RussOnTheRoad
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Re: Question about black tank connection
BugsRLB wrote: Sorry I was a little late with the ratchet strap idea! We tried everything as you probably did. Pry bars, wood wedges, brute force, swearing etc. Manufacturers should allow a little play in the pipe. Cause sooner or later, it's gonna need replacing. Better late than never, as they say. Although I may still have such a strap from the days I used to tie down my motorcycle on the back of my Class C I don't have any with me at this time. I might have gone out to buy one as a last resort upon your suggestion. Don't get me started on what RV manufacturers should do, LOL.940Views0likes0CommentsRe: Question about black tank connection
BugsRLB wrote: First and foremost DRAIN and FLUSH the black tank very well prior to disassembly! As said, remove the 4 nuts and bolts from all four corners. Separate the black pipe on the right away from the from the blade valve. Insert new blade valve and bolt back up. I had to put a ratchet strap to my axle and "gently" move the black pipe back enough to get the new blade in with messing up the O-rings. My cable was sticking as well and the blade was leaking. For the cost of a manual valve and cable and an electric valve, I chose the electric. Push button, valve opens. Push button, valve closes. Perfect! Thanks again. The job is done. First I drained and flushed the tank with the built in San-T-Flush sprayer system. Then I refilled the tank and included 1 gallon of bleach which makes a disinfecting solution for 48 gallons and let it sit for an hour or so. Then I drained and flushed two more times and left the valve open overnight to allow for anything that would trickle out to do so. Despite the fact a couple of the bolt heads on the old valve were covered with a hard cement that had dripped onto them at the RV factory during assembly making it impossible to get a wrench on them I was able to get the bolts out of the old valve easily enough by removing the nuts and tapping lightly on the bolts to drive them out. The old valve came out without too much fuss but a trickle of water began to flow. I used an old dish pan to catch it. I also slowly pressed up on the bowed-out belly of the tank a few times which was below the drain level and this caused a gallon or two more water to come out. After that it didn’t drip any more. It was a nightmare getting the new valve and seals into place. I wound up wedging a piece of 1 x 2 wood between the flanges and sprayed some WD-40 Specialist Silicone Lube (safe for plastics and rubber) on the outer surfaces of the seals and portion of valve casing that needed to squeeze between the flanges and was able to wiggle the new valve and seals into position. I put about 10 gallons of water into the tank and let it sit for an hour or so to leak test the new valve. Then I added more water and waited awhile. Finally I brought the tank up to about 50 gallons and waited overnight. I used a garden hose water meter to measure how much I added to the tank. No leaks. My old valve, BTW, failed prematurely because ABS cement dripped into the blade track during assembly at the RV factory and was also protruding past the end of the pipe at the flange which deformed one of the seals. Sloppy workmanship. BTW, your ratchet strap idea is pure genius! Thanks to everyone for your help!939Views0likes0CommentsPower Gear Slide Motor Removal & Installation Questions
The gearbox of my Power Gear slide motor is seeping oil. It is my understanding that the oil is a byproduct of the grease inside the gearbox separating into its components. My first thought was to check the tightness of the screws holding the gearbox cover halves together. Not all of those screws are accessible while the motor is mounted, but those I could get to were all loose. I tightened the loose screws and wiped the gearbox clean of the oil that had seeped onto its cover several months ago. I checked the gearbox cover again a few days ago and it was apparent it was still seeping oil. It may be from the gasket and/or the seals through which the drive shaft passes. I figure a good next step might be to remove the motor, check and tighten all screws if need be, wipe down the gearbox, reinstall, and check for seeping oil again in the near future. This brings me to my questions which have to do with removing and reinstalling the motor. I can see that the motor/gearbox assembly is attached to a bracket with 4 bolts which would need to be removed in order to dismount the motor. According to what I’ve read there may be more to it than just removing those bolts. I’ve come across mention of roll pins and sheer pins. I’m attaching two photos: one shows, from left to right, the rack and pinion gear, a housing that sits between the rack and pinion and gear box through which the drive shaft passes and seems to have a roll pin, the gearbox and motor. The second photo is a close-up of the housing with the