Rivernerd

We have battery-operated water leak alarms under our sinks at home. The batteries last a long time. We plan to place one under the galley sink after we pick our Elite II in November.

Those are Wago lever nuts. They are NEC approved as an alternative to wire nuts for 120V connections. They are easier to use than wire nuts, but are much more expensive. They make it easier to see if you have a solid connection during assembly (because they have a clear plastic window through which you can see if the wire is fully inserted) , unlike wire nuts. When properly installed, I believe they are also more reliable, and less likely to shake loose from vibration (such as when towing) than a wire nut connection, as they have a lever than locks the wire into the connector. I am not an electrician, but have done all of the electrical work on the 4 existing homes we have owned for the past 40 years, along with the new home we moved into in 2020. I have had to troubleshoot dozens of shorts caused by loose wire nut connections over those years. Neither type of connector is foolproof, and as illustrated by this thread, all require attention to detail by the installer to avoid problems. I suspect the wire that shorted was not fully inserted, and visually verified through the clear plastic window in the lever nut, during the build at the factory. Sloppy wire nut connections also cause shorts, but they are harder to detect during installation because wire nuts don't have clear plastic windows. I like Wago lever nuts so much I used them when wiring our entire new home. No issues yet after 2+ years, but I checked all of my connections to ensure full insertion during installation. I prefer Wago lever nuts over wire nuts. I am pleased to see Oliver using them.

As one who takes delivery of an Elite II in November, I am keenly interested in the solution to your electrical issues. I expect Oliver's Service Department is now available by phone (Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. CDT). 1-888-526-3978. Once you find an answer, please post it on this thread.

Are Dometic Penguin II's made in the USA?

Before ordering our Elite II, we tried to shop Airstreams, including the Bambi. We contacted our local Airstream dealer in Boise, Idaho, asking to walk through and check out a Bambi. We were told we could not, as all Airstreams on the lot had been pre-sold and could not be shown. We were advised that if we wanted an Airstream, it would have to be ordered "sight unseen," based on the virtual tours available online. That would be like buying a new truck without even driving it, or even one like it! No thanks. After thoroughly evaluating, inside and out, an Elite II owned by another Idaho resident, we ordered the Oliver.

I became aware of the 2-5/16 ball and Bulldog coupler option by reviewing John Davies' excellent post on his 2-5/16" upgrade on this forum. So, I asked for it, and it is on our 2022 build sheet.

Moisture between the panes of a double-glazed window, whether on an RV or your home, indicates a failure of the seal between the panes. A properly manufactured double-glazed window should not have seal failure. It is definitely a warranty issue. We have purchased two sets of Milgard windows over the past 30 years, one on a home in Bellevue, Washington and the second set on our new home in Garden Valley, Idaho. Why Milgard? Because they offer (and honor) a lifetime seal warranty on double-glazed windows. We had two double-glazed skylights and one double-glazed, single-hung window fail on our Bellevue home. The seals on the two custom skylights failed, allowing moisture intrusion, after 23 years in service. In response to our warranty claim, Milgard manufactured replacement custom skylights, and paid their crew to install them, all without charge to us. So, we bought Milgard sliding glass doors and windows when building our new home in Idaho. Ya gotta love that kind of warranty service. Oliver should warrant window seal failure, but windows are likely covered only by the 1-year "limited component warranty." You may be out of luck with your 2019 Elite II. Compared to Milgard's very real lifetime warranty, one year for the windows Oliver installs in its trailers seems pretty skimpy to me. I would submit a service ticket and see what happens.

I note you have Lithionics batteries. I wonder if the battery box door gets even more wear and tear on the road with heavier lead/acid/AGM batteries. If that happens to our Elite II (once we get it), would stainless steel bolts and nuts with lock washers, sized to match the rivets, then secured with red Loctite, make a more permanent repair? Thoughts?

