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Old 07-18-2021, 07:49 PM   #1
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Help, stranded with leaking equalizer system!!!

Heading back to CA from the factory, in the middle of Utah. Equalizer system started alarming while driving. Turns out it's leaking fluid and now almost empty.

They haven't dropped, but I'm afraid they might. Does anyone k ow if I can drive like this, or do I need to secure them so they don't drop to the road while I'm moving?

Call me right now if you know about these.

Thanks,
Sal. 512-466-4211
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Old 07-18-2021, 08:02 PM   #2
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I would stop for the night. Find the leak, fix it, or at a minimum wire the levelers to the frame in the up position. There is a tank somewhere under the rv or in a compartment. You could fill it. Most use transmission fluid. I had this happen once and never figured out why. One jack leaked while retracting then alarmed 20 minutes down the road. I did an emergency retract and it never leaked again. I filled the tank later. Took about 1 quart.
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Old 07-18-2021, 08:20 PM   #3
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I just finished tie wrapping them up. I figured that is a safe bet to not drop while driving. I also disabled the power to the unit. Can't do anything about the leak right now but most of the fluid has already come out anyway. All over the bottom of the coach. Thanks for your quick response. Much appreciated.
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Old 07-19-2021, 07:50 PM   #4
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Call Equalizer for help resolving your issue.
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Old 07-21-2021, 12:52 PM   #5
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Are you an FMCA member? If so, FMCA has a Tech Support Service number. FMCA also offers "Roadside Rescue" which I believe is an "extra charge" over and above the basic membership fee. If you're NPT an FMCA member, I'd recommend you look into FMCA before your next trip.
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Old 07-22-2021, 09:11 AM   #6
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So, Sal, did you get a resolution on this concern yet? I would be interested to know the cause and the resolution for future reference.
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Old 08-06-2021, 10:23 PM   #7
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Root cause was the left rear (bottom line) has a hole about 6 feet from the rear fitting in an area just under the floor but not in an area where it could rub or be pinched by any moving parts. It's a mystery how it could fail like that while underway except for possibly a rock or something hitting hit. I'm glad the system alarmed with the loss of pressure or I would never have known and those Jack's could have dropped causing a disaster.

I had a new hose made locally instead of ordering from Equalizer. They wanted $49 for the hose and $50 for shipping from IN to CA which is ridiculous for a two pound hose.

I haven't replaced it yet as we drove to Utah (in our car) right after I got the replacement hose fabricated. I plan to install it next week when we are back in Socal.

I tried calling Equalizer and left a voice message for tech support but never heard back from anyone. Sad state of affairs for customer/tech support that claims 24/7. I don't put much confidence in getting any useful information from these OEM's anyway. I figure out how to troubleshoot and fix things myself and I am always better off for it.

One thing I need to work out is getting the new hose filled with transmission fluid so I minimize air in the system when I replace the hose.

I'll post my notes on getting this completed for reference. I did figure out the system pressure must operate about 2000-2500 psi since the OEM hoses are rated at 2750 psi. I purchased a 3000 psi rated hose so that should be fine with a little more margin.

Cheers,
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Old 08-07-2021, 01:02 PM   #8
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I wouldn’t try to fill the hose with fluid, just replace then run the routine to eliminate air. Equalizer gave me this routine when I replaced the front left jack on mine then followed the following routine, watch your reservoir to make sure you don’t run low on fluid.

Jack both fronts to max extension then allow system to rest 5 minutes.
Jack both rears to max extension then allow to rest.
Retract front then rest.
Retract rear then rest.
Rinse repeat two more times.

My understanding of the rest periods is too allow bubbles to dissipate in the reservoir. Most likely helps keep the pump cooler as well. Minimum 5 minutes, longer is no problem.

Jeff
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Old 08-07-2021, 01:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaBee View Post
Root cause was the left rear (bottom line) has a hole about 6 feet from the rear fitting in an area just under the floor but not in an area where it could rub or be pinched by any moving parts. It's a mystery how it could fail like that while underway except for possibly a rock or something hitting hit. I'm glad the system alarmed with the loss of pressure or I would never have known and those Jack's could have dropped causing a disaster.

I had a new hose made locally instead of ordering from Equalizer. They wanted $49 for the hose and $50 for shipping from IN to CA which is ridiculous for a two pound hose.