roll pin. Will I have to remove the roll pin in order to remove the motor? If so, should I expect to tap it out part way with a hammer and drift, then rotate the drive shaft 180º and pull the pin out with a pliers? Would I even be able to rotate the shaft with the pin when it's pushed out part way or would the pin hit the surrounding metal when rotating the shaft and screw things up? When reassembling will I need to have a new roll pin or will I be able to reuse the one that’s in use now? If I’ll need a new one where would I look for that? Can I determine it’s size with my micrometer? I’ve come across info that says to roll the slide room in about 6” in order to take the weight off of something in order to pull the motor. Anybody know anything about that? If I open the gearbox is anything going to fall out that I might have difficulty putting together correctly? Lippert says there are no parts available separately for my motor/gearbox. If I open the gearbox I won’t be able to get a new gasket for reassembly. Will one of the liquid gasket products do the trick? Does anybody know about replacing the seals on the shafts exiting the gearbox in terms of the size and kinds of seals and methodology? What would be the right kind of grease to use when repacking the gearbox? What else do I need to know in order to pull off this operation? BTW, it’s about $1200 for a new motor/gearbox assembly from Lippert which explains why I’m so keen on avoiding that option. I have found no aftermarket parts available for what Lippert has told me is a part number 672037. If you can answer any of my questions I’d appreciate hearing from you. Thanks much. Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.729Views0likes2CommentsRe: Question about black tank connection
opnspaces wrote: I use plumbers silicon lube to hold the seals in place for assembly. If you are worried about the grease trapping particles think about gravity and just don't grease the bottom 1/3rd of the seal. But seriously the grease is not going to hurt anything. And the grease will allow you to slide the valve into the joint without dislodging the O-rings. As said leave the white section alone unless you want to create a leak. Just scrape the bolt heads clean. And no you do not have to reapply the goop that you scrape off. Thanks again. While I would expect more debris to flow by the bottom of the black valve I expect the whole valve is exposed to it. The valve becomes completely submerged as the tank fills, does it not, and water and debris in the tank is agitated with every flush and while driving. I'm not sure how much difference a little plumber's grease would make in the long run in terms of either collecting debris or lubing the seals but if I can get the valve and seals into place without it I will. If I need to I may try some plumbers grease or a little crazy glue on the valve side of the seals so that pieces of the seals won't get permanently stuck to the pipes. Tangentially, have you ever tried that trick of drilling a hole in the valve body for squirting in some lube using the straw on a spray can of silicone lube when seals get sticky? I've seen a few videos of this on YouTube. I am tempted to slice a valve in half to see what it looks like inside in order to see/learn more.939Views0likes0CommentsRe: Question about black tank connection
CA Traveler wrote: X2 above. Be careful with the installation that the 2 O rings remain in place. Thanks. I have seen suggestions online to use various kinds of lube to help hold the seals in place on the valve while installing it but I don't think that's right. Conflicting info suggests anything like that can capture debris in the valve. Plus, we know that certain chemicals can damage the rubber seals. Also, the instructions on the Valterra valve packaging don't suggest any such thing. They do say to place the seals on the pipes before inserting the valve. If I find I have to keep them on the valve while putting it in place I may use a few tiny drops of cyanoacrylate (super glue). I did the job on a different RV years ago and it was a nightmare because it was nearly impossible to spread the pipes to remove / install the valves.945Views0likes0CommentsQuestion about black tank connection