At dhaig's suggestion, I called sptech's 800 number today and asked to speak to a customer service supervisor. The supervisor I spoke with apologized for her subordinate's initial response and agreed to overnight to me the correct size of grease cap, and to email to me a prepaid shipping label. So, I should receive the correct size grease cap this week, and don't have to take the incorrectly shipped part to a UPS store. I can print the return shipping label they promised to email to me, put it on the box in which the incorrect part was shipped, and leave it for our UPS driver. It still saddens me that I had to call a supervisor in the first place to get the right thing done. But, sptech has now agreed to make it right.

Weight distribution and sway control are not the same thing. The Andersen is a weight distribution hitch that helps somewhat with sway control. I recommend you carefully study your owners manual to verify whether there is a statement somewhere, like this one in my 2019 Tundra 5.7L V8 with tow package owner's manual: "If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch with sufficient capacity is required." Unless you put almost nothing in your Elite II, it will weigh more than 5000 lbs.

May I suggest that you start a service ticket? We would appreciate Oliver being advised of this oversight, so maybe ours will be fully caulked around the jacks when we pick it up in November.

PLAN WELL AHEAD and consider avoiding this vendor. On June 10, 2022, I ordered the same hubodometer and 4.25" wheel center cap that dhaig ordered from sptech.com for the Elite II we plan to pick up in November. 18 days later, on June 28, 2022, it still had not shipped. So, I emailed sptech.com's customer service. The order was shipped the next day. But, the invoice emailed to me confirming the shipment referenced a 3.19 wheel center cap, not the 4.25" wheel center cap I had ordered, and which is referenced on the email confirming the order. When I again exchanged email messages with an sptech.com customer service rep, I was told that they had shipped the wrong wheel center cap, but that they would not ship to me the 4.25" wheel center cap I had correctly ordered until I return the wrong part they shipped back to them, and they receive it. That process will likely take several more weeks. They did not even provide me with a return shipping label, but instead insisted that I go to a UPS store (which is 50 miles away from my home) and use their UPS account number to arrange the return shipping. I consider this abysmal customer service. When combined with the slow service detailed in dhaig's post quoted above, you will be wise to find another hubodometer vendor.

I have seen forged bank checks. If I were the seller, I would not accept a cashier's check in exchange for my trailer. I would insist on wired funds. And, I would release the trailer to the buyer only after receiving confirmation from my bank that the wired funds were actually in my account. I would determine the amount of the wire transfer fees in advance, then add those fees to the agreed sale price.

Have you tried to twist off the brushed chrome cap that sits on top of and around the cartridge? It may be threaded onto the housing below it. On some faucets, that cap holds the cartridge in place. Try twisting the cap counterclockwise to remove it. You may need a gripper to give your hand traction, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Regent-Multi-Purpose-Gripper-Bottle-Opener/dp/B019R5TSYW/ref=asc_df_B019R5TSYW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193124190188&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1108655480944362344&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029558&hvtargid=pla-311177149643&psc=1 DF-NMK852 looks like the correct model number for the faucet you have. If you download that owners manual, the brushed chrome cap is depicted on the parts list on Page 5, with the cartridge shown right underneath it. This suggests that the cap must be removed before you can access the cartridge to replace it. Good luck!

As you test drive interim tow vehicles, I recommend you also include a used Tundra with the 5.7L engine and tow package in your search. We plan to tow our Elite II with our 2019 Tundra 5.7L after we pick up it in November. Lots of folks on this forum tow very happily with Tundras, usually with an Andersen hitch. Our 2019 Tundra Double Cab Standard Bed would barely fit in your 228" garage; maybe omit the double cab when test driving? A well-maintained Tundra should holds its value well until you take delivery of your Rivian. My 2 cents.

Did you or your helpful neighbor take any photos of the faulty main ground wire, and the properly connected main ground wire that provided the solution? Those would help others, including me, to more quickly diagnose similar problems in the future.

I find this disturbing. Unbalanced tires are less safe. Tires on new cars and trucks are balanced, why not tires on new high-end trailers? You pay $65K+ for a brand new trailer, then get to take it to a tire shop to have all 4 tires balanced?

