Leak or normal?

[ccarrington99]

My wife and I were going to brave the frozen tundra called North Carolina and go camping down to Myrtle Beach. We decided against going, so while parking the rig, I noticed on one of the front landing gear I can only guess hydraulic fluid. I had been trying to place the landing gear down manually and think I put the back gear down too far.

Is it normal that the fluid would come out if the back pushing the front in or should I be looking for a leak of some type?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

 

[danemayer]

Hi ccarington99,

When you operate the rear jacks, the valves that allow fluid to extend/retract the front jacks are closed. If everything is right, I don't think you can do anything with the rear jacks that would cause fluid to run out of the front. Sounds more like you have a leak.

 

[ccarrington99]

Dan,

Any tricks that you know of to trouble shoot the leak? What would I look for and best way to fix it?

Thanks

 

[billyjoeraybob]

Hey Chris, I believe you do in fact have a leak based on what you describe. The hydraulics are definitely a closed system. The only other thing that I can think of is that maybe the reservoir was overfilled, which may cause fluid to overflow the reservoir. You are noticing the fluid on extension it sounds like. As far as finding the leak cleanliness is the secret. I used to do a lot of work on cars and to find where a greasy engine was leaking you had to clean it well and then operate it to see if you can spot the leak. So clean any evidence of fluid, then cycle the jacks to see if you can spot the leak. If you degrease it well, you can then use a clean white paper towel to touch the hoses, fittings, etc. of the offending jack to find the leak.

Good luck and safe travels!

 

[danemayer]

Dan,

Any tricks that you know of to trouble shoot the leak? What would I look for and best way to fix it?

Thanks

I've posted some Lippert Lip Sheets that might help. Here's the folder.