Low Voltage on Levelers

WeRmudfun · 09-18-2016, 06:20 PM

We were hoping someone might have some insight for us. The levelers on our 2016 35s are not responding correctly. When we hit Auto, the rears start to go down, then we get a Low Voltage Light, followed by the left, right and Power Gear lights flashing indicating Failure Mode, which according to the manual happens when the levelers don’t retract. We are getting it when they go down and it happens before the front one even start to move. We have tried numerous times and one time started the generator and it worked, but only once. We have the parking brake on, the tranny in park and the engine running. We have tried it plugged into shore power too, but to no avail. I hooked an Ohmmeter to the chassis battery and it the lowest it dipped was 12.68 and that was momentarily, other than that it was in the high 13 to 14 volt range.
We have topped off the reservoir, lubed the grease zerks and checked all the connections we could find to make sure they are tight. We have tried to manually level, and they all move, but we cannot get the rear to ever show level. It actually looks like it runs out of travel and the light never goes out. BTW without the levelers, it is already extremely close to be level.
We have an appointment for our punch list with the dealer on the 10th of next month, but are leaving for and 11 day trip in 4 days. Not having the levelers for the trip is not a deal breaker, but they are a nice options to have.
Thanks

Grumpy · 09-18-2016, 06:56 PM

Could be a bad ground connection.

hoppers4 · 09-18-2016, 07:50 PM

I've never tried to level mine with the engine running. I get an alarm if I start the engine with the levelers down. I also don't use auto as I don't trust it. On this and another MH I've seen the levelers do goofy stuff in auto. I put it in manual and use the buttons in pairs to get it level. For instance if the left light is lit, I'll push left front and left rear simultaneously. If the rear light is lit, I'll push both left rear and right rear buttons simultaneously. I also put 5 legos under each pad just to reduce the workload/travel of the system.

chuck0799 · 09-20-2016, 04:20 PM

Had somewhat the same problem, but not an always type of thing. Try greasing the slide mechanism. There is cert on the top of the jack. Everthing seemed to go a little better with grease.

Mountain Cajun · 09-20-2016, 04:38 PM

If it's an Equalizer System and not a Big Foot, check the solenoids on the hydraulic valves. A good one should be 4 ohms! Any thing less is suspect.

WeRmudfun · 09-20-2016, 05:59 PM

Thanks for all the replies. We went out tonight and tried it again on Auto and it just goes straight to Failure Mode now, doesn't even try to move the levelers. Does anyone know if there is a reset? All I found was 'cycle power' which I assume is turning it off and back on again?
We are thinking of just getting the rig level with blocks on vacation and manually using the levelers to stabilize it. Then again if the system is failing maybe we'll go without them this time and wait for the appointment when we get back.

hoppers4 · 09-20-2016, 06:10 PM

One method of resetting the system is to pull (unscrew it from the wall) the control panel and unplug it. Plug it back in and give it a whirl. If you call the Power Gear folks, this is what they'll tell you. Also it's my understanding that Power Gear has a very responsive support system. Give them a call.

WeRmudfun · 09-20-2016, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

One method of resetting the system is to pull (unscrew it from the wall) the control panel and unplug it. Plug it back in and give it a whirl. If you call the Power Gear folks, this is what they'll tell you. Also it's my understanding that Power Gear has a very responsive support system. Give them a call.

Thank you. Just ran out and tried your suggestion, but unfortunately it didn't work. We will try and give them a call tomorrow. The only other think I was wondering was if it is just out of calibration. When we operate manually, we can never get the back levelers light to go out and when we check it with a bubble level it says the back is too high. It also failed on auto as the back levelers were extending.

hoppers4 · 09-20-2016, 07:15 PM

I think recalibrating the system is an excellent idea. Here's the instructions straight out of the manual.

Programming the System
Turn panel/system on and let system run through its diagnostic mode. Lights will flash clockwise around the green foot.
When the lights stop flashing, push the button labeled “FRONT” 5 times. Then press the button labeled “REAR” 5 times. Once you have done this all lights on panel will begin to flash. This means you have reached in the system what is called zero mode.
At this time you can operate each corner or pair of levelers individually.
FRONT indicator operates the right front.
RIGHT operates the right rear.
REAR operates the left rear.
LEFT operates the left front.
Keep in mind the twisting/flexing of the vehicle’s frame. Try to operate jacks in pairs when possible. Once you have the coach level, you can now store a new program into the system. To do so, press the RETRACT button 3 times. If you do not want to store a new program, simply retract jacks in manual mode to avoid changing the original program (press and hold RETRACT & jack button)

WeRmudfun · 09-23-2016, 05:25 AM

Thanks again for all the responses. We did get a hold of the company and the levelers are once again working as they are supposed to. The low voltage light was actually because of low voltage and it was causing the failure mode code also. They explained that the batteries MUST be at 12+ volts throughout the whole cycle and if they dip below the code is tripped. They also explained that running the engine, genny or being on shore power will give a false reading because that is the charging voltage and not the actual voltage in the batteries. We plugged into shore power and left it overnight and the next morning we tried the levelers and they worked. We will be keeping a closer eye on the batteries in the future.

