Gunk in solenoid

[Nitroxextreme]

today we were practicing and then all of a sudden our pneumatic cylinder got stuck goin out and would not go back in

we were really confused and after test many possiblities found out that there was somethin wrong with the solenoid

We then took the solenoid completely apart and found that the rod inside the solenoid was covered in gunk

after we cleaned it off and put everything back together it all worked perfectly just as it was before

is that gunk a normal thing?
is there a way to make sure it doesnt happen again?

[Ted Boucher]

To an extent it usually is...... when the air is compressed inside the system, condensation occurs and you get extra water. This must of gone and messed with your solenoid. This same problem happened to us last year. (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25790&highlight=compressor) We would pull the dumb valve and a bunch of slime would come out. I am not sure of any way to correct this but a guess can hurt. Try to eliminate the possibility of the liquid flowing into the solenoid by raising up the solenoid to a higher elevation.

[Doug G]

We just noticed that both our double solenoids pooped out on us tonight. They don't want to work electrically or manually. Very strange, I suppose they are getting clogged up inside. Are they easy to clean out? We'll take them apart in the morning or at competition to see if they can be saved.

[Nitroxextreme]

yes they are easy to clean out just take all the screws out
then pop out the internal pin and clean with towel then pop back in and screw back together