Problems with lift system not working - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

bethanyhulme · 08-26-2012, 02:43 PM

Hi I have a 1986 HiLo and the lift system has been working great. We lowered it about two weeks ago to go empty the tanks, then raised it back up again and worked good. Then yesterday I lowered it so that we could go to a friends house and when we got there it wouldn't go up. The red light comes on when you pull the little finger pully and you can hear the switch engaging on the pump but the motor NEVER starts. You hear a click noise at the motor but it never tries to start. I have checked all connections and they seem good. I also have the camper plugged in to 120V so I know it's not cause of the batteries.
Any thoughts?
Also is there a manual lift mechanism we can use to lift the trailer up?

RichR · 08-26-2012, 03:01 PM

Start with the battery to see if it has a good charge, it should be 12.6 +/- if fully charged. And that is checked at least two hours after unplugging from shore power. If it has a manual pump you should see it next to the motor, it looks like the pump part of a bottle jack. It was standard on some models and optional on others.

bethanyhulme · 08-26-2012, 03:11 PM

So even if I have it plugged in to a land power supply, it could still need the battery to get the motor to run?

RichR · 08-26-2012, 03:18 PM

Yes, it needs the power of a good charged battery to run the pump. If you hear a clicking sound it is probably the solenoid kicking in to supply power to the motor but the motor can't get enough power to turn. It is just like trying to start a car with a weak battery.

RichR · 08-26-2012, 03:25 PM

Something else to check is the circuit breaker that should be somewhere close to the pump. It may have a reset button on it or it could be a thermal reset type. Do you have a multimeter or a test light?

bethanyhulme · 08-26-2012, 04:07 PM

Hi, OK so I checked the batteries and there was a ground wire not attached to the pump/motor. Attached it and the motor started working and lifting the trailer. The only thin now is that I just busted the two back wires!!! Any clue on how to re-string those? I think I shouldn't have bought such an old camper with so many moving parts!!

Thank you all for your help!! I am thankful for this forum!!

RichR · 08-26-2012, 04:23 PM

Can they be spliced together or are they attached to something? You could probably use butt connectors and crimp them. If attached to something can you put new ends on? Not knowing what wires they are makes it a bit difficult to answer that.

bethanyhulme · 08-26-2012, 04:27 PM

Sorry for the lack of description. All electrical is A OK. I busted the back lift cables!! I did go back on and search how to replace lift cables and downloaded the PDF for it!

Thank you all again and looking forward to reading posts and learning more about my HiLo. Right now my Hubby isn't too happy, but I know we'll get it fixed!

RichR · 08-26-2012, 04:37 PM

DARN!!

There is plenty of info here to guide you on that. Search it out and read it carefully. If you do it right it isn't a bad job. You may want to order new cables rather than try to make them up yourself. Try these guys: Home - JR REPAIR Their business is located at where the original HiLo factory was and they did warranty work for HiLo. Jim and Rob are good guys. Sometimes they are a little hard to reach because they are pretty busy.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f61/...1998-24td-125/