Disappearing Hydraulic Fluid

[Dick Simonis]

When we got to Santa Fe yesterday the hydralic pump for the slide and jacks sounding like it was sucking air so today I popped the stair step cover off and looked at the tank level...empty.

The puzzle is that I have not seen any signs of fluid in the bays or under the coach.  In June I had BCS replace the slide hoses and I know the refilled the tank so now what the heck is happening.  I'll run into town and pick up some ATF which is what I think it uses.  This must be related to by LR jack that won't stay extended in some fashion.

Does anyone know for sure what I should use and how much the tank holds.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Dick

[Gerald Farris]

Dick,
Your leveling system uses Dexron III fluid, but I am not sure of the quantity that you will need.

If your leveling system is loosing fluid, it has an external leak that you should be able to find with an adequate search. Remember, if your leveling system has a leak, it will get worse over time.

Gerald 

[LaMonte Monnell]

I would refill with dexron III. Then I would operate the jacks and look near the hyd line fittings for a leak. Then if none found check the hydro lines for the slideout. Depending on when the fluid was refilled to the tank being empty should give you an idea of how bad a leak you have from that timeframe.

[Dick Simonis]

Thanks for the replies.  Yesterday I filled the tank....took about 1 1/2 gallons and cycled the slide and jacks while watching the fluid level.  No noticeable drop in level but the fluid got aerated immediately.  What is interesting is that the problematic LR jack held level and is still OK this morning.

Good news is that the jack appears to be OK, bad news I must have a leak somewhere but it's also must be small.  It's been 3 months since it was refilled at BCS and the system has been in constant use since that time.  There is no evidence of a leak around the pump and no fluid dripping in in the bays nor anything obvious on the ground under the coach.  Not saying I don't have one, just can't easily see it.  I'll keep an eye on the fluid level at our next stops at Holbrook and Camp Verde, AZ and see what happens but it appears I can make it home OK and than dig into it more deeply.

[Fred Brooks]

          Hi Dick,
 When I first got my coach I had a similar mystery. It turned out to be a slide room hose seeping inside the frame rail above the forward compartment on the drivers side. The reason I couldn't find it was the carpet liner in the compartment was absorbing the small leak until it was saturated. I ended up changing both hoses. To purge the air out of the system, just hold the switch down for 5 seconds after the room finishes moving to push the air past the pressure relief valve before going back to the reservoir.
   Regards, Fred

[Dick Simonis]

Hi Fred, both my slide hoses were replaced by BCS in June.  The new hoses didn't route through the left frame rail or even into the bays as far as I'm aware.  However, since I don't know exactly where the ram is I'm not sure if a leak at the ram would show up in a bay.

[Gerald Farris]

Dick,
The hydraulic cylinder (ram) for your living room slide is located above your generator between the frame and outer slide frame. It is very visible if you open the generator bay door.

Gerald   

[Dick Simonis]

Thanks Gerald...right where you said it should be and nothing leaking.  LR jack is still holding and no fluid visible on the ground.

When we pull out Sunday I will move the coach and wander back and look for a puddle before departing.

[Dick Simonis]

Update on this issue:

When Fred was here yesterday one of his tasks was to find where my LR jack was leaking.  After crawling around under the coach he reported no fluid leaks from the jack or fitting but did find evidence of fluid under the water bay and left frame rail.  Sure enough when we opened up the water bay there was fluid on top of the tanks so now a new problem to fix.

So now it's about 1:30 pm and Fred recommended a local company that specializes in Hydraulics so gave them a call and got a most amazing response....they would have someone at my place by 2:30 and take care of the problem.  I was shocked, never heard of such a response.  Sure enough right on time here comes the truck.  By this time I decided to replace the extend hoses on both rear jacks figuring if one died the other may not be far behind.  Downside, he did not have enough hose on his truck for both jacks so we decided to postpone until this morning.

Long story short, it took 2 guys  7 hours to do the new hoses with a lot of the time spend just fishing the new hoses through the water bay but I'm now up and operational.  Great job, everything neat and I didn't have drop of fluid on my garage floor.

Cost-wise I though it was very fair at just under $700.00 to replace the two hoses.

If you ever need hydraulic hoses done while in Tucson I can't say enough about these guys.

http://www.pirtekusa.com/locations/pirtek-palo-verde/

Gerald, if you're going to have any vendors at the Tucson Rally you might consider these guys.

Dick

[Fred Brooks]

     Hi Dick and fellow Coach owners, Pirtek USA is a national company all over USA. With aging coaches, we deal with all sorts of adventures. Pirtek specializes in all hydraulic mobile applications and can be a great resource where ever your located.
   Hope this helps, Fred Brooks

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Dick, Fred,
Thanks for the input on Pirtek. I've added them to the Service Providers List located in the Suppliers Kudos board.
Steve