Hydraulic lift problem/question?

[RichR]

When in the up position there is very little fluid in the reservoir. When down the fluid should be about an inch below the top of the fill hole. Do not add fluid while in the up position because you may have a mess on the ground.

Is the guide rod that parallels the hydraulic cylinder clean of rust and lubed? That is very important, in fact it is the single most important part of the lift system.

 

[camper16-HILO]

Rich, I will crawl under and take a look after work today. I did read about someone having a pebble stuck causing the top to not go down so I went underneath yesterday with my air hose and sprayed it. Ill inspect again today and make sure its lubed.

BTW - Thanks for all the replies so far. I truly appreciate them.

 

[camper16-HILO]

Will you hear anything when the switch is in the lowering position?

 

[RichR]

You shouldn't hear anything unless you are up front by the hitch, then you may hear the release solenoid click.

 

[camper16-HILO]

So if I have someone pull the release cable and push down on the toggle and I stand up front, I should hear the click; correct? If I dont hear the click, that means I have a bad solenoid Im assuming?

 

[RichR]

I just went out and tried it. You should here a combination click-psst sound. I assume those are the solenoid and the initial rush of fluid coming back into the reservoir.

 

[camper16-HILO]

Mine doesnt click or psst lol. I wonder if that is my problem. I will have to take it apart tonight and investigate. Thanks for testing that out for me

 

[RichR]

Try to test it for 12 volts coming in to it. You will need a helper for that.

 

[RCREYES]

There might be some additional information on this page that you haven't tried...my favorite, the bigger hammer theory.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f22/2003-17ft-towlite-wont-raise-motor-896/

 

[camper16-HILO]

My motor runs fine. Im assuming it will lift the top. I cant get it down right now to even test that but when I flip the switch it runs and I can here the squeel stating that it is all the way up.

 

[camper16-HILO]

Hydro Pump

Can someone tell me where the "manual relief valve" is?

valve is on my motor?

 

[RichR]

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f61/how-fix-top-half-creep-your-hilo-trailer-129/

Look at the photo and diagram. As it says, there may be variations but all are basically the same.

You must be getting power to the switch if you can run the pump to go up. Pull the switch and see if there is power going to the down side terminals. If yes, check at the solenoid end for power.

 

[renoites]

camper16

The one thing I did not see anyone mention:

When the top is in the raised position and safety bar latched.

You have to go UP with the lift, and while pulling the safety bar release, switch over to lower. It has to go UP to release pressure enough for the safety bar to release. Then the top will come down of its own weight when switched to down. You can let go of the safety bar release pull once the top has done down a few inches. The top will stop downward travel if you release the switch, but is not in a locked safe position!

A quick and fluid maneuver.
up, pull and hold, down....that quick

Don't' forget to put the switch in the neutral position when lift/ and down maneuver is completed. That way you don't drain the batteries from the down solenoid being charged continuously. It will get very hot if left on and drain the batteries.

"So if I have someone pull the release cable and push down on the toggle and I stand up front, I should hear the click; correct? If I dont hear the click, that means I have a bad solenoid Im assuming? "

ONLY IF THE SOLENOID IS ADJUSTED PROPERLY AND YOU HAVE DONE AS SUGGESTED ABOVE TO RELEASE PRESSURE ON THE SAFETY BAR.

try this before you dismantle solenoid!!!!

 

[RichR]

camper16

The one thing I did not see anyone mention:

When the top is in the raised position and safety bar latched.

You have to go UP with the lift, and while pulling the safety bar release, switch over to lower. It has to go UP to release pressure enough for the safety bar to release. Then the top will come down of its own weight when switched to down. You can let go of the safety bar release pull once the top has done down a few inches. The top will stop downward travel if you release the switch, but is not in a locked safe position!

A quick and fluid maneuver.
up, pull and hold, down....that quick

Don't' forget to put the switch in the neutral position when lift/ and down maneuver is completed. That way you don't drain the batteries from the down solenoid being charged continuously. It will get very hot if left on and drain the batteries.

