Ok, finally getting to this mainly due to the age of it all, no records and some slow leaks. Ive read just about every post I can find on the topic both here and a few other places. Appears to me more a disassemble, clean, rebuild type of job than anything. I have the complete kits from Tom Mcloud (think I got that name right), the weather is finally tolerable for the deep south, and I am 8 weeks out from a planned trip, so plenty of time for any inevitable.
Aside from the kits I am about to install.....is there ANY item on these critters, that you would replace due to age alone, regardless if still working or not?
Thanks for any input.
Carefully mark each line and take pictures so all go back in their "original position".
That would surely be a no brainer or dont even attempt.
If you are just rebuilding the valve themselves there is really no reason to remove the air line or the block. Just number the coils 1-6 and remove them from the valve then remove the valve from the block. IIRC there are 2 little check valves under the plugs on the side of the valve body, you might CAREFULLY take them out and check the o rings on them be careful the springs a small.
You might think that is a no-brainer but it is still easy to mess up. When I did my front six pack I was parked out in the desert at quartzsite. I carefully use zip ties of different colors on each side so I would know exactly which one went where and still somehow seem to mess it up on one. Or at least it seems so cuz later on it seemed like that circuit wasn't getting power through the wire and we had to splice in a new wire.
I did the rebuild completely under the coach.
At least I didn't remove the six pack I just removed each circuit and replace parts.. the wind was whipping underneath there as I was doing it and it was quite cold so I was in a hurry. The wrench that Tom supplies with the kit works well on removing the plungers. Soap test afterwards of course.
If I was doing it again I might think about pulling the whole thing off and cleaning it better.
But then that may open up a different can of worms.
Have not done mine yet but would consider having the valve body glass beaded,what say you forum members?
All my original factory 6-pack parts cleaned up real nice just using the soft wire wheel on my bench grinder...
John44. I wouldn't recommend glass beading the actual sealing surfaces. If you want to cosmetically clean the outer housing you would probably be ok. I sonic cleaned mine and was satisfied
Sure is pretty, like Man Jewelry.
No-brainer as in....if your crazy enough to NOT think to do such, you deserve the results you get....I mark every item on every project if only even 2 items.
I did pull the entire block as I also wanted to replace the piston that drives the step cover.
Bruce,
My lower back issues barely allow me enough time to get all the stuff out, staying under there for a few hours and I'd be too bent to get back out. But I also wanted to replace a badly leaking Step cover piston.
Thanks for the tip about the check valve Orings, I plan to fully disassemble and clean it completely
Has anyone ever given thought to putting a bowl type filter on the inlet air for the block?
All is off but not apart yet, But I do see that the white powder from a previous to me Air dryer failure is everywhere under every fitting.
I do plan to put one on the inlet air for the step slide and step cover as I have had to clean those solenoid valves a time or two due to the dust in the system, be a lot easier to occasionally clean a pre-bowl.
You can get those check valves from Northwest RV Supply | Eugene, Oregon (https://www.nwrvsupply.com/) and most other HWH parts.
Exhaust ports of the sixpack manifold.....is it norm to have these open to the elements?... I dont see any pics or write-ups about them having any sort of stone/muffler etc....as I have mud daubers by the millions here in the deep south, wondering if anyone has ever used any sort of screen, muffler stone etc?
Yup.
I vaguely recall a post a couple of years ago regarding putting some sort of screen on them, but I don't think it was more than a question. And yeah, mud daubers.
That little spring on the check valve very easily flys away never to be found again. Don't ask me how I know.
I drilled and tapped my front one for threaded in screens. I can take a photo of them. No more mud dabbers. I haven't got around to doing the rear. Need to. ^.^d
working on the front one at the moment, all clean just need to reassemble and test. My exhaust ports are already tapped but dont know of a threaded screen to source. I have some nice fine mesh SS screen on hand that is open enough for great air passage but too small for any critter to worry with messing with it. Giving thought to just covering the holes and holding with rivets....or just use a small pipe nipple with a cap full of small drilled holes.
JB weld on the outer side of the hole.
Yeah thought about that approach too.
Sintered Bronze Liter. This is just an example. Think you need smaller for the port holes, but dont know the exact size
https://www.grainger.com/product/1A326?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXnZ4oj0FMODvUSORFdxSNji_70lf9dmY6nelM6NVJ_Js4doqxKrKvhoCzz0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Amazon.com: IVLPHA Pneumatic Air Muffler, Sintered Bronze Air Breather Vent... (https://www.amazon.com/IVLPHA-Pneumatic-Sintered-Breather-Solenoid/dp/B09Q31Y9B5?th=1)
Scott / Chuck
thought about the bronze stone type but wondered if it might be a bit of obstruction as they are usually pretty dense. I assume you 2 are having good results with these? air release ok....I was looking for one with a screen but at the size of the port cant find any that small, find these you guys mention all over.
