Do We Need Diapers?

Houston, we have a problem... hiding behind our main slide the pump system for the hydraulic leveling jacks had started to leak. At first it was only a drip or two, but over a few weeks, it gradually worsened, coating everything around it in hydraulic oil and dirt, since we seem to stir up dust like “Pigpen” on the The Peanuts. It had us wondering if we needed diapers for the motorhome.

We kept an eye on it over the past few weeks and discovered that it only leaked when the jacks are going down to level the coach. We weren’t in a position to address it while traveling, but once we got to Hereford, I cleaned it up properly, then watched it closely while Tom deployed the jacks. The leak was at the end of a fitting, which I learned was a pressure switch. It ruptured at the threaded plastic where a wire comes out. The folks at HWH provided insight as to the correct part number we needed. Chuck at Stuart’s Service in Elkhart, Indiana, had the part on hand, took my order over the phone, saying he would ship it out the next day. Without a tracking number, we waited a little nervously for it to arrive, hoping he had the right address and other information. Thankfully, it arrived within a week.

With the new part in hand, I gathered up the tools I thought I’d need and headed under the motorhome. Once I started to remove the old broken piece, I had to come out from underneath three more times to get additional tools: once for a wire cutters since the connector would not pull through the small opening, second for some picks to clean out the threads, and third for a ratchet and socket to separate the fitting from the old pressure switch. That old fitting was quite the little bugger, as it had fused itself to the switch. It took all I had, and with much relief, the threads finally broke loose. I finished cleaning the area, tightly threaded the fitting back into the assembly, and attached the new pressure switch. After the wire was connected, it was time to test it out. Tom operated the controls while I watched. Hallelujah! No more leak. I felt gratified with a sense of accomplishment having fixed it myself. Hopefully it will drive me to do more of these.

The original Attwood levelers that came on this coach were discontinued, and had been replaced with an HWH system by a previous owner. The only other difficulty it gave us was when Tom took it to Florida shortly after we purchased. The jacks deploy for him when he got there, but after adding hydraulic fluid to the system, it worked fine again. HWH offers complementary leveling system inspection yearly, so we stopped at their shop in Moscow, Iowa, last Spring while en route to Wisconsin. Everything checked out fine in their inspection and testing.

Oil leaking is never a good thing: it is an indication of a problem. The oil is there for a reason, it keeps everything moving smoothly, and without it things break or seize up. It feels good to have the leak fixed, and we don't need the diapers after all!

Next we will tackle the other problem that is about one foot higher than the one in the pump. The rollers supporting the rear arm of our main slide have disintegrated. It now makes a banging noise and has to be lifted and pushed to get it to come in. This repair may be more than we can do ourselves, as the slide needs to be supported and the arm removed.

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