2000 Itasca Suncruiser black water dump problems

Tom Kirchner · 09-14-2016, 03:25 PM

I have a great suncruiser that I love. Most everything is well thought out and operates great. There are two things that I feel winnebago messed up on. one of them is the way they messed up is the way they glued the front grill and headlights together. I have ordered the 3M adhesive and will put it back together. The other problem is much worse. It is the terrible design of the dump system. the black water valve is not working properly. It won't close all the way and won't open completely . If anyone has solved this problem could you let me know what you did, thanks for any help Tom

skigramp · 09-14-2016, 04:06 PM

It sounds to me that you have a poorly performing or defective dump valve. I doubt if it has anything to do with Winnebago design

There are two things that you can do to try to rectify the present valve.

Lubricate the shaft on the handle ... use spray lithium grease or something similar. When the tank is empty (hose still hooked up) open and close the valve several times spraying lubricant on the shaft when you have it pulled open ... and shove it closed with a firm action.
With the back flush hose connected and the tank empty ... have the water running and sharply open and close the valve several times ... some toilet paper got stuck in my waste valve and it took some persuading to get the paper to move on

If neither of these work ... it is probably time for a new valve ... they are available at almost any retailer that handles RV supplies. If you don't want to do this yourself ... you can most likely find a mobile tech that will do it.

WendyG · 09-15-2016, 06:02 AM

Good advice above. Is it just the valve? My grey valve statryed leaking and the black was a bit sticky a few moths ago. Looked on line and found plenty of detailed instructions. Replaced both valves...not hard or expensive. I did clean both tanks very well before starting the repair. Or do you have some design related issue beyond the valve itself?

Tom Kirchner · 09-16-2016, 07:22 AM

I appreciate the responses to my problem. The problem is that the actual slide valve is located about 2 or 3 feet inside the compartment door behind a panel that holds all the water connections and other hook ups. The pull handles are connected to a cable that then runs over to the actual slide valves. When you pull out or push in the handle the cable tends to bend and does not allow the slide to open or close properly. My old motorhome had the slide valve exposed with the handle attached directly to it. This is why I said the winnebago design was poor.

lonfu · 09-16-2016, 07:49 AM

you might have to cut a hole in the bottom of the tank panel to get to the valve, I've seen this before. Be real careful about this. I'd just replace the valve. The rubber seals just wear out after a while and need to be replaced. Mine is a 98 and I'm on my 3rd set of valves. First moho I tried to rebuild the slide valve but they are cheap enough that it is faster to just replace them. by the way, don't fool around with this "s..." do both at the same time.

Texbeachbum · 09-16-2016, 07:53 AM

Just replaced both valves on mine. That panel has a couple screws holding it. All the connections are easy to get off then.

WendyG · 09-16-2016, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Kirchner

I appreciate the responses to my problem. The problem is that the actual slide valve is located about 2 or 3 feet inside the compartment door behind a panel that holds all the water connections and other hook ups. The pull handles are connected to a cable that then runs over to the actual slide valves. When you pull out or push in the handle the cable tends to bend and does not allow the slide to open or close properly. My old motorhome had the slide valve exposed with the handle attached directly to it. This is why I said the winnebago design was poor.

My Suncruiser has exposed valves that are easy to access. So maybe a different design in different models; you may want to post your model number or add a photo.

Is there enough to space to add a twist on valve in front of the original one?

tderonne · 09-16-2016, 01:21 PM

His profile says his Suncruiser is 33' long. That would be a 32V floorplan. In another post he mentions it being a Workhorse chassis. You can see the valve setup in the 2000 32V Workhorse plumbing diagram

They are a bit more "buried" than some, but look like they still shouldn't be too hard to get at.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 09-16-2016, 01:45 PM

Tom-

My coach also has cable-operated valves. The closest one is three feet from the compartment door, and the farthest is five feet.

When I rebuilt the wet bay I discovered that the cables were not installed per the manufacturer's specs- in particular, the were unrestrained and not straight at the valve ends. I rerouted the cables and restrained them, and the valves open and close more easily- not as well as they would if connected to a rigid handle, but well enough.

Rambeau · 09-16-2016, 07:36 PM

Cable operated valves do not like corners/turns/loops

youracman · 09-16-2016, 09:32 PM

One of my dump valves (gray water) uses a remote cable also, Tom. I had to replace the seals in that valve as there would be a gallon or so of gray water in the piping downstream of the valve when I went to dump the tanks. In looking at several Youtube videos re the valve repair, I noted one guy had installed a sewer drain cover with a garden hose-bibb fitting....like this one:https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-RV-Sewer-Cap/14504312 What he did was to hold the sewer hose under the hose bibb fitting and then remove the garden hose-type cap to verify the lines downstream of the dump valves were empty..... he then removed that Camco cap and connected the sewer hose and proceeded to dump as usual. So of course I copied his idea and replaced the OEM cap with a Camco cap......just in case. That way if there is an unknown leak past the dump valve(s) the effluent at least goes into the hand-held sewer hose at the dump station.....not on the ground. It also would let you use your coach that way until you got home to repair it.

Also (as an earlier poster stated) the cable to my remote valve was not routed to spec. according to the Camco paperwork that came with a new cable I installed. IIRC they want a minimum of 8 inches of straight run at the ends of the cable and a pretty hefty radius for any turns. The factory or a PO had just hooked the cable up as it came out of the box, but I shortened mine to fit and it ended up well within the specs. Also secured it with nylon tie straps at the center of its length. Worked much smoother.

I had pretty good access (I raised the coach about 6" on one side with the good ol' HWH levelers and easily slid my 85 yr old body under the coach on a piece of nice smooth 1/8" tempered masonite.) (I'm kind of a sissy)

Good luck with the repair......and safe travels to ya....................

youracman · 09-17-2016, 01:38 PM

Oh....BTW, Tom:

If you decide to work on these valves yourself there are several pretty good videos on Youtube. Should come up if you type "Valtera replacement" or similar in the search box.

Also, I was kinda perplexed because the valve body wouldn't separate into its 2 halves when I removed the 4 bolts/machine screws as shown on the Youtube video(s). Then I realized you have to remove 8 on the remote operated-type valve. :banghead. Assuming there is enough end play in the piping to get 1/2 inch separation or so between the valve halves.....replacing the seals is a pretty straight forward repair. Having "semi-captive" nuts for the valve body bolts on the cable end is a plus too ........ when you are working with your hands above your head.

Best............