Hydraulic slide

[SlickWillie]

I'm in the midst of changing the LR/DR slide cylinder on the Mountaineer. For anyone that wonders what is in the belly enclosure here tis.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/e...11-2007006.jpg

I found why they cut the membrane at the rear cap. The membrane is turned up behind the rear cap several inches and apparently stapled. I am running Cat5 in the underbelly while it is off (for the RJ45 data plugs for the computer).

BTW, I hope everyone has better luck finding the Type A transmission fluid than I did. I ended up with tractor hydraulic fluid after all the auto parts stores told me they don't carry the "A" fluid any more.

[kmh3212]

Did you have a cylinder failure or leak? I had several hose failures 2 years ago due to defective hose.

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by kmh3212

Did you have a cylinder failure or leak? I had several hose failures 2 years ago due to defective hose.

Chrome was peeling off the cylinder rod. I felt it would be just a matter of time before it knocked out the rod packing.

[MIMF]

Will, When you changed that cylinder,did you adjust it and end up putting the locknuts in the same position they were when on the original cylinder?

Keep an eye on it. When the room is sealed in both positions, you want the piston inside that tube bottomed-out so you don't damage anything on the slide room.

As far as the oil. Type A tranny fluid is basically extinct. What would have been better to put in the reservoir would have been Dexron/DexronIII or Mercon/Mercon 5. The fluid you put in there maybe ok for most of the time but, don't be surprised that the circuit breaker for the pump may pop open in cooler or colder weather because that fluid may not want to flow as easy. Therefore, the motor that drives the pump may draw more amperage than what the breaker is rated for.

Just my 2 cents.

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by MIMF

Will, When you changed that cylinder,did you adjust it and end up putting the locknuts in the same position they were when on the original cylinder?

Keep an eye on it. When the room is sealed in both positions, you want the piston inside that tube bottomed-out so you don't damage anything on the slide room.

As far as the oil. Type A tranny fluid is basically extinct. What would have been better to put in the reservoir would have been Dexron/DexronIII or Mercon/Mercon 5. The fluid you put in there maybe ok for most of the time but, don't be surprised that the circuit breaker for the pump may pop open in cooler or colder weather because that fluid may not want to flow as easy. Therefore, the motor that drives the pump may draw more amperage than what the breaker is rated for.

Just my 2 cents.

Funny you mention it, but the breaker is tripping on the in stroke. (cooler here today) Wasn't sure on the transmission fluids, as I know each has different additives. Think I may change the fluid out though. I checked the length of stroke on the new cylinder, and it was the same as the old one, so I set the lock nuts the same. Just curious, what is the normal current draw on the pump? I think I'll take another look at how the slide seals tomorrow. Thanks for your input.

[MIMF]

Will,

There are several factors that determine amperage draw.

Wire connection condition. Are they snug at terminals? Are there any strands cut when the ends were stripped and connectors cripped properly?

How many slide rooms is the pump trying to move? The longer it has to run to get all of the rooms in the same position, the more heat is created and the more amperage is pulled from the battery.

The motor itself. No two motors are wound identically the same.

The circuit breaker that protects the motor is a 50 amp breaker. It would not be uncommon for the motor to draw 70 or more amps. It is rated at 100. Therefore, that leads to the last reason for current draw. The battery itself. Are all of the cells doing their fair share of the work and all working equally? If there is the slightest defective cell in the battery, you will be in trouble. Especially, as you said yourself, when the rooms are coming in. That is when the motor has to work the hardest and the battery could be dead before the last room is sealed closed.

To correct the problem of the breaker popping open, do an amperage draw test and see how many amps it peaks out at. Then, simply add another 12 volt auto reset in parallel to equal what the draw is.

For example. If you determine the draw is 80, add a 30 to to the 50 that is already there. Or, if it is 70, add a 20. Or, do like I did. Changed to a 70 amp manual reset.

I did that because, if the breaker was going to pop, I wanted to go to the pump and check things over before the breaker was reset. If everything is OK, I will reset the breaker when I want to and not when IT wants to in order to avoid a possible electrical malfunction that might cause a component to smoke.

Again, only my 2 cents.

[SlickWillie]

Dale,

Thanks for a very informative post. I feel the problem I have now may be related to the tightness of the new cylinder.(no problem with the old one) I like your idea of checking amperage on the motor under load and supplying breaker protection only as needed.

Thanks again