Leveling jacks on 1983 310

[powd]

Hi all,
I have recently purchased a 198 310 motor home and while going through everything I have yet to figure out how or what is wrong with the leveling jacks.
I have no diagram for them.
I have two in the front and two in the back....by the door the storage compartment there is a switch that goes to a solenoid then to the pump etc it has manual controls next to it.
First I thought the solenoid was bad so I put a new on in. now when you turn the switch on there is a loud clicking coming out of the solenoid....
Have tried two of them to no avail.
Was thinking the pump might be bad but first I can’t even find a diagram that shows the wiring just in case something might be hooked up wrong.
Any idea would be most appreciated.
Thanks

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by powd

Hi all,
I have recently purchased a 198 310 motor home and while going through everything I have yet to figure out how or what is wrong with the leveling jacks.
I have no diagram for them.
I have two in the front and two in the back....by the door the storage compartment there is a switch that goes to a solenoid then to the pump etc it has manual controls next to it.
First I thought the solenoid was bad so I put a new on in. now when you turn the switch on there is a loud clicking coming out of the solenoid....
Have tried two of them to no avail.
Was thinking the pump might be bad but first I can’t even find a diagram that shows the wiring just in case something might be hooked up wrong.
Any idea would be most appreciated.
Thanks

Can you possibly post a picture of the controls for your system? Our 1984 310 has hydraulic levelers and the control box is by the drivers left foot. The box has an on/off switch and four levers for raising and lowering the leveling cylinders.

I've got the manual for this system so if its the same as yours I can get it scanned in so I could send you a PDF file of the manual.

Brad

[powd]

brad,
Thanks I'll take a picture today.
the controls and switch are actually in the lower compartment by the pump.
Thanks for you help!
Don

[bkahler]

Don,

Interesting that your controls are on the outside of the coach. I can see where that would be handy at times. On our 84 310 there are two drawers on the driver side, one for the batteries and one for storage.

Which compartment are your controls in? Also, where is exactly is your pump located? Mine is up in front of the radiator. I'm not happy wit that location and plan on moving it sometime down under the frame area. Just haven't had the time to do so as yet.

If you could get a picture of your pump installation I'd sure like to see it.

Brad

[powd]

Brad
here you go.
Everything’s by the motorhome door.
let me know if it looks similar
Thanks
Don

[powd]

couple more photos

[bkahler]

Your arrangement is totally different than ours. After re-reading your first post it sounds like your pump is not working. As a temporary test you can take a pair of jumper cables and using one end of the + lead connect it to your battery + and then momentarily connect the other end to the terminal on the pump motor. This would be the connection between the pump motor and your solenoid. What this would do is bypass the solenoid and verify that you're getting +12 right to the motor.

If this doesn't work and before saying for sure the pump is bad you need to verify the pump motor is properly grounded. I'm assuming the pump body is bolted directly to the compartment floor. If so then that would be the expected ground point for the pump. If its dirty or corroded that could cause a bad ground and not allow the pump to run. Basically you just need to make sure ALL your connections are clean.

If the pump still doesn't run then you can pretty much assume the problem is the pump itself.

I would not suspect the wiring in general as it probably worked at some point in the past. Disuse and humidity can do bad things to electrical connections.

Oh yeah, one other thing. If you can find a way to get the pump motor to turn (by hand, turning the pump, etc) you might just have a sticking brush not making contact with the commutator.

Of course its also possible the pump is frozen which is a whole different situation. If the hydraulic fluid has water in it the pump impeller could be corroded and stuck.

Personally I would find it hard to believe that the pump is totally bad. I'm betting it just needs some good preventitive maintenance done to it.

Good luck!

Brad

[powd]

brad thanks a bunch ill give it a shot and let you know.
Thanks for taking the time Its been driving me crazy
I'll check it with the jumper cables thats a great idea!
Don

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by powd

brad thanks a bunch ill give it a shot and let you know.
Thanks for taking the time Its been driving me crazy
I'll check it with the jumper cables thats a great idea!
Don

Don, any success getting your pump to run?

[powd]

brad,
no didn’t get it to run....just a hum so I assume bad pump.
bummer...

[guy99]

Originally Posted by bkahler

... Mine is up in front of the radiator. I'm not happy wit that location and plan on moving it sometime down under the frame area. Just haven't had the time to do so as yet.
...
Brad

Brad,
Sounds like we have the same leveler controls. My pump is located under the step.