"So if I have someone pull the release cable and push down on the toggle and I stand up front, I should hear the click; correct? If I dont hear the click, that means I have a bad solenoid Im assuming? "

ONLY IF THE SOLENOID IS ADJUSTED PROPERLY AND YOU HAVE DONE AS SUGGESTED ABOVE TO RELEASE PRESSURE ON THE SAFETY BAR.

try this before you dismantle solenoid!!!!

The up/down switch should be spring loaded and return to the center off position on its own if it is a stock switch and is functioning properly.

Camper16 mentioned that he pulled the safety bar release cable.

 

[camper16-HILO]

I did indeed pull the release cable and it pulled freely. I read in the forum about raising a little bit to release the pressure first but thank you for replying.

Last night was terrible - I was testing the voltage to the solenoid and noticed that the ground cable form the lower release valve was barely on so I took that apart and fixed it and then I also decided to take off the solenoid and clean all the connections. Something went wrong when I put it back together because I started blowing fuses like crazy... I think I put the stupid solenoid on backwards...so I fixed that but not my damn motor doesnt run I am going to test the starter solenoid today and see if I still have continuity.

To make things even more confusing - I looked in my manual and found the pic of the starter/hydro pump and studied the wiring diagram and according to the manual the red cable goes to the solenoid and the yellow cable goes to the lowering valve. Well Im not sure if the previous owner tried playing with this or what but they were reversed. Im not sure if that matters a whole lot anyway because its hooked to the toggle switch that is hot off hot so either way I guess its getting power. But that makes me wonder if the previous owner hooked anything else up the wrong way. Its very frustrating but Im going to work on it all week and see what I can do.

If anyone needs to replace that starter solenoid there is a place in Texas that carries the exact one I have. Click here for the link

Maybe that will help someone

 

[camper16-HILO]

Picture of my pump

Can someone tell me where the "manual relief valve" is?

valve is on my motor?

Im pretty sure that the thingy is broken that Im suppose to turn to lower the top manually correct? Isnt there suppose to be some sort of handle to turn?

 

[renoites]

camper16
Yes there is supposed to be a handle on the pressure dump solenoid. It is NOT a turn handle, it is a pull handle.
There should not be power to the dump solenoid unless the switch is in the down position.
Battery + goes to the motor solenoid, battery neg goes to the motor case.
I listed the need to release the safety pull because the pull won't work if weight on the safety bar.
Are you sure that the safety bar is releasing when pulled? Pull cable could be broken. have helper pull while you observe action.
Just covering bases.
Does your motor squeal when raised to full up position, that is the pressure safety.
If you have power and it still won't release it sounds like you need a new pressure dump solenoid or at least adjusted properly.
If you order a new one be sure to get instructions on how to adjust properly. It will come with the internal parts, as the housing is standard and has no moving parts. There is a ground wire on the inside that needs to be grounded well when install complete.
It will be an easy fix once you know how it all works.
There is only one moving part, a bleed pin that is actuated by power/magnet that inserts into a bleed valve in the pump(which could also be your problem). The bleed pin doesn't move a lot to activate the bleed function, thus needs to be adjusted correctly.

Just to be clear for those that will come in the future.

There are 2 solenoids on the hi-lo.
One is the solenoid for the pump motor action, just like on a car starter. It has large power wires from battery and ground.
The other is a solenoid for the dump function and is attached to the front of the pump, not the motor. It has small wires, one power and the other a ground

 

[camper16-HILO]

renoites, do you know where I can find instructions on adjusting the dump solenoid? I did take that apart to fix the ground wire. I did see the pin inside. tried pulling it out and it came all the way out.. If I understood you correctly, I should be able to pull that out and the top should come down (as long as I have the safetly cord pulled)????

Any idea where to purchase a replacement?

 

[renoites]

The dump is operated when the pin is pushed IN. Very small amount, 1/4" or less. The movement from the electro magnet actuating the pin.
Removing the pin should produce no action

I called the pump company and they will email you the instructions. Also ask about the handle to repair function.

The part holding the handle, which is broken and missing in your pics, also has an adjustment nut for adjusting the pin.

 

[camper16-HILO]

Thanks for calling them for me. I appreciate that! Hopefully I can get this fixed up and figured out soon