I haven't replaced it yet as we drove to Utah (in our car) right after I got the replacement hose fabricated. I plan to install it next week when we are back in Socal.

I tried calling Equalizer and left a voice message for tech support but never heard back from anyone. Sad state of affairs for customer/tech support that claims 24/7. I don't put much confidence in getting any useful information from these OEM's anyway. I figure out how to troubleshoot and fix things myself and I am always better off for it.

One thing I need to work out is getting the new hose filled with transmission fluid so I minimize air in the system when I replace the hose.

I'll post my notes on getting this completed for reference. I did figure out the system pressure must operate about 2000-2500 psi since the OEM hoses are rated at 2750 psi. I purchased a 3000 psi rated hose so that should be fine with a little more margin.

Cheers,
$49 for a replacement hose means it’s probably the cheapest quality. I had a similar hose problem and the dealer replaced it under extended warranty with 5,000 psi braided hose from NAPA. Service manager said they never use the factory hoses because of the high failure rate.

I had NAPA make a spare hose which I always carry. The NAPA guy said he wouldn’t use the factory original hose on a bicycle. 11.5 feet of hose and the two end fittings was almost $90. The 11 foot hose will reach any of the jacks and they are very easy to replace. But, it’s probably going to be a messy task.
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Old 08-07-2021, 02:04 PM   #10
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Yep, I plan to have a spare made as well. I also thought about going steel braided but those would certainly be much higher cost. Cheers,
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Old 08-07-2021, 02:32 PM   #11
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Yep, I plan to have a spare made as well. I also thought about going steel braided but those would certainly be much higher cost. Cheers,
NAPA charges $5.22 a foot for steel braided hose plus $11.50 each for the fittings on each end.
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Old 08-07-2021, 07:25 PM   #12
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Next time you need customer service, don't go there. Call like you are going to buy something new, amazing how responsive the organization becomes. This goes for any organization unfortunately. Well, maybe, because customer service really doesn't exist for most companies.
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Old 08-23-2021, 10:07 PM   #13
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Aug 23, 2021 Update:

So I finally had an opportunity to change the defective hose. The system is working again, but there were some frustrating points along the Journey.

1. Never heard anything from Equalizer Systems (ES).

2. Their user manual has a section on purging air from the system but doesn't clearly explain the details. For example, for a bidirectional pump (which my coach has) it's explicit about following each step or you will have issues. However, there is a step which says to remove the plug on port G-1 to ensure the pump can vent air to atmosphere. Sounds simple enough except there is nothing that tells you where that air purging port is located, at least not in my installation and operation manual. So then I'm off to YouTube to find a video on how to purge the system and find the G-1 port. After searching the ES site for videos I finally found out what they were talking about. Not that they called it G-1, but just listening to a factory tech on a few theory of operations videos. He pointed out two factory air purging ports. On the purge video he never said you needed to do anything with these like the manual states. Go figure.

3. The hoses had the wrong color coding for the designated function. This little problem caused me a big problem as I connected the new hose to the rear first, then capped and stowed the bad hose, however when I made the other side connection to the manifold, I ended up connecting to the wrong port. This meant my old hose was still connected and would be pressurized when I powered the system on after filling the reservoir, you know what happened next...yep, transmission fluid everywhere. Now I know of better than this but I trusted the color coding. Bad on me. After cleaning everything up I fixed the connection at the manifold, refilled what came out, and proceeded to purge the air. [in partial defense of my action I had CV19 for the two weeks leading up to this project so I wasn't thinking clearly].

4. I ran I to a little snafu after I fully extended the Jack's (manually front pair first), followed by rear jack pair. I checked the consumption of fluid a little at a time while I extended the Jack's to be sure the reservoir didn't go too low or empty. When the coach was fully raised I waited for the air to dissipate, then attempted to lower the front, then rear and no joy. There was about 1/4 fluid in the reservoir, but the trouble shooting table said root cause could be not enough fluid. So, I added some it worked. You got to be Careful not to add too much or it can overflow when fully retracted.

Lastly, I ended up topping off the reservoir once the Jack's were fully retracted, then I leveled the coach and all is good now.

I would have only needed one gallon of transmission fluid, but ended up using 1 3/4 gallons do to my error.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers and safe travels.
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