Just Bought a Vintage Alaskan 8' NCO and I Have Tons of Questions!

[Grrlartist]

Hey, PackRat~ Thanks for your thorough explanation! Yes, I am feeling better, though not back to normal yet. This cold is really hanging on. Anyway, I had occasion to drive the truck a couple weeks ago, and was amazed that the camper bounced up in the truck on a very small speed bump, so I'm definitely looking for a way to cinch it down. I saw some bolts under the floor that looked like they were supposed to bolt into the walls of the truck bed. I didn't get photos of them today, but my first impression is that didn't seem like enough at all for preventing that bounce. I will have to investigate this more. Luckily, the truck is not my daily driver, so I have a little time to get it sorted out.

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Now I have a question that seems almost too basic to be asking, but I want to make sure I am understanding correctly. In order to drain hydraulic fluid and replace O-rings, I'm going to have to remove the rams from the camper, correct? What I saw looked like each ram is held in place by the brass fitting that connects the lines to the bottom of the rams, and by two metal straps that keep the ram in the correct position. The top of the ram fits under the angle bracket that lifts the camper top when the hydraulic fluid is pumped up into the rams, right? I couldn't tell on the one I was looking at ( in the back corner closet) whether the ram actually is bolted into that bracket or not. I want to make sure before I start taking things apart that it's going to be easier to replace the o-rings with the ram out of the camper. I can't quite imagine how I would do it with the rams in place, but you never know.

So, first I need to drain out all the fluid, right? (I saw directions on how to do that in another thread). After all the fluid is drained, I take out each ram so I can clean and replace o-rings, right? The only fitting I could find was on the very bottom of the ram:

So when you guys talk about loosening the fitting to drain fluid, you're talking about the compression fitting shown here, right?

Like I have said before, I'm reasonably handy, but this system is all new to me.....

 

[Ripperj]

You have the right idea.
Lower the top fully. Close the valve on the pump if a manual pump(keeps fluid from running out)
Undo the compression fitting and remove the two straps that hold the cylinder to the camper.
Squirt the remaining fluid into some rags by pushing the piston down the rest of the way.
It's a bit messy but not too bad. Some of the bigger cylinders have two set screws that hold the plastic guide to the top of the cylinder.

 

[Rusty]

If you're just changing the o-rings

..you don't have to remove the rams to change the orings....

pump it up to the top and pin it (all 4 corners) on the highest mark.

cut yourself a broomstick 22 5/8" long

with all the pins in place....push up slightly on the corner you are replacing and place the brromstick in the brace of the cylinder to be changed

unbolt the top bolt on the cylinder which attaches it to the bracket....leave a few threads just to hold it in place

loosen the nut on top of the bottom half of the cylinder and slide the nut up slightly

now...holding the cylinder with one hand...carefully remove the last few threads of the top bolt...slide the cylinder out by moving it slightly inboard to clear the bracket...voila.....

pull it out of the lower cylinder and replace the o-ring...reverse order assembly

really easy......

put the broomstick in the cabinet space under the seat....you'll need it again (after you mark it with a felt pen)

 

[Grrlartist]

Great explanation Rusty ~ so could I do this procedure, and then flush out the old hydraulic fluid after replacing the o-rings? Or would it make more sense to disassemble if I also want to replace the fluid? It's not that I am anxious to take it apart (really would prefer not to), I just want to do it right.

The status now is that the roof will pump up, but the front lifts significantly faster than the back. If I do it a bit at a time, I can lift the back and then pump a bit more, eventually getting to a fully up position. I can't find anything that appears to be leaking, but I haven't really torn into it, either. I've only owned it a couple of months, but I am guessing this camper must have sat in a sheltered location for many years, judging from it's fairly pristine interior condition.

 

[Rusty]

you may not need to flush the system...unless you suspect dirt or some kind of contamination in the fluid.

ours has been in the family for 46 years and it still has the same fluid...o-rings replaced about every 4-6 years...just because we use it alot...and it's up and down a couple times a week.

I added fluid once...just to top it up...I'd lost a bit when a o-ring blew out

if you flush it you would be in a position to install valves on the bottom of the cylinders...for balancing pressure...I think all new ones have them

 

[Boise]

if you flush it you would be in a position to install valves on the bottom of the cylinders...for balancing pressure...I think all new ones have them

Rusty,
Do you have any info (links) on valves to balance pressure? Like the OP the front jacks up faster than the rear on my camper. With valves I could slow the front down and manage the rear progress with hand pressure as I articulate the manual pump.

 

[Rusty]

Brian at Alaskan Campers would have the specs on the valves..I believe they are installed on all new models

sometimes it's merely an issue of bleeding a bubble or two out of the system,,,sometimes its cleaning the guides...some seem to think that adding grease to the guides will help...after 15 or 20 years of dust and dirt accumulation....things tend to start binding up

and then it may just be "Camper Arthritis".....

Call Brian

 

[Grrlartist]

This is a duplication of questions I asked in the replacing o-rings thread, but thought it might get seen sooner over here since so many folks have responded in this thread already....

A few random questions for the hive mind:


Trying to figure out what size o-rings I will need without tearing apart my rams, as they are semi-working right now. Mine is a 1969-70.

Also, dopey question related to not having torn mine apart yet: How many o-rings will I need? One per ram, or more?

Do I need to plan to replace o-rings in the pump itself, also, or only if it doesn't work well after replacing the ones in the rams?

Third possibly dopey question: I see people talking about checking the fluid level in their system, but WHERE do I check that? And if the fluid is low, can I add to it without knowing what was used, or should I drain the whole system?

Thanks!