1979 Will Not Lower
 

I just bought a 17' 1979 HiLo, new battery, replaced a burnt fuse, the unit will raise not problem, but it will not lower. Pull the release cable and push the toggle switch to the downward position, Nothing. The hydraulic pump does not run & the unit will not lower. Could the toggle switch be the problem? According to the owners manual, you could release the fluid with a crank, there isn't a crank on the hydraulic motor. Please help if anyone has the answer.

I believe there is a selenoid that works the valve to release the hydraulic pressure to let it lower. Someone will be along with a more specific answer but in the meantime search the forum for "lowering " or "will not lower" etc. You should find an answer or some suggestions.

Rick

Try raising the top a little before pulling the release cable, that takes weight off the release. The motor does not run when lowering, there is a solenoid that releases the hydraulic fluid back to the reservoir. It should make a click when the down switch is toggled. There is no crank for lowering but there should be a valve, like on a bottle jack, that can be opened to lower the top manually. Look for the valve on the front of the pump.

won't lower
 

We had the same problem. Went through all troubleshooting. Replaced selunoid. Found that the bolt through the negative battery cable on the bottom of the motor was corroded, after cleaning and putting back together all works great.

My hi-lo is an old one also and it does not have a valve to release the pressure.

RichR has the answer you need.
Raise the unit to hear the squeal, AND pull the safety bar release at the same time, and reverse the switch, to lowering sequence.

hth

steve

I have a 1994 HILO. It will not lower.It lowered and raised and I raised it but now it will not lower and when I pull the release cable it sounds like it is releasing but when I push the down button it seems to be dead it clicks but that's all .I have a small handle lever on the pump I believe it is the manual release handle. My question is do I need two people to do this, one to pull the cord and one to use the lever?.I know it is not the battery all my lights work. It shows the release handle in the manual but not what to do. Help!!

Faye, welcome! Did you try the process renoites describes in the post above yours? I suspect the top might be resting on the safety bar.

- Jack

Jack,
I did try the trash removal using cable and up then down.
When I pull the cable it is not hard to pull it is very easy to pull is that normal, also I got under my RV and could very easily wiggle and lift the release bar is that normal. all the pulleys look good the cable does not seem to be frayed and is tight. It also states in the manual that if the hydraulic fluid is low it will not let the top go down have you or anyone ran in to that before. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Faye

It does take 2 people to lower the top with the manual lever. One to pull the safety bar release cable and one to move the manual lowering lever. Try this and get back with us if it still does not lower.

Faye - it just occurred to me that you MAY have the Master Switch (a 3-position switch next to the Raise/Lower switch) in the "Interior" "Neutral" position. This is a fairly common new owner mistake. If the interior lights are working, flip that switch to the other extreme and the top should go down.

Another possibility, of course, is a wiring fault in the raise/lower circuit. I had a mouse chew through one of the interior wires in my trailer before i mouseproofed it. Do you have mousies?

I just don't see the lift motor or hydraulic system being at fault, since things seemed to work fine up until now. I don't think those systems suddenly fail. But, the electrical circuits to them can go bad.

- Jack

Ok Jack I am not sure what I did ,, but I just went back out to the RV and back inside the door I have one white switch and the release cable I pushed in the middle of the switch and then pushed on the down switch noticed it made a popping noise and seen the cable go in so I tried to pull the cable it would not pull so I pushed the up button and heard another pop so I pulled the cable again and pushed the down button and the top came down . Hurray!! . I am not sure if it was the cleaning of the release rod moving of it or if maybe the switch may have a bad connection. . I also put a little fluid in the pump yesterday . So I guess I need to start a process of alimination starting with fluid .I did not have it plugged in to electricity so I can aliminate a bad battery.
I will let you know as I go .
Thanks to everyone for all the help and suggestions ��

Congrats, Faye - From your description, it sounds like you DON'T have the Master Switch I was talking about (some trailers don't have them). and it sounds like your lift switch may be a bit faulty. This is something that could be replaced fairly easily.

Contacts in a switch can become corroded and they can fail to make good electrical contact with age. And, it's possible you've fixed the problem with just "fiddling" with the switch. I really don't think the problem was fluid, but others here may have different thoughts.

Anyway, glad it's down. Enjoy Thanksgiving.

- Jack