewart
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