[Richard]

I believe that is a rate control valve, that would control the speed the slide moves.

So any idea how it might have gotten misadjusted?

[pairodice]

Thanks Steve, I think I would need to turn the little T handle on the back of the solenoid to release pressure on it, right? Would I also need to turn off the rate control valve?
How much pushing (weight?) does it take to push the bedroom (or living room) slide in?
Just asking for posterity since we finally got the slide to come in...
Richard: I’m pretty sure it was the mechanic shop that worked on the coach as it worked fine before we brought it in.
Any idea if that valve controls both slides movement or just the rear? I don’t see another valve ...

[rheavn]

Adrian,
I turned each rear bedroom solenoid counterclockwise 5 turns.  The wife & I were then able to push the rear slide back in.  Don't believe that would work on front slide because of drop floor.

[Richard]

I assumed, and you know what assume means, that the purpose of the valve was to slow down the bedroom slide. The front slide is actuated by two cylinders, of slightly large diameter than the one cylinder of the bedroom slide. The rate that a cylinder moves in a hydraulic system is controlled by the volume of flow unless the max pressure of the pump is exceeded. The valve restricts the rate of flow. If the same volume comes out of the pump, then the bedroom slide would move over twice as fast as the salon slide. That would be too fast.

[pairodice]

Do you guys know what the rate valve should be set at? There are numbered markings on it.
Richard: are you saying is there is no valve for the front - only the rear slide?

[Richard]

I only have one valve, and it is associated with the rear slide manifold. That valve is three full turns open. From the position I found it, it took three full turns exactly to close it.

So bear with me a minute. I can't get the little I know about the intermittent operation of your slide out to line up with the valve being the only problem. The valve was either closed off or it wasn't. It would not adjust itself. To the best of my knowledge, the slideout did work sometimes, and sometimes it did not. Is that true? Also, you said the slide did not move at all when you hit the retract button. Knowing how the HWH system hydraulics work, the system pressure holding the room out would have released, and the room should have twitched a bit, but you say it did not.

My concern is that you may not have found the problem, and it is waiting to bite you again at an inopportune moment.

So, I would use an engineering trick. If the valve was indeed the problem, then close it, and see if the slide fails to operate. Easy enough to confirm the root cause.

If it retracts with the valve in the original position, I would start suspecting a loose connection or a relay in the HWH control system starting to fail.

[RussWhite]

Just an interesting note to add to this discussion. Richard and I needed to get my rear slide extended, at least we though we did! Steve's suggestion of opening the valves and pushing the slide by hand might have worked for putting it in, but it was already in. While you might think the reverse of what Steve suggests will work, it won't! The rear slide cylinder may be pushed in, but not pulled out. What you say! When trying to extend the cylinder with no hoses connected, it moves a few inches and bows up solid in its tracks. I thought I was going to have to replace it. Richard said, "I wonder what thing is on the rod end. It looked like a very very thick nut. Hex shaped so on went the wrench to take it apart. As soon as it was loose there was this hiss of air and hydraulic fluid and the rod moved right out, all the way to the end of travel. While I still don't know its function, it was a bit rusty so we cleaned it up and put it back together and pronounced the cylinder good ( and it was ). Who knew!

[pairodice]

Richard we did do your experiment today only in a frustrating (to me) fashion. Karen always works the buttons and keys inside the coach and I stand outside and yell into the FRS radio at her (it’s my job and I’m good at it)... We moved to our new spot this afternoon. Of course the slide would not go OUT so I used my new-found electrical engineering skills and checked the wires to be sure they were correctly connected and, after checking the diagram, they were. So then I thought about that valve. I turned it a full turn and asked Karen (via the radio) to extend the slide. Nothing moved. So in disgust I went inside to check the slide and make sure everything was good. I decided to check the lock pins with my endoscope to be sure the pins were disengaged (they were). After a few heated words Karen finally asked ‘was I supposed to extend the slide’? I told her I had said to extend it ... a few more heated words and we figured out that her radio’s battery was just about dead and she never heard me ask. So we tried the slide one more time and this time it ran out perfectly. So the moral of the story is: communication is key. And the woman is always right...

[Jackflash]

Those are a couple of lessons that are so basic to many aspects of life and yet often very hard learned.

[Richard]

By chance did you try to retract the slide? That has been the problem issue, right?

I gave you the setting on my valve, knowing it was three full turns to full close. The lesson in that is that the numbers on the valve are relatively meaningless, if we are talking about the difference between 0 and 4.

How many turns to full close is your valve now?

We use the old school radio, we open the window.