Checking the hydraulic fluid
 

On our 2001 2201TL there is a label on the reservoir tank for the hydraulic fluid that says, "Fluid level should be 1/2" from top when trailer is completely lowered.

I don't know about all Hi-Lo models but on our's you cannot see the reservoir when the trailer is completely lowered and you sure as heck can't get to it to add any.

I ended up making a dip stick out of a plastic straw. I put it in the tank and lowered the trailer, then I raised the trailer and looked at the "dip stick" to see what the level of the fluid was when the trailer was down. After adding the necessary fluid and re-testing I discarded the home made dip stick.

Neal

hdraulic lift system
 

Do not over fill the lift system. It is not nessary to add fluid unless there is a leak If you have a leak it will lose large amounts of flued quickley. If you over fill the system the excess will be pushed out. (big mess)

hydraulic lift fluid check
 

i checked my fluid level today. i found that with the trailer in the down possition from the street side (nondoor side) i could fit my hand in to the fill cap. once the cap was off i used an allen wrench, don't know what size but the small ell end was approx. 1 inch long. i put the small end in there to check it. it was low so i used a piece of clear tubing (from lowes) and a pump oil can. it took less than a half quart of dextron 3 atf. i then lifted it and put the cap back on.

Big mess is right.

dextron 3 atf
 

Is Dextron 3 ATF the standard fluid for all models? Or, more importantly only to me... for a 1973?

Heath -

So far, everything that I've seen from others here on HTF, and in various Hi-Lo documentation, has called for a Dexron fluid, for use in the hydraulic system of Hi-Lo campers. I don’t know if there are exceptions or not. Has anyone seen anything other than a Dexron fluid called for?

For anyone not familiar with Dexron, it's a trademark name owned by General Motors, and given to its brand of automatic transmission fluid. Due to various license expirations, you will see both “fully licensed” and un-licensed products available. Many people, including myself, sometimes call this “Dextron”, I’m not sure where we get the “T” from.

Our 2201 calls for Dexron II, which is no longer made as a licensed GM product, we couldn’t find any version of Dexron II on the store shelves here, I did find some on the internet. I called the Hi-Lo factory, and I was told to "just make sure it's Dexron".

The GM Dexron specification is currently up to VI, I don’t know which series are and aren’t still licensed through GM. Valvoline’s fully licensed Dexron VI, says it’s fully compatible with Dexron II and Dexron III.

So after my research, I decided to go with, “just make sure it’s Dexron” :rolleyes:

Neal

Thanks again Neal!

Since it goes down now, I will drop it down and check it, and fill it to 1/2" from the top, with Dexron 3.

You the man!

I'll have to try this straw idea; heck - even the allen wrench might work.

I tried to ck my fluid levels this evening, and ran into the same problem. Can't even get the cover off my '94 Funlite when the top half is down.

Filling hydrolic lift pump
 

Our HiLo dealer uses a mechanics mirror to see the fluid level. Hubby asked last year to be shown how to check the fluid level.

Where is the hydraulic fill valve on a 2001 tolite high low m - 220 L

Should be in the battery compartment on the tongue. Can't miss it.

Look for a white plastic tank with a screw cap. Remove the cap and add fluid there. There's no "valve" for this purpose.

- Jack

Is the top supposed to rasie all the way up flush with the counter or 8s it supposed to be lower then the counter? Mine is lower then the counter and when i look at it from a distance it looks like the front end of the camper is lower then the back of the camper

Thank you all for your help with this. Its my first camper so i probably have a ton of questions.

That indicates that you need to adjust the cable lengths, they stretch over time.
When you fill the fluid reservoir do it only when the top is lowered and fill to about an inch or half inch to below the bottom of the threads.

Don't use the wood trim for alignment. Use the bulb seal as your guide. As long as they touch each other you should be OK.

Ok ty very much, one more question there is a switch below the cabinet above the table, i turned it on and off and nothing happens. Any idea? I thooght maybe it was an outside light or something but even putting in a new bulb outside by the door nothing came on.

This DOES sound like the outside light switch to me. The light won't come on unless your Master Switch is in the "enable lights" (usually UP) position. And, the fact that you don't seem to have found a way to turn that outside light on tells me you ARE working with its switch.

I don't think that light is separately fused, so if it doesn't work, there's probably a wiring fault. I'd check for a bad ground first if that's the case.

- Jack

Where is the master light switch lol. More issues arrose this morning. Woke up to water on the floor at 5am. Its coming from under the kitchen sink, there is a hose close to the far back wall under the sink with a bunch of caps and what not. The one close to the wall has a disc at the end of it before the shut off valve. It just turns and turns and the shut off valve is where the water ia leaking in from. I cant get that piece off cause when i unscrew it, it just gets closer and closer to the wall to the point i cant turn it anymore. Also black water is saying 1/3 full but i have all the ports outside open so it will drain into the camp septic

The sensors in the black water tank get gummed up/corroded/(whatever) and can register the presence of "fluid" when there is none. If you work at it, they can be cleaned off with a pressure sprayer or, as some have done, pour a couple bags of ice into the black tank just before you leave and let the motion of the trailer use them to "scrub" everything.

