Bulges in hydraulic hoses

[raoulwv]

I was doing some routine house battery maintenance on my 378 when I noticed several small bulges in the hyraulic hoses that run through the battery compartment. Has anyone else run into a problem like this, and if so, did FR cover the cost of repair? My unit is out of warranty, but is only 2 yrs old with low mileage. This appears to be a manufacturing defect. I am taking the rig to the dealer next week to get a repair estimate.

[f1100turbo]

The hydraulic. Hoses have an internal leak usually caused by over crimping the end hydraulic fitting.
The hydraulic oil then seeps past multiple layers of the hose and creates the bulges you see.
I'd be very careful as those hoses can be under very high pressure and burst.
And you don't want to be around when that happens.
Id get them fixed asap!

[Fourn3833]

My hoses leaked all over the place. They became pourous. I bought my unit used, but the dealer fixed them anyways.

[10Isola]

I have a 3 month old 320ds and all of the orange lines have blistered. It is currently in the shop being repaired. I'm assuming it will be covered under warranty. Apparently this is a fairly common issue along with some other things that I'm having checked out. Very frustrating trying to get fixed this time of the year.

[F and E Damp]

Small bulges can suddenly bcome big ones and then burst. If pressurised oil is getting outside the inner containment, it's only a matter of time.

[raoulwv]

I spoke with Lippert and FR today. Lippert claims they do not supply the hydraulic lines to FR. The hoses come from another supplier. Mike Burns at FR didn't know who the supplier was, but had heard of this blistering problem before. He suggested I schedule an appointment with my dealer (I already have) and have them contact the dealer rep (John Armstrong). I'll post an update after I've seen the dealer.
Also, according to Lippert, in the event of a hose failure and loss of pressure, there would nothing to prevent the slide rooms from moving while driving. I went to Walmart and bought some adjustable shower curtain rods to use as braces while the coach is moving, just in case. If there is a failure with the slide rooms out, they said you should be able to push them in by hand ( may need a 2nd person). They claimed the jacks should retract with loss of hydraulics.

[10Isola]

Just heard back from the dealer. Apparently this is a common issue with the orange lines. Forest River approved the work for warranty, and parts are on order. If a problem is known - why does FR continue to install these lines?

[jimh]

sounds like their supplier is using inferior hoses. FR may have just found out abt the problem and trying to get the supplier to correct it.

when i visited the cardinal plant 2 yrs after buying mine, i was amazed at the "haven't heard of that happening" answer i got to a couple of my problems. i suspect the dealers are correcting problems and not telling FR what they are finding.

[ronhanson]

Thanks for the heads up on this issue. I inspected mine this morning and am also effected.

[jimh]

maybe i ought to look at mine...would hate to rupture one on a holiday, weekend, etc.