Steph and Dud B

Apologies if my comment was taken the wrong way. My point is, electric brake problems are fairly common on all towed RVs. We've had 4 trailers and among them have had: brake wires damaged inside the axle tubes (a Dexter problem), loose ground wire to the frame (a factory problem), failed adjuster spring (a Dexter problem), failed 7 pin plug (wear and tear). They can come from the factory faulty or be fine for 5 years, then fail. It's just the nature of the beast. And, if you look through my previous posts, you'll see I'm anything but an Oliver fan-boy. I'm just saying this is a common problem across all brands. Hopefully, you'll have a resolution soon.

To be fair, this is not an exclusively Oliver problem, nor are Airstreams immune from issues like this. 7 pin connectors, in particular, often have problems due to corrosion and wear and tear. One preventative tip: store the plug upright with the cable hanging down from a water resistant mount like this: https://a.co/d/aJVOMmq Ours is mounted to the storage tray. This prevents water from wicking its way down the cable into the internal connections in the plug.

Seems like sound advice. Did he shut off the solar disconnect switch to remove the panels? Did a solar charge controller setting get changed? Victron or Zamp?

That makes sense, it needs to complete the circuit. However if the ground connection from the truck was faulty, I'd expect @BoondockingAirstream to have other problems, like intermittent running lights, too. With him reporting the breakaway system working properly it seems most of the trailer brake wiring is intact.

The brakes are grounded to the trailer frame, not through the truck connector. This is so they will still work via the breakaway switch without the truck. That makes the blue wire from the truck the likely suspect, since the breakaway does still activate the brakes. My money is still on the connector itself.

You definitely need the brakes working. You're not legal without them. I have read somewhere about some trucks having a problem with some trailers. Found this online: "Ford vehicles, particularly certain F-150 and Super Duty models, have experienced issues with their factory-installed trailer brake controllers. These problems can range from the trailer brakes not engaging at all, to intermittent connection problems, or even the trailer brakes applying unexpectedly and forcefully. A common cause is a software glitch within the integrated trailer brake control module, which can prevent the controller from correctly detecting a trailer or properly applying the brakes. " See if you can borrow someone else's truck to see if the problem persists. Another likely failure point is the 7 way plug on the trailer. Those contacts can become spread out and/or corroded. Look inside the plug and inspect the brake contacts with a flashlight. If they're corroded, a temporary fix can be using a thin file, emory board, or screwdriver blade to scrape the contacts clean. If they seem spread out, use a small screw driver or hook to bend them back inward a bit. These would be temporary fixes. If your plug is shot, it's easy to replace. Disconnect the trailer batteries before you start because the 12v Power lead is hot and then follow this wiring diagram to install a new plug.

What speaker?

They must work, then.

Now, a new mod idea: a remote control in the truck for the trailer thermostat so you don't have to pull over to turn the A/C on. Electrical wizards commence...

Perfectly do-able as long as you have the battery capacity to spare.

Yes, it would have to be adjustable, even for a specific trailer. If the ground is uneven, with a bump in between the two tires, a chock designed to fit snugly on flat pavement wouldn't fit between the tires anymore.

That's what we do. We always turn the campground power post breaker off before connecting or disconnecting from the trailer. It's more important while disconnecting, to prevent drawing an arc from your plug blades to the outlet terminals as you remove the plug. We don't turn off the trailer's main breaker when connecting to the generator because there's a delay before the transfer switch kicks in anyway, but we do turn it off before disconnecting from the generator.

Wow!

We do pretty well with just our cell phone hotspots and streaming in most places. The newer trailers come with a smart TV.

Sounds like a loose connection. That's why it's intermittent. There's really no user error option here, it should literally be plug and play. I'd start by checking the coax cable connection on the back of the TV. Coax connectors should be more then finger tight. The outer "nut" is the ground connection. Use a small wrench or pliers to give them just a little torque. Next, take the "booster plate" off the wall in the attic above the TV, should be just 2 screws, and make sure the cables behind it are tight. After that I'd check behind the connector on the outside of the trailer.

What's wrong with the Norcold?

Now that you mention it, ours doesn't have Teflon tape there, either. Anyone have Teflon tape at the connection between the pump and its filter?

We do. I use this: 3inOne Trailer Hitch Gel Lube https://a.co/d/7Kz5pKB

We've had this problem repeatedly in the exact scenario you describe. The "solution" was to open the hot and cold outside shower until the air purged from the system, which could take a couple of minutes. (Don't worry to much about the 2 minute limit. I once accidentally left the pump on for 20 minutes after draining the water from an old trailer and there was no harm done. 3 or 4 minutes is probably OK.) After that we'd be fine until the next stop when we'd have to do it again. Seemed like an air leak on the pump intake side, but I couldn't find one. I recently replaced the pump. One thing I noticed while doing that was that the pump filter didn't seem very tightly screwed onto the pump, something I had never thought to check, so look at that. Now the new pump is in. We'll see what happens next. Also, can you include your Oliver model and model year in your signature line? Makes it easier to help people sometimes.

You haven't, by any chance, seen a girl in a flatbed Ford, have you?

That's a feature, not a bug. Built in sauna/clothes dryer.

The breakaway switch and battery are required, but not the charging. I had a car carrier trailer that only had a small sealed LA battery for the breakaway system, similar to one you'd find in commercial burglar alarm cabinets. The battery wasn't connected to the TV charging line. (Oddly, that line was used, but only for the interior lights.)

While we're taking about jacking, has anyone else experienced: using the official Oliver jacking point forward of the wheels lifts that entire side of the trailer? Both wheels come off the ground. Apparently that's the balance point on our trailer.

We have the Trailer-Aid Plus ramp, a bottle jack, some planks, and some Lynx Leveler blocks. The ramp, planks, and blocks are in the truck, the bottle jack is in the trailer closet. We also have a star wrench, impact wrench, and torque limiting extensions in the truck.

Note I'm not talking about my mileage though... 😕