Success....so I tackled then job of replacing all of the valves and dump cables on my 2009 BH 3580RL. It was a full day of work, which was not a surprise based on my limited experience as an RV mechanic (the folks who attended the Illinois rally a few years back can attest to that based on our wheel bearing maintenance clinic). This was definitely worth the effort and I took a bunch of pictures. I will put together a document once summer decides to slow down a bit, but here's the extended Readers Digest version.
I ordered all 3 of the dump valves and cables from Heartland and took advantage of the HOC discount. The pricing competitive and the valves and pull cables are identical to the original Valtera equipment. I decided to cut 2 of the cables to length instead of leaving them at 120". I tried a bunch of techniques including a Dremel tool and heavy duty wire cutters, but the hack saw and vise worked best. Be sure to back out the cable when cutting the cable housing and don't apply too much pressure with the vise. The cable housing has a plastic coating inside which was easily opened after the cut with a drill bit at a very slow speed. I also used a file to smooth out the metal portion of the housing. I was surprised to find that the old cable actually looked great and operated smoothly when removed from the valve and coach. There was some rust on the handle, but the actual cable and housing was clean and had no significant signs of rust or aging.
Dropping the belly was a lot easier than anticipated. I did not drop the entire belly but only removed enough screws to access the areas of the valves. I used a small Sears lithium battery impact drive and it worked great. I used a Phillips screwdriver to locate and line up the holes when reinstalling the screws.
The valves are in there tight and it was necessary to remove the valve housing section that locks in the cable housing and actual valve. I used Vaseline to hold the rubber gaskets in place while installing the new valves. I also cut a section of the 3" black water pipe which allowed me to move the 3" and a 1.5" valve to facilitate the installation of the new valves. I used a rubber sleeve to reconnect the pipe after the valves were installed. I plan to add some strapping to this pipe to firm up the repair since it was so close to the hose outlet and had some a slight wiggle before I modified it.
So.......the problem with all three of the valves was due to excess glue which was applied during production of my coach. The glue is used to weld the valve fitting to the pipe and in each case, I had to carefully trim hardened glue from the original valve fittings. I used the old fittings to mount the new valves (the new valves came with fittings, but I didn't want to cut and patch pipe). I used the original fittings, but swapped out the old valve, valve housing and screws.
I used the old cable to measure the length for the new cables and actually cut the 1.5" cables to a length (less than the original 120"). I did not cut the 3" valve cable because it had to make a 180 degree turn to get to the panel. I made that turn using two 90 degree angles and left 18-20" of cable between the valve and turns. I zip tied the heck out of the cable housings at several locations to add stability to the system.
One mistake I discovered was a repair I previously made when a pull handle separated from the cable. I used the small hose clamp/threaded screw method which works extremely well. The problem is that I added epoxy putty over the clamps and cable to ensure it held in place. When I was finished with the epoxy, it looked like some mud wasps set up camp for eternity. Unfortunately, the epoxy was too large to fit through the hole in the UDC and I had to hacksaw the darn thing off in order to remove the old cable. This was overkill on my part and was not necessary for this type of repair (which worked well for the past 2 years).
In closing, my valves were tight to operate from the beginning. The black water always leaked and I could see how the glue settled in the valve blade ridges. I also think the glue messed up the alignment of the knife blade and allowed junk to settle in the grooves. As time went on, my valves got tighter and leaked in greater amounts. In the end, I had three tight valves, two leakers and a broken but repaired pull handle. An absolute must in my book is the twist on valve which got me through these problems and which I will continue to use, just in case. The really cool part was to see the valves operate as designed. I can easily move them with two fingers instead of a vise grip and pull. Happy camper status has been re-established.
Safe Travels,
Chuck