Recent projects have used them as mufflers for air release. I dont have anything on mine but would install if I was rebuilding. Probably just a little tighter than hand title. The external cones would provide more surface area also than the flat ones
I haven't tried using them on our coach, so no direct experience. If you look at the solenoid control for the air step and footwell cover on your coach, you will probably see some of these bronze filters. I would guess that they are designed to allow sufficient air flow for this type application. Like Scott says, the larger the surface area the better (more flow capability).
Agree they are on my step and step slide......ordered a 5 pack of the long ones today, no doubt better than an open dauber hole.
Front sixpack all done, all working great and no leaks found. They definately needed doing, as you can see by the before picture, the aluminum base had quite a bit of corrosion where some of Orings mate, and I do know a few had slight leaks. One had an intermittent coil, but I had a spare coil. Checked all coils as well as pressure switches.
All parts polished up. Full oring and piston kit installed. New check valves, (thanks for that tip Bruce) Base sealing areas polished with Dremel buff pads to remove any scratches or pitting the years of oxidation caused. Coated entire block with several coats of Sharkhide to fill any metal imperfections as well as to protect entire cluster against any future oxidation. Corrosion. Installed the Metal filter stones to the inevitable Dirt dauber exhaust homes....and by the way they exhaust just fine. That tank that you have to take out to access , pulled the bungs an rinsed out quit a bit of that white dust, then sanded the exterior rust from it and gave it a nice coat of primer n black paint. Yeah know it has nothing to do with the 6 pack but as it was out why not clean up....still want to do the other two tanks and try to get rid of as much as that old white dryer dust as possible.
While way up in there also replaced the long pneumatic cylinder that handles the front step cover.....gonna post some separate details on that as what I found for a replacement works great...it was leaking so bad I had to cut its air last year and Just not use it.
Not a hard job at all this sixpack business other than the contorting one has to do to get to it....front one is done and behind me, now to make time and do the rear.
(https://www.foreforums.com/MGalleryItem.php?id=5010)
(https://www.foreforums.com/MGalleryItem.php?id=5011)
(https://www.foreforums.com/MGalleryItem.php?id=5012)
Looks good,where do you get your blue rags from,mine are running out.
Grainger, but have not bought any in a VERY long time. Probably near a decade.
Where did you buy new check valves?
The Place BBeane recommended....but really did not see a darn thing wrong with the ones I pulled out, other than they were dusty.
David those are blue surgical towels it looks like. Maybe Daisy can get you some from the hospital but on second thought never mind that would get her in hot water. I'm sure you could find them online though just do a search for surgical towels.
Excellent rebuild on the six pack and thanks for documenting it. I didn't pull my block off just replaced each one one at a time from under but when doing the rear I'm going to take it off.
I thought about not removing, but it appears that the very top edge of my block had some massive amounts of aluminum oxidation and it did....dissimilar metal oxidation had about 1/4" thick and about 2" wide section of that block bulging outward and would only continue to get worse. I ground all that down which took a large chunk out of that block, and of course coated everything with the SharkHide metal treatment so it wouldn't happen again. Also the mating surface where the 2 Orings for the solenoids had quite a bit of oxidation (metal pitting) on several of the solenoids that took some time with a dremel buff to get out. I could have never done that with the block in......Ive read quite a few posts, here and other forums where even after a somewhat meticulous build they have small leaks.
Ive been building carburetors since I was 10 years old, teaching and experience has shown that if you take the time to get parts to perfection, you have a perfect outcome everytime....These 6 packs, like a carb, is a precision piece of instrumentation when it comes to mating surfaces. There are lots of things that if not 100% perfect, you might get it back in and then have to pull it again. I did not want to have to pull this again.
Yes the ones Grainger and a few others offer are in fact repurposed surgical towels....a fitting repurpose as we are conducting surgery on whatever, this morning it happens to be a pair of brake calipers
I would be interested in knowing the degree of silencing that it provides? Since I still have a leak every couple days my system lets out air to level and it can be quite loud. I saw in the specs of one that it was a 20 decibel decrease, well that sounds like a lot but do you hear much of a difference when letting air out?
Yes it does seem a bit quieter, but if the affect is slower that I am not noticing....I didnt do it for anything but to protect those ports from the Dirt daubers....and though they were not plugged, I pulled about a dozen nests off while up in that area of the coach, just not in THOSE ports, this time.
Nice job. For what ever reason when ever I rebuilt mine ( it was working good) one pressure switches on the front failed. They are available at Napa. Also be sure to cover the connections with a removable sealant if they get wet and short the do crazy things. I had this happen to me in a heavy rain.
I keep several tubs of dielectric grease about.....I use that Sh#% on everything I work on, helps keep moisture out of connectors.