Arniesports60 · 09-26-2016, 07:56 PM

I'm curious who told you to not run the engine...

since the Power Gear Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Manual

Step #1 (in bold) says: Engine Must be Running.

hoppers4 · 09-26-2016, 08:14 PM

Wow, my Bigfoot manual is sure different than yours.

The manual for the Power Gear system has the following instructions.

Copied from the manual that came with my MH.

Operating the Auto/Manual Control Panel
Make sure the key is out of the vehicle ignition.
1. Turn panel/system on and let system run through its diagnostic mode. Lights will flash clockwise around the green foot. (System will not operate with the ignition key ON).

If I turn on the ignition when the levelers are down, my Power Gear system sets off an alarm.

WeRmudfun · 09-27-2016, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arniesports60

I'm curious who told you to not run the engine...

since the Power Gear Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Manual

Step #1 (in bold) says: Engine Must be Running.

They never said don't run the engine. They explain why I thought I had 13-14+ volts throughout the cycle when I tested the batteries and the levelers still were not working correctly. Here's what the company wrote about the low voltage light...

I would like to address the low voltage code first. The leveling system is wired directly to the battery (we did not install the system, but prefer the house batteries). The voltage on battery ALONE (NO SHORE POWER, GENERATOR or ENGINE RUNNING) during jack operation must remain in the 12+. When you tested the voltage you were getting feedback from the charging system supplying a false result. The only way to test TRUE voltage is when on battery alone.

Hope that clears it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

Wow, my Bigfoot manual is sure different than yours.

The manual for the Power Gear system has the following instructions.

Copied from the manual that came with my MH.

Operating the Auto/Manual Control Panel
Make sure the key is out of the vehicle ignition.
1. Turn panel/system on and let system run through its diagnostic mode. Lights will flash clockwise around the green foot. (System will not operate with the ignition key ON).

If I turn on the ignition when the levelers are down, my Power Gear system sets off an alarm.

Ours are different not only does it say in the manual that engine must be running, it also says it right on the control panel itself.

hoppers4 · 09-27-2016, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeRmudfun

Ours are different not only does it say in the manual that engine must be running, it also says it right on the control panel itself.

That's really good to know! I had no idea that Bigfoot would have different rules for different MHs. Thanks for the heads up.

Jeff k · 10-03-2016, 05:26 AM

On our 35un - the sensor gizmo in the back compartment was screwed to the wall facing the wrong direction at the factory. Discovered this on the day we picked the rig up. They tried to demo the levelors and they would not work correctly. Finslly the head mechanic came over and figured out the problem. Unscrewed the levelor sensor and oriented it so it was facing toward the front lf the cosch and not the side. Then they calibrated the levelors . They never did get the calibration correct really- they spent about two hours figuring out the problem. Someone at the factory does not know how to properly orient the sensor when installing the unit. This might not be your problem but take a look. Get the manual out- it shows the correct orientation on the wall of the compartment.

WeRmudfun · 10-03-2016, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff k

On our 35un - the sensor gizmo in the back compartment was screwed to the wall facing the wrong direction at the factory. Discovered this on the day we picked the rig up. They tried to demo the levelors and they would not work correctly. Finslly the head mechanic came over and figured out the problem. Unscrewed the levelor sensor and oriented it so it was facing toward the front lf the cosch and not the side. Then they calibrated the levelors . They never did get the calibration correct really- they spent about two hours figuring out the problem. Someone at the factory does not know how to properly orient the sensor when installing the unit. This might not be your problem but take a look. Get the manual out- it shows the correct orientation on the wall of the compartment.

Good info to know, thanks. Our problem was definitely low voltage. We just came back from being out in it for 10 days. The levelers worked perfectly.

JesseS · 10-10-2016, 11:25 AM

I had this issue with my Alante, Power gear says to only level with the engine running, park brake on, and tranny in park. My jacks would go down OK but then the control lights would all flash and then go into emergency retract mode and fall off the jacks, first time it scared the heck out of me as the slide was out close to a tree. After a few trips to the dealer it seems the factory wired the jacks on the wrong side of a relay, fixing this cured the issue.

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