HELP WANTED! My 1988 HiLo camper will not lower!

Hello fellow HiLo owners,

Today my wife and I went to lower the top of our camper, 1988 Funchaser, so we could go to a campground we had paid for. However, when we went to lower the top nowhere was no movement. I have pressed the button in the raised position and there is a screeching noise. This was the top is not resting on the saftey bar, but when I go to pull the cable and press the lower button nothing happens besides a circular red light indicator turns on once they cable is pulled(I do not know what that light means). I have made a trip under my camper and don't see any debris or anything in the way of cables. Once the safety bar is pulled I do see movement of the bar more so closer towards the door that the center of the camper. I do not know how much the saftey bar should raise.

I do not know if this is a good action, but I have pushed that saftey bar up myself to see if it would move freely without resistance.

I don't see fluid in my pump, but I had seen on other threads that if the HiLo is raised that the fluid moves elsewhere? I may have understood wrong. Is there anyway to raise and lower my top manually? On my pump there is a slim, somewhat long, rode sticking out with little movement, but I don't know what the purpose is for. I've also put fluid in a couple of months ago and have raised/lowered the camper 6-7 times.

Could it be a battery problem? But I feel like it shouldn't be a battery concern if I am able to press the raise button and here the screech sound. I may be wrong on that as well. I've only had this camper for a few months this would be our first trip to a campground after finishing repairs!

I appreciate you guys and I do apologize if I left out important information. First time posting on this thread.

Cheers

Welcome to the forum. You are correct. The fluid is in the cylinder when the trailer is in the raised position. As for lowering, it is done by gravity. It should lower once it's off the safety bar. You should have a manual lowering valve around the pump area. It seems like the safety bar is not releasing. Try bumping it up while pulling release cable and hold cable while trying to lower. Check out video #5 on raising and lowering. Good luck.

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f49/hilo-video-owners-manuals-youtube-1233/

The slim, long rod you mentioned is the manual lowering valve. It can be positioned to open the valve, but I don't know which way to move it, mine is different. You will have to have the safety bar released for the top to come down, before you open the valve.

If the top still does not lower, it might be binding on the tracks. Does the top appear to be straight (aligned with the bottom half)?

- Jack

Hey, thank you for your swift response! I am aware of the video as well as the normal procedure in lowering and raiding the top. I did as you suggested and pushed the saftey bar up while my wife tried to lower it and pulled/held the cable. I'm seeing no movement under the camper beside the saftey bar.

Hey Jack, thank you for your response. The top does appear to be align with the bottom.

This is what I'm looking at. I don't know if this helps.

have you figured out what the red light is? mine won't raise and I just bought it.

Hey, no I'm afraid not. I haven't figured it out. I do know now that the red light indicator means that the safety bar will not disengage according to the manual. However, no matter what I've done so far nothing has change.

So if the safety bar is not disengaging, it is binding on the mechanism. You need to press the UP switch and while you are pressing it to keep the top as far up as possible, pull the safety bar lanyard to release the bar. Then, once you have done that, while continuing to hold the lanyard out move the UP/DOWN switch to DOWN. Once the top moves down a few inches, you can release the lanyard.

Sorry, my system is a bit different and I did not understand you had a binding safety bar.

- Jack

I'm sorry but i do not have an 1988. I do not see a lift bar; please show a photo of the left of photos 1 and 4.

Beach

I did figure out my wouldn’t raise cause of the solenoid. Mine wasn’t making any noise at all till I jumped the solenoid. But seems like you have sound.

Hydraulic lift system.

The bottom guide bar needs to be greased. Looks like you have fluid on the guide bar it can stick if there is rust between the bar and the plate. Try to get the guide bar smooth with sandpaper and then grease heavily. Looks like you have hydraulic fluid on the guide rod. Not sure if that causes rust.

Hilo won't lower

It happened to us, took 3 days to find there was gunk under the ground cable to the battery on the bottom of the pump. Husband disconnected, cleaned it and we were back in business.

HILo Go REE REE said:

This is what I'm looking at. I don't know if this helps.

Click to expand...

as you look at picture, the thinner bar beneath the hydronic cylinder is a guide for the plate that has the cable pulleys on top, hydronic cylinder in center and guide rod underneath, where the plate slides on the bottom rail can get slightly cocked and will bind on the bottom
rail, i got mine to go down, used penetrating fluid and cleaned bar, then my helper went underneath and a i tried to lower top, used a heavy hammer and wrapped on the plate, it came un stuck and lowered , we did have to hit it several times as it stuck, part of what caused problem was leaving in the up posi5ion all winter, good luck

I vote for electrical connection. Bad ground or solenoid.

The red light comes on as you pull the safety release cable just as a warning. I also vote for an electrical connection or solenoid.

My 88 hi-lo funchaser just did the EXACT thing you described. When I pull the cable, the safty bar lifts on the end closest to the door. MY problem is obvious. Fluid is shooting out of the hydraulic Ram when the “up” button is pushed. I’m assuming I blew a seal so there is pressure on the safety bar.
I can see I will need to remove the Ram and have it rebuilt. My plan is to fill the pump up with dexton and hope that will get the Ram to lift it off the safety bar so I can lower it.
If that doesn’t work I will have to use a farm jack on each corner.