05-10-2024, 08:24 PM
I lost power steering for a few seconds and then it came back 5 miles later I noticed a line of oil on the grass when I pulled in to my campsite, looked like it was coming from the distribution block, while cleaning up the distribution block with a rag so I could see where the oil was coming from I noticed the solenoid for high fan moving, when I tightened the solenoid the oil leak stopped. I replaced the O ring it is a standard ORB 10 O ring. Added 3 gallons of synthetic transmission fluid too top the tank up. 4 trips and 600 miles later I lost power steering again while driving my motorhome back home from being in Florida for the winter, pulled in to a rest area in Ocala at 9:00 at night went to the back and checked the oil , the tank was full, I figured I would look at it in the morning. When I went back in the morning I found 2 gallons of ATF on the ground leaking from the OHLA. I remembered a post where Richard had bypassed the oil going to the OHLA and filled it with grease. I planned to plug the pipe coming out of the motor, put a grease zerk fitting in the OHLA fill it with grease and try to drive 1400 miles home with no power steering. I called Richard to see what he thought of my idea and he explained to me that I could not plug the drain on the motor it had to go to the reservoir, when I told Richard I was in Ocala he said I was not that far away from him and he would like to come up and see me ( I think he meant he would like to increase the odds of my repair being a success, one definition of happiness is being broke down in your Newell and having Richard show up) The hose for the return line broke when I was bending it and I had to go and have a new one made. We installed the 3/8 JIC male flare to 1/4"pipe in the pipe to the OHLA put the 1/4" zerk in the fitting, put the 3/8 to 1/2 JIC adapter on the fitting on the motor hooked the hose up filled the OHLA with high temp grease, started the motor and filled the OHLA with grease again, Richard went home for dinner, and I cleaned up hooked up the trailer and started the trip back home, made it about 1000 miles with no oil leak, then started leaking bad lost 1 1/2 gallons in 50 miles, filled the OHLA with grease again, slowed down to 50 mph from 61 mph (shifts into 6th at 61 so that is where I try to drive) to try and reduce the amount of time the high fan is on I tow a loaded 30' stacker my motor works hard, first time I was happy to hit hard rain which reduced the amount of time fan was on, oil leak really slowed down probably 1/2 gallon in last 400 miles home, if I had too do it again I would stop every 200 miles and fill the OHLA with grease,
When I got home I called Newell to ask how to troubleshoot it, I was told to put a pressure gauge in the small line that goes to the steering gear box and there should be 2400 psi I had 0 psi called Newell again and was told to call George at Hydraquip in Tulsa he could help me troubleshoot it. George suggested that I replace the 2 pressure regulators on the distribution block they were not that expensive and that would eliminate them from being the problem, when I went to a local hydraulic supplier was told 10 week for 1 and 20 for the other one, So I made a fitting so I could check the release pressure on the relief valves one was 2000 psi and the other was 2400 psi what they were suppose to be. I put the relief valves back in and checked the pressure again and got 0 psi I capped the line to the steering box and got 2000 psi, I called George back and told him that I had 0 psi in line and 2000 psi when I caped the line he said he knew nothing about steering boxes but it look like I had a problem in my steering box. I looked at ZF steering box manual that Jeff posted on the site (thank you Jeff) and noticed that it had a relief valve in it. I called Newell to see if it was possible to remove to relief valve with the steering box in the coach so I could make a plug for it to see if that was the problem. Spent quite a bit of time talking to Gerry and realized that I was checking pressure wrong Newell has a ball valve in series with there gauge and you only get pressure when you close the valve . Gerry said they have seen fan motors cause the power steering not to work, so I capped the lines to fan motor and checked pressure same thing. Gerry called me back and said he went and looked at a coach and talked to other mechanics and you can get the relief valve out but it is evil. ( you have to love Newell service) I though about what Gerry said and went back and capped the lines to the fan motor again and tried the steering wheel I had power steering you only have pressure in the line when you turn the steering wheel. George said the distribution block was fan priority so it turns the power steering off to keep the fan running. Do not understand why I did not have power steering when the fan was off. Took the motor apart there is damage on the valve body I am trying to find parts
When I got home I called Newell to ask how to troubleshoot it, I was told to put a pressure gauge in the small line that goes to the steering gear box and there should be 2400 psi I had 0 psi called Newell again and was told to call George at Hydraquip in Tulsa he could help me troubleshoot it. George suggested that I replace the 2 pressure regulators on the distribution block they were not that expensive and that would eliminate them from being the problem, when I went to a local hydraulic supplier was told 10 week for 1 and 20 for the other one, So I made a fitting so I could check the release pressure on the relief valves one was 2000 psi and the other was 2400 psi what they were suppose to be. I put the relief valves back in and checked the pressure again and got 0 psi I capped the line to the steering box and got 2000 psi, I called George back and told him that I had 0 psi in line and 2000 psi when I caped the line he said he knew nothing about steering boxes but it look like I had a problem in my steering box. I looked at ZF steering box manual that Jeff posted on the site (thank you Jeff) and noticed that it had a relief valve in it. I called Newell to see if it was possible to remove to relief valve with the steering box in the coach so I could make a plug for it to see if that was the problem. Spent quite a bit of time talking to Gerry and realized that I was checking pressure wrong Newell has a ball valve in series with there gauge and you only get pressure when you close the valve . Gerry said they have seen fan motors cause the power steering not to work, so I capped the lines to fan motor and checked pressure same thing. Gerry called me back and said he went and looked at a coach and talked to other mechanics and you can get the relief valve out but it is evil. ( you have to love Newell service) I though about what Gerry said and went back and capped the lines to the fan motor again and tried the steering wheel I had power steering you only have pressure in the line when you turn the steering wheel. George said the distribution block was fan priority so it turns the power steering off to keep the fan running. Do not understand why I did not have power steering when the fan was off. Took the motor apart there is damage on the valve body I am trying to find parts
John Kosir
712 2004 45-8