Black Water Valve ROD?

[JPMcG]

I was just crawling under the 2011 Winnebago ERA 170x and saw a loose Black Water Valve control rod.
It must have just broken because when I winterized a month ago it all worked fine. It is broken clean about 1/2 inch from the valve body. I tried to unscrew it and it backed out about another 1/2 inch but the stub does not screw out enough to remove it. Is there a nut inside--should I pull harder? Maybe put a sleeve over it and clamp (or through bolt two small screws) the pieces together?

Any repair ideas --beside replacing the valve?
Jim

[kmessinger]

It should just unscrew. It does on my Travato and in the replacement kits the rod has threads.

[JPMcG]

The rod broke off at the end of the inserted thread leaving a 1/4" stub on the valve screw. I was able to unscrew the stub and thread the rod back on to the valve. Some observations; the thread 10-24 is iis inserted into a 1/4" rod--this leaves a wall thickness of apprx. 0.062" not enough material to resist the lateral strain put on the joint when pushing the rod and it deflects to absorb the force. The joint is also stainless steel on the valve and aluminum on the roi---in a salt environment (under the van in NE winter) electrolysis corrosion ion eats the aluminum away.
So we have a weak joint, in-compatible materials, lateral loads on the side of the rod and good old metal fatigue caused by vibration----doomed to fail!!

I reinforced the the joint with a copper sleeve (actually a #2 AWG butt-splice)
and slid a 33" long 1/2" PVC pipe over the rod and epoxied it on to rod and sleeve then put Loctite on the threads.

Now it hopefully last another few seasons!!!

Stub, corrosion of thread, the broken pieces, #2AWG Drilled out and epoxied over joint, sorry no photo of pipe over rod. Got dark under there last night!!!

[Jinocraf35]

I had the same issue with my previous rv and I simply replaced the valve, didn't know whatever I can do(

[JPMcG]

Originally Posted by Jinocraf35

I had the same issue with my previous rv and I simply replaced the valve, didn't know whatever I can do(

I'm a fiddler--so I try to fix everything rather than replacing. You can only imagine the radios and tv is the shop ---I could melt them down for Gold and Silver for more than the fixed gadget would be worth. Any body need C6A4 rectifier tubes?

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by JPMcG

Any body need C6A4 rectifier tubes?

EL34/6CA7, 6L6, 6V6 12ax7, EF86

yes please !
NOS Mullard, Amperex, GEC, RCA, Philips


Mike

[JPMcG]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

EL34/6CA7, 6L6, 6V6 12ax7, EF86

yes please !
NOS Mullard, Amperex, GEC, RCA, Philips


Mike

Mike --I'm sorry--I was stretching the truth a bit with my comment. My old radios and stuff are long gone to recycle. Sorry if I got your hopes up --I really forgot there are still real radio aficionados. W1JPM all solid state junk now

[mkguitar]

The music world is still using vaccum tubes-

Every once in a while I find someone who has a dusty box in the basement.


A chance conversation in Camden, NJ with a former RCA worker got me a box of mid-60's 5881's. Perfect in Blackface Fenders.


For those us us who appreciate designs which allow fixing over replacing


Nice tip on the rod


Mike

[JPMcG]

Thanks Mike. I am legally deaf and use two cochlea implants. Digital music and digital music are horrid. Seems like the digits miss align. Loved the old analog sound but that was 50 years ago when I had analog ears as well