I'm trying to figure out how my black tank and black tank valve are connected. What the methodology is and what the the white collar is called. Also trying to figure what I may have to do in order to replace the valve which is my plan because it’s sticking pretty badly. (No success with drain valve lube, etc.) In the photo you can see the black tank on the left. Immediately to the right of the tank there is some sort of white collar, for lack of the proper term. So that's my first question...what is that collar called? Then, it seems the white collar is cemented to the tank. Do I have that right? What would somebody do if that collar got damaged and it’s glued to the tank? I presume the black tank has a short drain pipe protruding from it and that the white collar covers the junction of the drain pipe and a sewer spigot with flange to which the dump valve is bolted. Do I have that right? There is a ton of white goo, some sort of sealant I figure, that was used inside the white collar and that spills out in a huge mess, even completely covering two of the bolt heads that attach the valve and flange. What kind of sealant is used for that? I am fixing to replace the valve but worry I might need to move the white collar for some unanticipated reason so the black tank valve can be removed. I’m not particularly hopeful I would be able to move that collar with all the goop that was used during the OEM installation. Help me understand what I’m dealing with here in terms of the parts and procedures for replacing the valve beyond that of removing the bolts that hold the valve in place, spreading the pipes a little to remove and replace the valve. I’ve done this before on another RV and spreading the pipes was near impossible. Running into a repeat of that scares me silly, especially because the valve on this RV isn’t real accessible. Thanks.1.9KViews0likes12CommentsRe: A Bazillion Roof Bubbles
UPDATE:In exploring the potential causes of the bubbling the mfr. suggested "heat from the sun" as a possible explanation. We rejected that because bubbling such as that shown in our photo would be a widespread, very common problem in RV roofs should heat from the sun be able to cause it, and because an insurance adjuster said it wouldn't be caused by the sun. The mfr. seems to have been right, however, about the heat part, anyway. When they mentioned heat we were reminded of a fire back in 2019 that had occurred in the storage yard where I keep the RV when not in use. While there was no visible damage to the RV other than soot and discoloration marks on the roof from some embers that had landed on it, the front and rear of the RV did get exposed to heat from the fire. When the fire occurred we filed an insurance claim with NGIC (National General used by Good Sam) and they paid for cleaning of the soot left by the fire on the RV. A few days ago I emailed NGIC requesting a new roof, and without any fuss at all they agreed! We had documented our request well with photos, and we told NGIC what the adjuster had said. He was the original adjuster on the claim when the fire occurred, but he had moved since then to another company. We knew where he was and reached out to him, and he was willing to speak with NGIC on our behalf. I don't know if they contacted him or not, but in any event NGIC is making good. Thanks to all who took the time to read my query and of course those who replied.601Views0likes0CommentsRe: A Bazillion Roof Bubbles
dougrainer wrote: If you have it at the rear area, then the test drive is not needed. Are you POSITIVE the bubbles have not been there since day 1? Doug Absolutely positive. I have spent a great deal of time on the roof, especially when I was installing our solar system when the RV was newish. Had there been bubbles I would have noticed them. I've also been up there tilting the panels from time to time, and many, many other times when checking and sweeping the slide tops for debris before closing them to role to our next location, cleaning the roof and skylights, etc.606Views0likes0CommentsRe: A Bazillion Roof Bubbles
dougrainer wrote: I want you to take the 5th wheel and drive 60 mph and have a friend follow you by the side in his auto. Have him get ahead of you and be able to observe the front roof top cap and see if he sees the rubber billowing up in the front. IF this front area behind the front cap are the only bubbles, odds are air is getting under that front cap seam. When this happens the front seam appears to be tight with no gaps. But at 60 mph, the air does get under and cause this type problem. I did not realize until I read your post again that the bubbles appear only in the front few feet. I thought you had this all over the complete roof, which is why I stated cleaning products. Doug Thanks again. We can certainly try to arrange the test you suggest but it would be a pretty significant undertaking for us. Our RV has been stationery since 12/6/20. The bubbling has increased significantly since I first photographed it in mid-January. I think it rather unlikely that wind blowing would have created additional bubbling. I would also find it surprising that wind would create a great many small, apparently individual, independent bubbles as opposed one or two large areas. That just doesn't strike me as likely. Would you disagree? BTW, we have found a few bubbles at the rear of the RV. Those are near where the roof ladder attaches. The lap seal there, as everywhere else, showed no signs of cracking last time I looked. I am not convinced there is much likelihood of water getting in there and cannot see how wind would get in there under any circumstances.600Views0likes0Comments
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