I've got my rear six pack out and the solenoids off but can't get the damn brass rings to break loose. I've tried two different size band wrenches to no avail.
Time for some pb blaster?
Maybe the other Chuck will chime in. The 2 small holes in the center part with the shaft looks like it takes a small spanner wrench to take them off.
If you purchase the kits from Tom McCloud, wrench is in kit.
That was the golden ticket! I hadn't even open the kit yet so thanks for putting 2 and 2 together for me.
Per the instructions that Tom included in the kit (banging head against wall), he recommends using channel locks on the brass rings if you can't separate them from the stems. I'm now making quick work of them with the wrench and channel locks
Are you doing the front or the rear first? I've done the front couple of years ago, when the kit was distributed. I did not do the rear yet, got side tracked :-(
Ultimately both but i've started with the rear as practice because It's easier to get to
Yeah twig told me channel locks would do it. We were going to do my front one in Mexico and didn't have time one of these days I need to do it cuz I have a leak on one of them. Also twig does them under the coach without taking the entire six pack off. Seems like an easier way to do it to me and that's the way I'm going to try to do it if I ever get around to it.
Bob
One of the key parts of the kit is the plunger. It can only be replaced if body is removed from manifold.
I can tell these had been rebuilt before. The stems are marred where they used channel locks en lieu of the wrench.
FWIW. Too late now, but I found the best sequence for disassembly was:
1. In Elliot's photo (first post): While all the brass valve bodies are still firmly screwed into the aluminum manifold, use the little spanner wrench from Tom's kit to break loose the inner stainless shaft assemblies.
2. After all the inner pieces are loose, THEN unscrew the brass valve bodies from the manifold. I was able to get them all off using a rubber strap wrench, but if that doesn't work you can resort to the channel locks.
I did it by disconnecting the ground and plug, then using channel locks on the knurled body removed the whole assembly and rebuilt it on a table. Then screwed the complete rebuilt unit back onto the manifold with channel locks. The hardest part was all the blasted cable ties.
I checked all the solenoid's for continuity but before putting them back I still wanted to make sure that they were all working. So without further ado, I present to you my solenoid test station:
Kinda a expensive power supply looking good
That could just be if 2 of the o-rings were replaced before. That's a pretty common air leak repair. The kits from Tom are a more comprehensive project.
Prior to some work by members of the forum and Tom's kits, I don't believe anyone "tore into" the valves themselves. Certainly not FT. O-ring replacement was fairly common (HWH sells a kit of 12 per six pack - RAP6554) and there's an entire thread on what the common sizes are), and if that didn't fix the leak, the entire valve/solenoid assembly was replaced. Just 1 assembly costs more than an entire six-pack kit from Tom, one major reason for the enthusiasm about his kits.
I did my rear 6 pack yesterday in same fashion as Chuck mentioned in reply #9. His tutorial on rebuilding them is the best.
jk