Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > MOC Technical Forums > Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-30-2019, 08:19 AM   #1
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
Level up front cylinders leaking down

Had a problem with front cylinders leaking down. Replaced solenoid valve on cylinder per LCI. Now after releveling, cylinders have extended on their own about 3/4”. Really has me confused. Anyone else have had this problem?
 
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 09:31 AM   #2
ChuckS
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mountain Home
Posts: 831
M.O.C. #20949
Your MOST likely cause if front LG creeping down is one of the two of the hydraulic cylinders is leaking internally ....

Lippert has a simple test to verify leak down and isolate which one is causing the issue.

Also you can have those front cylinders rebuilt at any local hydraulic shop for a fraction of the cost of a new one and will most likely have a more reliable cylinder.

The two front LG are Lead and Follower connected in tandem
ChuckS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 09:33 AM   #3
ChuckS
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mountain Home
Posts: 831
M.O.C. #20949
But... before you do anything else do a simple bleed and purge of the hydraulic system .. this will remove
Any air in system that might also cause your problem. Run slides in and out a few times and all levelers up and
Down a few time.

Pause between cycles to let pump motor cool down
ChuckS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 09:45 AM   #4
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
I agree, Hydraulic shop will pull both front cylinders first of week. So no sense in just rebuilding one then down the road having same issue. Thanks for your input.
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2019, 09:47 AM   #5
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
Done that at LCI recommendation. May have had some air in system as now we have returned to the original problem of leaking down.
Thanks for your post.
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2019, 01:14 PM   #6
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
Cylinders are scored and sleeves are not replaceable. Have to buy complete jacks per LCI at $517+ each.
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2019, 10:46 AM   #7
Travelling Three
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Omaha
Posts: 104
M.O.C. #19003
Sounds like I have the same problem. When lifting the 5th wheel off the hitch it will slowly go back down into the hitch. Also once the camper is leveled, after a week, I need to Auto-Level the camper to get the front landing jacks to extend to their proper position. My question is did the hydraulic shop tell you the sleeves were damaged and needed to be replaced or did Lippert tell you this? We live in our camper and move around frequently so I don't think purging my leveling system will help. Thanks for any additional info you can provide.
Travelling Three is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2019, 01:25 PM   #8
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
The Hydraulic shop said the sleeves had pressure grooves that couldn’t be built up and honed. Lippert told me that they only sell complete jacks and not the sleeves.
First thing Lippert told was that most of the time it is the solenoid valve mounted on one of the front cylinders that causes leak down. Shop rebuilt mine and problem continued thus the pulling and tear down of the cylinders. The solenoid valve on mine was on the roadside cylinder. Also the curbside was leaking a little around the top.
Check the solenoid valve first.
Good luck.
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2019, 08:17 AM   #9
ChuckS
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mountain Home
Posts: 831
M.O.C. #20949
You can test those front LG cylinders yourself in a very short period of time... this way you will Know which.. if any.. front leveler is leaking internally... the two front LG operate in tandem..one is Lead and other is follower

Identify the ORANGE hose on top of each front LG leveler leg... this is the hose you will remove to test each cylinder for internal leaking...

Follow the Lippert TI bulletin.....test one cylinder at a time

The mid and rear hydraulic levelers also operate in tandem.. one is lead and one is follower ... for each side... your concern is Front LG levelers ....

Also..IF the manual override solenoid on the front LG leg... there will be ONLy 1..is not fully closed then this too can allow leakdown of the front levelers
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	64536498-2D79-4A81-953C-B2299E109268.jpg
Views:	153
Size:	218.1 KB
ID:	4853  
ChuckS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2019, 09:03 AM   #10
jcurryii
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: somerville
Posts: 135
M.O.C. #12636
Thanks for information. Solenoid valve atop roadside jack was rebuilt and leak down cot inured. New jacks ordered as both Cylinders had scored sleeves. Too bad you can’t just get the sleeves.
jcurryii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2019, 10:13 AM   #11
ChuckS
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mountain Home
Posts: 831
M.O.C. #20949
So did the leak down test indicate a leak on one or both cylinders ? Minor scoring on the sleeves themselves is really not an issue. The leak down test would have verified this.
ChuckS is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.