The Master Switch should be right next to the Raise/Lower switch. It should have three positions. In two of them, the "neutral" and "Enable" position, the Up/Down switch will not work. The "Raise/Lower" position is on one end. The "Enable" position is at the other. The Neutral position is in the center. If your inside lights are working, you're in the "Enable" position.

Sorry, I can't help you with your water leak.

- Jack

Water leak is fixed. And its on enabled. Todays task is figureing out how to tighten the hydrolic cables. With the hilo raised there is about 1 inch of fluid in the drum so im guessing its the cables

Does anyone know how to fix a hydraulic leak on a 1982 Funchaser?

I think you're going to have to be a bit more "forthcoming". Where is the leak? Is it in the cylinder? At any of the fittings? In the reservoir? At the pump?

There are people here who have fixed leaks in their HiLos, and they can probably help you, but they need more information than you've provided.

- Jack

Sorry for the lack of information. I'm a new travel trailer owner. I just bought this old trailer yesterday. Got it cheap. I don't know much about it but that it has a leak. I drove it home with the top lifted. I am going to pick up some dexron and see if I can spot the leak.

Look around the reservoir, you might see dust accumulated where the leak is located.

Or, lay some cardboard under the hydraulic pump and lines. Wipe everything down well and top off the reservoir and cycle the system a few times and let it set overnight. You should be a bit closer to solving the mystery after that.

And Rachie - You're going to need battery power to "cycle" the top up and down. If you don't buy one and install it, you could connect jumper cables from your Tow Vehicle battery to the battery cables in the trailer (be careful of the polarity) and power the lift motor that way.

The lift motor will NOT raise the top using "shore power" (120V AC power). The converter in the trailer will not supply the needed Amperage. You MIGHT get the top to lower using shore power, but then you'd have to manually lift it back up to get access to the battery compartment.

Install a battery or use jumper cables before you try to move the top. Hopefully, nothing was damaged by towing it with the top up. That's a big NO-NO for HiLos.

- Jack

Purchasing a battery.
 

You will want to purchase a deep cycle battery.Many back posts on the size and cranking requirements.

There should only be aprox 1" of fluid in the bottom of the reservoir when the top is up and aprox 1" of fluid below the filler neck when the top is down. Do not fill the reservoir with fluid with the top up as you will have a major mess when you lower the top.

I ran into a problem this winter. On several occasions when I needed to get something inside the camper the top would go up to about 95% of what it did in the summer. The pump sounded that it was running dry. I notice that as the temps are going up the so does the height. This is going to be helpful checking fluid levels. I may just calibrate it to tell the outdoor temps and call it good.

raising HiLo in the winter.
 

Our HiLo is grumpy when we raise it up in the cold weather of March. Our battery is stored in our house all winter. We take the HiLo out of storage to get it inspected and to get any work done at our HiLo dealer. Think about it!! If you sat out in the cold all the time you would be slugggish.

Sam is right about a cold battery that may be low on its charge. Take the battery or both if you have two into a warm area, give it a good charge and then take it to a good auto parts store and have them put it on a load test. This will tell you if it is still good. Next check the guide rod on the hydraulic ram to make sure it is very clean and lubed. The guide rod may be coated with very old grease and road crud. If so the combination of very cold grease and the road crud/grime may be causing an increased load on the Hyd pump causing the pressure releaf valve to open as it does when the top is fully up. The clearance between the guide rod and the hole in the ram end plate is so small that the end plate has been known to jam up on the guide rod causing the ram to bend the guide rod and it would have to be replaced. A note to all owners, keep that guide rod cleaned and lubed. The guide rod and the safety bar have been known to bend so much that they went thru the floor above. Let us know what you find.

Good point. Oil will probably be thicker. One thing is that I keep the battery on a smart battery trickle charger

Feed back: once the temps warmed up the top went up to the same height it did last summer. I was thinking something broke. It must be a function of cold oil.

Hydraulic tank
 

I have only had this 1971 Hi-Lo camper for 5 years. It is great but we had to store it for 18 months and now when I try to raise it I only get a noise. I assume there was a slow leak and it needs fluid. Can someone tell (or show) me where the cap to fill the fluid is located and what fluid is best to use? Feeling a little lost here.

Welcome to the forum. Your reservoir should be in the battery box on the tongue. Check out the link below.

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f22...ulic-fluid-53/

Hydraulic pump fluid, Just wondering if I should be adding dexron II or is there something newer we should be using ?
Thanks, Tom

Tom - Dexron II was the original fluid that was put in HiLos. There HAVE been newer formulations of Dexron since then and you can add either Dexron II, III or IV (2, 3, or 4). But, DO NOT add Dexron V (5)! This has a completely different formulation that will not work in our trailers (I think it damages the seals).

I've put Dexron III in my trailer, and it works fine.

- Jack

Thanks Jack. I had a problem with the compression fitting on the pump not holding the plastic hydraulic hose again and have to remove the black nut and check things out. Check the o ring, metal clip washer, and thick black washer.
Have you ever taken those off and on?

No Tom - The only service I've had to do on the actual hydraulic system has been to add a small amount of fluid. And, I did that because the level seemed low with the top down (a bit over an inch below the top of the reservoir).

- Jack

Hydraulic pump compression fittings
 

Well, this is a picture of the compression fitting parts where the hydraulic hose attaches to the pump in my 2203t. The parts need a quick cleanup before being reinstalled.