Hydraulic Reservior Leak! - Montana Owners Club

sedwheathome · 01-15-2008, 02:21 PM

We have a 2005 2955. We purchased new 1 year ago new from a dealer with all warranty. I have seen on the website where people have had some hydraulic leaks where the hoses connect to the pump, etc. I have found a leak on ours around where the reservior connects to the pump. It has leaked about an inch of fluid out of the reservior since winterizing back in November. The fluid is leaking into the tray under the pump & reservior. This of coarse is making a mess. Easy fixes that any of you have found yourself? Or, warranty it if possible?
Any thoughts appreciated!

Thank You
Walter & Suzanne
Berea, KY

hazmic · 01-15-2008, 02:34 PM

I suggest that you contact Lippert and talk to them about the leak. There has been issues about this including me and they replaced the pump. Good luck

clutch · 01-15-2008, 03:28 PM

If you are still under warranty have them fix it. It seems that there is an O ring that seals the tank and the pump. I now know just how big that O ring is because last month mine finally stopped leaking all over the battery boxes. What a POS design, the tank has no support and it is apparent that if the seal is replaced it will not last forever.

mtnhntr · 01-15-2008, 05:50 PM

Unless you are still under warranty, go to your local hardware store and have them make you a new O-ring of a larger cross section and replace the original one. Add a support such as some ridged foam under the tank to prevent it from flexing as you go down the road. I did this over a year ago and it has been good since. If you are under warranty, Lippert will probably send you a new pump/reservoir. This by the way is a $1,000+ item.

hazmic · 01-16-2008, 04:24 AM

I like the idea of a support under the reservoir. Project when I get home.

sedwheathome · 01-16-2008, 01:20 PM

I just sent Lippert an email explaining the problem. We will wait & see what they have to say. If I don't hear anything in a week or so, I will call them.

I know now why I love this website for the Montana owners. Everytime I have an issue, someone else has already had it, solved it, or prevented it from happening to them. Great job to all. I'll keep looking, but not wishing for an issue that no one else has had before.

Thanks to all with your input & suggestions!
I will let you know how everything turns out!

aaadave · 01-18-2008, 04:09 PM

my pump had the infamous o-ring leak too. i never did find one where i live, so i resorted to a high tech fix. i took the o-ring out and clocked it 180 degrees, and put the bad end to the top. has'nt leaked in 6 months so far. lippert only thought they had the last laugh.

dave.

MIMF · 01-20-2008, 02:43 AM

Everyone,

Unless Lippert has changed the warranty policy, the hydraulic pump is warrantied for 5 years from the date the coach was built. If you are the original owner of the coach, Lippert WILL replace the pump.

If you have owned the coach for more than the first year, most likely Keystone will not cover the warranty on the pump. All you need to do is contact them by phone or email at lci1.com.

If you are the second owner of the unit, it will not be covered.

I have noticed that they have made a lot of positive changes with the pump that elliminate that annoying reservoir leak where it connects to the pump. And that is by installing the vertical type pump where the tank hangs on the bottom from the pump housing itself. I can see where that would be an advantage.

richfaa · 01-20-2008, 03:09 AM

We have a leak at the fittings in the lines.. Lippert warranties the pump but NOT the lines. According to Lippert the lines and fittings are provided to Keystone and they assemble and install them.. The lines are of course under the Keystone 1 year warranty.

sedwheathome · 01-20-2008, 06:53 AM

I told everyone that I had emailed Lippert about the Pump/reservior leak. They have contact me. Ask for purchase date, date of manufacture of unit & Vin #. Ask me to call when I have these. I plan on making the call Monday morning. I will update on results.

Thank You
Walter Edmonds
Berea, KY

clutch · 01-20-2008, 04:12 PM

I think the best solution would be to mount a tank on the tray and use a flexible hose to connect the two.

sedwheathome · 02-04-2008, 02:20 PM

I just wanted to let everyone know: After contacting Lippert & getting them all the information they requested, a new pump & reservior was sent to my home within two days. I hate to say the pump sit here for about a week or so before I had time to install/change out. The install was pretty easy. I tested by sliding in & out a couple of times. No leaks & it works. While I was changing the two systems out, I put support under the reservior tank. Many things will work for this, but I ended us cutting a piece of deck board the size of the tank. It fit firmly under the tank without putting any unwanted pressure on the tank. This should keep the tank from bouncing around when towing the unit down the highway. Hopefully, no more issues here.

Thank you to everyone with recommendations & suggestions.

Walter Edmonds
Berea, KY

waldo238 · 02-05-2008, 01:54 AM

Could you maybe post a picture of that? My new 08 3000RK has the reservior sitting right on the tray. I would just like to see the difference between youre's and mine if there is any at all, just in case I could have the same problem.

sedwheathome · 02-08-2008, 02:21 PM

I received pump from Lipert a couple of weeks ago. Pretty easy install. Everything seems to work well & no leaks so far. Will check again in a few days. I did install a support under the reservior tank while installing new pump and tank. A piece of deck board works well.
Lipert support was great. They sent replacement pump and tank within a few days of contacting them. They even sent the prepaid UPS label to return defective pump and tank.

Thanks to everyone for suggestions and support.

Walter Edmonds
Berea, KY

scattershot · 02-10-2008, 04:46 PM

I got the OK from Lippert to replace the pump, and I called for an appointment at Beaudry RV in Tucson to fix it. Guess what? When I got there,they hadn't ordered the pump. One of the most unhelpful condescending service guys I have ever dealt with. I'm thinking I may just get the pump from Lippert and do it myself.

Thanks for the info on the install.

scattershot · 02-14-2008, 04:38 AM

Well, here's an update. I called Lippert, and Jim had all my info on file. He is shipping the new pump today, with a return ppd label for the old pump. Now that's service! Will let you know how I do on the installation when I get to it. (Snowing here, and COLD, so it may be a few days).

**Rondo** · 02-14-2008, 04:56 AM

I thought firefighters were brave souls when it came to the weather! I don't blame you one bit about holding off on the change over,Gene. Being a retired letter carrier, I don't like the cold weather anymore either! May be in your neck of the woods in a week or so. Have a neice in Parker that we have to go out and pick up and bring back here to Omaha. Keep us informed on the change out!

scattershot · 02-20-2008, 04:17 AM

Hi, Rondo. No adrenaline on this job to keep me warm, LOL! The change went very smoothly, took less than an hour. A couple of caveats: The owner's manual specifies ATF type A for hydraulic fluid, which isn't made any more. I contacted Jim at Lippert, and he told me that any ATF would work. Secondly, I made sure that the battery switch was off, and tried the slides to make sure they were off before starting work. The main battery wire to the pump is STILL HOT when you do that (don't ask me how I know!), so be sure to disconnect the battery.

Thanks to Walter for the info on the changeout. It was really no problem at all. Lippert was great to work with, too.

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