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Solenoid Valve for hydraulic slide
Joel Ashley:
Roy, there is more than one possible "puddle source" up front. I once thought one I found was from a fuel tank vent, after I peered underneath and saw a nearby rubber tube end hanging down and coming forward from over the tank area. Turned out it was from a poorly secured oil filter that a service facility had replaced not long before on the generator.
Leaking fluids on a vehicle get sprayed around chassis parts on the road, then drip from wherever they collect the most. If the puddle is fairly clear, then the source is not chassis dirt-contaminated, close by, and less likely an oil or diesel, so your little hydraulic module (tank, pump motor, and solenoid manifold) is suspect indeed . If the puddle is dark, I'd check other things first. The creeping bed slide implies solenoid set #2, and using the owner's manual instructions judiciously, I'd consider checking the torque on the solenoid nuts and perhaps the tank top and any hose clamps/connections; solenoid failures are more commonly internal, with no external evidence other than a creeping or inoperative slide.
Stan, I assume from your comments and yours being a Laguna IV that you have a curbside bedroom wall slide, but it would be the first I've heard that wasn't hydraulic. Obviously with only 2 solenoid banks, that must be the case, so thanks for upgrading my mental encyclopedia on the subject; not that it is all that complete a resource to begin with ;) .
-Joel
Roy Deeble:
Joel,
Thanks for your input. Given my wife's been ill we haven't had the rig out for a while. I am confident the leak is/was from slide pump and/or related parts. The puddle was directly beneath it about a foot in diameter immediately behind the front cap. I suspect if I run the slides in and out several times the leak will reappear and perhaps I can rule out the solenoids as the source.
You mentioned fuel tank vent hose as a possible source so here is another question. I topped off my fuel tank and shortly after noticed diesel leaking on the ground at a fair clip. Upon investigation my vent hose was hanging down the forward side of the tank and was the leak source because the fuel level was above the tank in the fill hoses. So, is this hose suppose hang down and shouldn't it have a one way check value in hose end, if so? I guess this vent hose could have been suspended above the fill ports, but where exactly and how is the mystery, any thoughts? I have filled the tank to the same level many times in past without this issue so something has definitely changed.
Joel Ashley:
Roy, I'll leave that one to Gerald who as I recall was in on a previous discussion about this and was fairly well-versed about it. Seems like there was mention of a check valve, but you might also run a search here for that thread. My experience on this topic is not sufficient re. the diesel coach compared to our old Pace Arrow and its fuel tank/hose issues.
-Joel
addendum: I think if you fill up from a cold underground tank and then the coach heats up from travel and/or exposure, but you don't go very far in the interim, the diesel may expand enough to be forced up the necks and vent. But I'm only speculating. I've come to the point where I try not to use high-speed pump nozzles due to the foam-back anyway, and am more attentive not to fill too far with slow-speed pumps. Topping off just before storage is okay to prevent water condensation, but not so much when the weather is hot. Fuel going from 54 degree earthbound tanks to trapped in a 90+ degree ambient coach tank I would expect to expand and go somewhere.
Roy Deeble:
I found threads re the Monterey fuel tank vent on our forum and those on RV.net. Looks like a mixed bag on the solution. I had purchased a one way fuel check valve used on ATV's that looks like it will plug into the dangling hose. I'll give it a try; just hoping the air flow will keep up with diesel flow and not create a vacuum.
Roy Deeble:
Probably should have started a new thread for my fuel vent hose leak, live and learn.
A middle of the night epiphany - a one way check valve is/was a BAD idea! I can only speak for my Monterey, but given the fuel fill hoses enter the tank about a third of away below tank top I thinking all fuel added above these inlet hoses will in fact pressurize the air in the top third of the tank with a check valve in place. This pressure will increase with a change to a lower altitude or increasing ambient temperature causing lowered fuel capacity, hose leaks or a diesel fuel shower if a fill cap is removed, no thanks.
Since I've never noticed this problem previously and the dangling vent hose seems to be the beaver norm I apparently really over-filled my tank and didn't drive far enough to use the excess fuel stored above the tank in the fill hoses, thus the leak on ground. Of course driving with an over-filled tank results in diesel spray emanating from the vent hose which is not desirable either.
The obvious solution is not to top off the fuel tank, but I parked on an incline at the pump (rig front a couple of feet higher than rear) with the fuel flow set to low expecting the automatic shutoff to do it's job; too full. An alternative, as mentioned elsewhere, is to elevate said vent hose so the high point is about equal to fill hoses high point. To keep dirt etal out of the hose end should turn down.
I will attempt to reroute and perhaps lengthen my vent hose unless someone can come up with a better solution. Usually my middle of the night ideas are on the mark, hope his is case.
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