Hydraulic Slide Motor Leak Fix

[mtnhntr]

The reservoir attached to my slide motor was leaking and torquing the screws holding it to the motor failed to stop the static head leak. I contacted Dale at Lippert and he said the fix was to replace the pump/reservoir unit. However, since I am not the original owner, and a replacement unit would set me back around a $1,000 he suggested that I go to a hydraulic shop and get a slightly thicker O-ring gasket to replace the original one between the reservoir and the pump. I checked with 5 or 6 shops and no one had an appropriate gasket. I then called my local Mom & Pop hardware store and they said to bring in the old gasket and they would make me one. Sure enough, they had different cross section diameters of gasket material that they cut to fit your needs. They simply super glued the ends together. I got one with an 1/8" cross section ( the original one was about 1/16") and installed it. The 1/8" size is a little big, but it works. (I would recommend a 3/32" cross section for a better fit). In addition, the reservoir has no support other than the 4 screws holding it to the motor, and has a cantilevering force which subjects the joint to stresses as you go bouncing down the hiway so I stuck a piece of pipe insulation under the tank to dampen this affect. I have now been leak free for several weaks and would recommend this fix to anyone who has a leak at this joint.
Many thanks to Dale, of Lippert, for helping me on this.
Ken

[txkrumm]

I would have thought that since lipperts warranty is to Keystone, that would still be covered in an 05 unit. Maybe you should check with a Keystone dealer and see if it can be fixed under warranty. Steve

[Mac]

Ken,

Great news, it's good to have Dale as a frequent guest to MOC!

mac

[mtnhntr]

Steve, I don't have the Lippert manual with me at this time, but I recall that it states that the warranty applies only to the original owner and I am the second owner. Dale ,of Lippert, stated this also. I really think warranties should be tied to the product, not who owns it, but I guess it is a way of keeping overall costs down. As it is, I am happy with the fix and I would rather fix something than throw an expensive item away.
Ken

[txkrumm]

At the Pomona RV show this past October, Charlie Wade from Keystone was there. He is a wealth of info an a great guy to talk to regarding the Montana. We were discussing different aspects of warranty, (specifically receivers and goosenecks) and he informed me that the Lippert warranty is to the Keystone company, not the individual owner. He likend the relationship to a contractor-subcontractor. Keystone is the contractor and Lippert the sub.

I believe had you taken your Monty to Keystone, they would probably had it repaired under warranty. They stand behind their product and have great customer service. Many of our MOC members can attest to that.

Glad your unit is fixed. That is really the main thing...happy camping!
tara