VAL08634 – EXPANSION VALVE (4 – 5 TON. AEROQUIP, R410A)

Trane thermostatic expansion valve for R-410A systems with Aeroquip connections. The valve is rated 5 ton, and Trane uses it on 4 ton units as well — that is why it is listed here as 4 to 5 ton. It carries Trane customer part number X15111278080.

Specifications

Before you order

You will see this valve listed as a straight 5 ton by several distributors, and that is the valve’s own rating. It is not a contradiction with the 4 to 5 ton shown here — the same valve is factory-applied to both sizes. Match by part number against the valve you are removing or your unit’s parts list.

Related capacities in the same Trane Aeroquip family: VAL08632 (1.5 to 2.5 ton) and VAL10395 (3 to 3.5 ton).

Specs

• BrandTrane / American Standard
• TypeThermostatic expansion valve (TXV)
• Valve rating5 ton
• Used on4 ton and 5 ton units
• RefrigerantR-410A
• Connection styleAeroquip
• Trane customer P/NX15111278080

Cross-reference numbers

This part replaces the following OEM and aftermarket numbers:

• VAL8634

Not sure if your number matches? Call (214) 340-9421 or bring the old part in — bench-testing is free.

Does the TXV have to match my tonnage exactly?

No, and this trips people up. Manufacturers frequently oversize the valve on purpose and let it do its job - a TXV modulates on superheat, metering against the pressure and temperature it actually sees at the bulb, so one valve commonly covers more than one system size. That is why you will see the same part number applied to a 4 ton and a 5 ton unit, and why a distributor may list a valve as 5 ton while the equipment it ships on is smaller. Neither listing is wrong. Match by part number against the valve you are removing or the unit's parts list, not by comparing tonnage figures between listings.

How do I pick the right TXV?

Four things, in this order: refrigerant, tonnage, equalizer type, connection style. The charge sealed in the power head is refrigerant specific, so an R-22 or R-410A valve will not control correctly on R-454B and there is no adapter that fixes that. Match nominal tonnage to the evaporator coil, not to the condenser. An oversized valve hunts, which shows up as superheat swinging 5 to 15 degrees, a coil that frosts, and floodback to the compressor.

Internal or external equalizer - how do I tell?

Look at the coil inlet. If there is a brass distributor with several small tubes fanning out into the coil, you need an externally equalized valve. Sporlan's own literature says the external equalizer must be used on evaporators that employ a refrigerant distributor, because the distributor drops pressure and an internal valve then reads the wrong reference and starves the coil. Almost every residential A-coil has a distributor.

Chatleff, braze, or flare - are those interchangeable?

Not without the correct adapter. Chatleff is a threaded fitting with a captured brass nut and a replaceable gasket, common on Goodman and Amana coils. ODF solder means you braze it in. SAE flare is a 45 degree seat. Bring the old valve and the distributor nut in and we will match the body and the fitting instead of guessing off a photo.

Anything special about brazing one in?

Wrap the body and the bulb in a wet rag or heat block putty, or pull the bulb off the line entirely, and flow nitrogen at 3 to 5 SCFH while you braze. TXV bodies are often brass, which melts before copper does.