Uni Mount Lift Problems

[fordaholic72]

I am new to this forum. it looks like there are a bunch of helpful people on here, so I thought I would post my problem and see if anyone can help me.

I have a Unimount plow that I bought used in January 06. I have not used the plow at all until today. I hooked it all up this spring and it worked great. I now have a problem with the blade not lifting correctly. It seems to try to angle left when I try to lift it. It will lift some, but it will not lift all the way like it did when I had it on the truck this spring. I have looked at the mechanic's guide on Westerns website and the nearest I can figure is it is a problem with the S2 stuck shifted. The motor runs in all positions on the control and it angles great. Just the lift problem and trying to angle left while lifting. I don't seee anything wrong with the valve though, but I am not sure what to look for either. The plunger moves in and out on the valve and the coil works. I pulled the poppet check valve out and made sure that was clean, too. What do you guys think? Is there anyplace else I can look or do I just need to replace the valve? Please help. I am getting frustrated.

Thanks

Steve

[EZSnow]

It's been a while since I've had a unimount, but I seem to remember having a similar problem. I think mine was angling one direction no matter what I did with the control... At any rate, my problem was in the control harness plug in the cab. one of the wires had broken. I ended up re-pinning the entire connector, and that solved it.

Just another place to look.

Oh- and uh... Welcome!!:waving

[snowjoker]

Wiggle your 9 or 12 pin connecction between the plow and truck .........

[Pete]

Had something similar happon to my unimont clean the 9-12 pin connector with a tiny round file and wire brush then try it, if it works then load it up with some die-electric grease.

[Wizard]

This was common on the 99 Chevy and Unimount setup we had at the Lawn Company I worked for. It was the grille connector. Clean it, apply dielectric, and most importantly, make sure the plug is together all the way.

[fordaholic72]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give it a try and let you know how I make out.

Thanks

Steve

[Joe92GT]

The quickest way to diagnose the problem is with a the coil cover off on the plow.

Look in the mechanics guide to see which ones are activated for each button on the controller.. from memory, 1 valve is used for lower/lift, one for left, and then two for right.. may have that mixed up.

Once you know what to look for, disconect the positive going to the motor, and find something metal (iron).

Have someone press the buttons, and see if the proper coils get magnatized (screw driver ect. will stick to the activated coil). This quickly shows where the problem is. Its a bit hard to explain, but once you figure it out its a very quick diagnostic tool.

I think its probably the valves clogged from sitting if its not the electrical connector. If the coils are energizing properly its the valves. If not, its most likely a connection/controller issue. Then its easy to go from there.

Joe

[fordaholic72]

Thanks Joe,

I checked all of the coils and they all magnetize. I pulled the valves out and energized the coils and the valves shift except the one that lowers the blade, the S1 I think. I moved coils around to other valve cartridges and the S1 coil shifts the other valves, but none of the coils will shift the S1 valve. The plow still drops and floats fine though. Would this valve not shifting cause the angle left while raising problem?

Steve

[Joe92GT]

Did you check that each solonoid energized properly with the right function?

For raise, the s3 should activate.
For angle left the s2 and s3 should activate.
For angle right the s2 should only activate.
For lower the s1 should activate.

If thats what your plow does and I'm sure it probably is, you have a stuck s2. Its hard to do but you can clean them, or buy a new one. Even if the s2 moves, it may not be fully closing. Unless your really familiar with how the valve looks fully closed/open you will not see it sticking with your visual test.

Joe

[fordaholic72]

Joe,

I did check that all of the coils activated and that they did what they were supposed to and when. You are right, I don't have any idea what these are supposed to look like when it is working properly. Maybe I will just break down and buy a new one.

The question in the last post about the S1 valve not shifting when the coil is activated. Is that a problem if it lowers and floats, ok?

Where is the best place to get parts like the S2 valve? The nearest place around here is 30 miles away, so I would like to find some place online.

Thanks

Steve

[fordaholic72]

Well, I replaced the 30 valve cartridge today finally. We havev't had any snow to plow so I haden't been in any hurry to change it. The plow still does the same thing. The nearest Western dealer says that they don't know what would be wrong either since I just replaced the valve. They say they would need to look at itto try to figure it out. Would anyone else have any other suggestions on what to do.

Steve

[all1]

Try a diff. controler box if you have one.

[snowtogo]

Disconnect the wire on the S2 coil and then raise the plow. If a diode is bad in the controller power can back feed to the coil on the S2 valve and shift the valve slightly. This would cause it to angle left while raising. If it still does it with the S2 wire's disconnected then you can be sure it's a hydraulic flow problem and not an electrical issue.

[fordaholic72]

I'll give it a try, thanks.

Steve

[snowmatt13]

Not to steal any thunder here, but I'm having a similar problem so I thought I'd chime in with my issue too. All plow functions work correctly except plow raises slowly and not all the way up. Motor was noisey and going bad so I replaced that. Replaced the packing set and wiper for the lift cylinder and adjusted packing nut. Same thing happens. Here's my thoughts:
1. Plow is 12 years old and I think this is the origional pump (the one under the motor) Maybe not enough pressure. I started to turn the pressure up bit by bit on the pump with no results.
2. Could this be the coil that controls the lift function??
Already checked all connections too, cleaned, and greased. By the way it's a unimount plow too.

Thanks for your help sorry for butting in on this thread but figured it was close enough in relation.:o

[BOUNDS-ELECTRIC]

I had the same thing. I found I did not have a good ground!