Patent ID: 7441546

Claim:
A valve apparatus comprising: a valve body; a slidable member that is disposed in and slidably supported in the valve body; a drive means for applying a drive force to the slidable member to move the slidable member in a sliding direction and thereby to open and close a flow passage or to adjust a flow quantity of fluid passing the flow passage; and a slidably holding guide that is formed separately from the valve body and has a slide surface, which slidably supports the slidable member, wherein the slidably holding guide is positioned such that a radial clearance is formed between the slidably holding guide and the valve body, wherein the valve body includes a threaded portion located radially outside of said radial clearance formed between the slidably holding guide and the valve body, and said radial clearance has a radial dimension larger than a slide clearance formed between an outer peripheral surface of said slidable member and an inner peripheral slide surface of the slidably holding guide and defined radially inside from said radial clearance.