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A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve includes a solenoid portion having a coil in a coil retainer. A valve member portion defines a body connected to the solenoid portion. A slidable valve member in the body has opposed first and second ends and a shoulder between the ends. The first end with

A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve includes a solenoid portion having a coil in a coil retainer. A valve member portion defines a body connected to the solenoid portion. A slidable valve member in the body has opposed first and second ends and a shoulder between the ends. The first end with the coil energized is magnetically drawn toward the coil retainer moving the valve member between a valve closed and a valve open position. A pressure equalizing passage extends in the valve member from the second end. An inlet passage communicates a pressurized fluid at a valve inlet port to the pressure equalizing passage. A connecting passage communicates between the pressure equalizing passage and the shoulder. The pressurized fluid in the pressure equalizing passage acts against the second end and equally and oppositely against both the shoulder and the first end in both the open and closed positions.

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1. A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve, comprising: a solenoid portion having a coil positioned in a coil retainer;a valve member portion having a body connected to the solenoid portion; anda valve member slidably disposed in the body, the valve member having: an armature defining a first en

1. A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve, comprising: a solenoid portion having a coil positioned in a coil retainer;a valve member portion having a body connected to the solenoid portion; anda valve member slidably disposed in the body, the valve member having: an armature defining a first end of the valve member, a piston defining a second end of the valve member, and a shoulder positioned between the armature and the piston, the armature when the coil is energized being magnetically drawn toward the coil retainer to move the valve member between a valve closed and a valve open position;a valve element extending outwardly from the valve member at a position located between the piston and the shoulder;a pressure equalizing passage open at the piston and extending internally within the valve member;an inlet passage extending through the valve member to open into the pressure equalizing passage, the inlet passage disposed between the valve element and the shoulder; anda connecting passage extending through the valve member to open into the pressure equalizing passage, the connecting passage disposed between the shoulder and the first end of the valve member, whereby a pressurized fluid transferred via the inlet passage, the pressure equalizing passage, and the connecting passage acts against the piston and equally and oppositely against the both the shoulder and the armature to provide a pressure balanced condition in both the valve closed and valve open positions. 2. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, further including a biasing member chamber created between the solenoid portion and the valve member portion having a biasing member positioned therein acting in contact with the shoulder to continuously bias the valve member away from the solenoid portion toward the valve closed position. 3. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 2, further including: a piston chamber of the body having the piston slidably received therein, the pressurized fluid being distributed via the pressure equalizing passage to both the biasing member chamber and the piston chamber;wherein both the biasing member chamber and the piston chamber are continuously pressurized at both the valve open and closed positions. 4. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 2, wherein the connecting passage extends between the pressure equalizing passage and the biasing member chamber. 5. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the pressure equalizing passage ends at a passage end wall within the valve member proximate the armature. 6. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the pressure equalizing passage extends entirely through the valve member including through the armature. 7. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, further including: a first fluid cavity between the body and the valve member open via a valve inlet port to a source of the pressurized fluid in the valve closed position, the inlet passage providing fluid communication between the pressure equalizing passage and the first fluid cavity; anda first pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on both the shoulder and an end face of the armature being equally and oppositely balanced with respect to a second pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on the piston. 8. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the inlet passage provides fluid communication between the pressure equalizing passage and a first fluid cavity of the body in fluid communication with a valve inlet port in the valve closed position. 9. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the solenoid portion further includes a pole piece, the pole piece axially adjustable providing an adjustable length gap between the armature and the pole piece in the valve closed position, the pressurized fluid being continuously present in the gap in either the valve open or valve closed positions. 10. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the valve element includes a resilient material that is fixedly overmolded onto the valve member between the piston and the shoulder and such that the valve element has first and second sides and wherein opposed first and second valve seats are created in the body, the first side of the valve element contacting the first valve seat in the valve closed position and the second side of the valve element contacting the second valve seat in the valve open position. 11. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, further including a biasing member acting against the shoulder to continuously bias the valve member toward the valve closed position. 12. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, wherein the shoulder extends outwardly from the valve member and is disposed in sliding contact with the body of the valve member portion and wherein the armature, the piston, and the shoulder are all integrally connected without connecting joints to create the valve member, the valve member being a magnetically effected material. 13. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 1, further including: a bushing positioned in the solenoid portion and slidably receiving the armature of the valve member; andan elastic spacer positioned between the body and the coil retainer, the elastic spacer continuously biasing the bushing toward the coil retainer. 14. A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve, comprising: a solenoid portion having a coil positioned in a coil retainer;a valve member portion defining a body connected to the solenoid portion;a valve member slidably disposed in the body, the valve member having: opposed first and second ends, an outer surface extending between the first and second ends, and a shoulder positioned along the outer surface of the valve member between the first and second ends, wherein the first end is magnetically drawn toward the coil retainer when the coil is energized thereby moving the valve member between a valve closed and a valve open position;a valve element disposed along the valve member between the piston and the shoulder;a pressure equalizing passage extending internally and axially in the valve member from the second end;an inlet passage positioned between the valve element and the shoulder and extending through the valve member from the outer surface to the pressure equalizing passage; anda connecting passage positioned between the shoulder and the first end of the valve member and extending through the valve member from the outer surface to the pressure equalizing passage. 15. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 14, wherein the body of the valve member portion includes an inlet port and wherein the inlet passage provides fluid communication between the pressure equalizing passage and a first fluid cavity of the body, the first fluid cavity of the body being in fluid communication with the inlet port when the valve member is in the valve closed position. 16. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 15, wherein the body includes an outlet port and a second fluid cavity extending between the inlet and outlet ports, the outlet port being in fluid communication with the inlet port via the second fluid cavity when the valve member is in the valve open position. 17. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 16, wherein the piston and the valve member portion define a piston chamber adjacent the second end of the valve member and wherein the piston chamber is isolated from the second fluid cavity in both the valve open and closed positions such that the pressurized fluid stays in the pressure equalizing passage in both the valve closed and valve open positions to create a continuously pressurized condition in the pressure equalizing passage that prevents contaminants present at the outlet port from moving into the pressure equalizing passage due to a lack of pressurized fluid flow in the pressure equalizing passage resulting from the continuously pressurized condition. 18. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 16, wherein the pressure equalizing passage is open to the inlet port in the valve closed position and is isolated from both the inlet and outlet ports in the valve open position such that the pressurized fluid stays in the piston chamber and the biasing member chamber in both the valve open and closed positions. 19. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 14, wherein the pressure equalizing passage ends at a passage end wall prior to reaching the first end of the valve member. 20. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 14, wherein the pressure equalizing passage extends entirely through the valve member including through the first end of the valve member. 21. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 16, further including a first seal member provided at the first end and a second seal member provided at the second end, the first and second seal members retaining the pressurized fluid in the pressure equalizing passage in both the valve closed and valve open positions after the inlet port is initially pressurized to create a continuously pressurized condition in the pressure equalizing passage that prevents contaminants present at the outlet port from moving into the pressure equalizing passage and subsequently into the solenoid portion due to a lack of pressurized fluid flow in the pressure equalizing passage after the pressurized fluid enters the pressure equalizing passage when the inlet port is initially pressurized. 22. A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve, comprising: a solenoid portion having a pole piece;a valve member portion, including: an inlet port for receiving a pressurized fluid from a source; anda valve member slidably disposed in the valve member portion for movement between a valve open position and a valve closed position, the valve member having: an armature defining a first end of the valve member, a piston defining a second end of the valve member, and a shoulder positioned between the armature and the piston proximate to the armature;a resilient valve element connected to the valve member between the piston and the shoulder;a pressure equalizing passage extending axially through the valve member from the piston to the shoulder and blocked from extending through the armature by a passage end wall; andan inlet passage located between the resilient valve element and the shoulder and extending into the valve member between the pressure equalizing passage and a first fluid cavity to provide fluid communication directly between the first fluid cavity and the pressure equalizing passage, wherein the first fluid cavity is disposed about the valve member and extends between the shoulder and the resilient valve element, and wherein the inlet port opens into the first fluid cavity when the valve member is in the valve closed position;whereby after a pressurized fluid enters each of the first fluid cavity and the pressure equalizing passage in the valve closed position the pressurized fluid is retained in the pressure equalizing passage and the inlet passage in both the valve open and valve closed positions. 23. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 22, further including: a biasing member chamber created between the valve member portion and the solenoid portion; anda biasing member positioned in the biasing member chamber acting against the shoulder to continuously bias the valve member toward the valve closed position. 24. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 23, further including a chamber connecting passage providing communication between the pressure equalizing passage and the biasing member chamber. 25. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 23, wherein pressurized fluid in the first fluid cavity is distributed by the inlet passage to both the biasing member chamber and a piston chamber of the valve member portion, the piston chamber of the valve member portion having the piston slidably disposed therein. 26. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 22, wherein a first pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on both the shoulder and the armature is equally and oppositely balanced with respect to a second pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on the piston in the valve closed position in both the valve open and closed positions. 27. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 22, further including a piston chamber of the valve member portion having the piston slidably disposed therein, wherein the piston chamber and the solenoid portion are continuously pressurized in both the valve open and closed positions. 28. A pressure balanced solenoid operated valve, comprising: a solenoid portion having a pole piece; anda valve member portion, including: an inlet port for receiving a pressurized fluid from a source; anda valve member slidably disposed in the valve member portion for movement between a valve open position and a valve closed position, the valve member having: an armature defining a first end of the valve member, a piston defining a second end of the valve member, and a shoulder positioned between the armature and the piston proximate to the armature;a resilient valve element connected to the valve member between the piston and the shoulder;a pressure equalizing passage extending axially and entirely through the valve member from the piston through the armature; andan inlet passage located between the resilient valve element and the shoulder and extending into the valve member between the pressure equalizing passage and a first fluid cavity to provide fluid communication directly between the first fluid cavity and the pressure equalizing passage, wherein the first fluid cavity is disposed about the valve member and extends between the shoulder and the resilient valve element, and wherein the inlet port opens into the first fluid cavity when the valve member is in the valve closed position;whereby after a pressurized fluid enters each of the first fluid cavity and the pressure equalizing passage in the valve closed position the pressurized fluid is retained in the pressure equalizing passage and the inlet passage in both the valve open and valve closed positions. 29. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 28, further including: a biasing member chamber created between the valve member portion and the solenoid portion; anda biasing member positioned in the biasing member chamber acting against the shoulder to continuously bias the valve member toward a valve closed position. 30. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 29, further including a chamber connecting passage providing communication between the pressure equalizing passage and the biasing member chamber. 31. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 29, wherein the pressurized fluid in the first fluid cavity is distributed in a flow path extending through the pressure equalizing passage, between the armature and the pole piece, between the armature and a bushing slidably receiving the armature, and into the biasing member chamber. 32. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 28, wherein a first pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on both the shoulder and the armature is equally and oppositely balanced with respect to a second pressure force from the pressurized fluid acting on the piston in the valve closed position in both the valve open and closed positions. 33. The pressure balanced solenoid operated valve of claim 28, further including a piston chamber of the valve member portion having the piston slidably disposed therein, wherein the piston chamber and the solenoid portion are continuously pressurized in both the valve open and closed positions.