We are taking delivery of our 2022 Elite II in November as well. My review of posts on this forum over the past 9 months has persuaded me that we, as consumers, are the final quality control inspectors for the Oliver trailers we buy. So, I have compiled a long list of items to check, and system tests to conduct, during the first few days after pickup. Many Oliver owners will be quick to point out that Oliver's quality control is much better than their competitors. But, as this thread demonstrates, it is still not up to my standards. I expect Oliver's management will echo the chorus heard more today than at any time in my life: "Good help is hard to find." That said, forum posters consistently note that Oliver's service department promptly and effectively addresses any issues identified by those who pick up new Olivers, before you head back home. That is one of many reasons we remain committed to Oliver. By comparison, I suspect that a request to address such issues in a new trailer purchased from a dealer, after you towed it off the lot, would be "take a number" or "leave the trailer with us and we'll see if we can get to it in a few weeks."

I agree. FWIW, I don't have any Lithionics LiFePO4 batteries, but the Dakota Lithium LiFePO4 batteries I use to power my CPAP machine on extended river trips have an "open circuit voltage" (fully charged but rested) of 13.7 to 14.0 volts. I have six of 'em, and just tested them with my Klein voltmeter. I would consider calling Lithionics to ask what the open circuit voltage of their batteries should be. I also second the "don't give up" admonition! I don't have a technical background (I am a retired lawyer), but I have acquired some limited technical knowledge over the years when I needed to solve technical problems that I could not find anyone to solve for me. This includes how to power a CPAP machine on extended wilderness river trips with batteries and recharge those batteries with a solar panel. Before I gave up and waited another month to get into an RV service center, I would buy a good multimeter, learn how to use it, then follow the helpful suggestions offered in this thread. You have nothing to lose but a little money and a lot of time, and you just might find the solution to your problem. You should also acquire knowledge and transferable skills that will help you address other problems that arise with the complex electro-mechanical devices that are today's travel trailers. My 2 cents,

I don't fault you for wanting to give up, given all of the time and energy you have already devoted to this elusive, and remarkably frustrating, electrical problem. I don't recall another post saying that Jason Essary is "just as perplexed as we are." Jason is so competent that doesn't happen very often. But please indulge me with another query: I note no reference to checking voltage with a voltmeter. After I said a few bad words out of sheer frustration, I would get my hands on a good quality multimeter (Klein makes several reliable ones, available at Home Depot) and check the voltage on the batteries, at the fridge, etc. instead of relying on the Xantrex, Lithionics or EMS readouts. I would start by checking battery voltage on each battery, then work "downstream" from there. That might give you a clue as to where the voltage is going, and maybe if one or more of those components is faulty. Good luck! And, please continue to provide reports of your progress (or lack thereof....) Our 2022 Elite II remains on order, so my wife and I are keenly interested in the resolution of this conundrum.

Above is an image of the main chassis ground bracket, with threaded bolt, on the Oliver. This is from an Oliver Technical Service Bulletin issued in 2018 after some Olivers left the factory with improperly installed inverter ground lugs. Review of this thread, and inspection of the components mentioned in it, may help you verify if your 12V DC system is properly grounded to the trailer chassis.

The intermittent, bright-to-dim lighting issue sounds like grounding issues I have had with the 12V DC light system on my raft trailer. You advised that I presume this means that the yellow ground wires are securely connected to the grounding bus. But, did you verify that the main ground wire from the grounding bus bar to the trailer chassis is securely connected? That was the solution once to an intermittent light issue on my raft trailer.

If you are not comfortable troubleshooting electrical issues yourself, then I concur with Mike and Carol: engage a local electrician to track down the source of your issues. Any good electrician should be conversant with both AC and DC electrical systems. Hopefully electricians in your neck of the woods are not booked out until mid-July!

Do the refrigerator, AC and awning work, and do the lights go from dim to bright, when connected to shore power? Or do those problems occur only when operating on DC power? Have you tried the refrigerator on propane? Have you checked your inverter with a voltmeter?