topgun2

Now summer is

Before you rip the vanity apart - it is worth the shot to tap on that under the kitchen sink valve. Just sayin'. Bill

I've got 1 1/2 suggestions: 1 - have you checked the valve under the kitchen sink? you will need to remove 1 or 2 drawers on the left side as you face the sink. Then look at the plumbing and you are looking for a vertical pipe. There are times when the valve in the vertical pipe will become "stuck". Tap on that pipe with a small hammer, piece of wood, crescent wrench, etc. and see if that "reset" the valve from open to closed. 1/2 - after having a similar problem for the past couple of years - as with your case my problem would come and go - I got serious about sticking my nose very close to all of the places from which these kinds of odors emanate. Not being able to locate the source, I too was about to give up and bring in the troops. But, early in this year's 2 month western fly fishing trip my Mr. Buddy propane heater ran out of propane. So, as per usual I picked it up (its normal location while I'm camping at altitude is either just outside the bath door or just inside the bath door on the shower pan) but before I was able to unscrew the used propane bottle I noticed a fairly strong scent of gas. Of course I then screwed in a new bottle but later that day I again picked up the heater and again noticed the same smell. Long story short - this was the source of my problem all along. Good luck with the valve "reset". Bill

Yep - Looks like 5 to me too. Bill p.s. I suspect that somewhere alone the line Mr. Oliver decided that given the weight he was adding to the Beast, he should upgrade to 5 leaves from the original 4 leaves. However, the pictures I recently posted are valid for the Beast as recently as 3 weeks ago.

Perhaps a little dab of E6000 on those tabs and then a couple of strips of painters tape to hole everything in place for 24 hours while the E6000 dries would take care to the issue while still allowing for removal if necessary? Bill

For anyone that has an Oliver Service appointment during the first three weeks of September, the "Beast" should still be located in the Service Department area. After that, Scott Oliver will probably take the "Beast" to his home. Bill

That'll work.

Holy mackerel - did anyone else see that "mountain lion" in the pics above!

Which runway?😗

As promised - below are some pics of Mr. Oliver's "Beast". I assume that the name derived from the fact that it is estimated that this Oliver weighs in at something at or near 10,000 pounds. Partially this is due to the interior counters being made of Corian - not fibergranite - the addition of the under carriage storage areas, the bed risers, etc. Shape eyes will note things like the lack of a rear window (no emergency exit), the location of the front and rear under carriage storage, the location of the water heater, the design of the reading lights and "coat" hooks and bath faucet, single entry step, etc. Enjoy this classic! Bill

See new topic post - Jim Oliver's Beast - posted September 2, 2024 Bill

E6000 is useful for all sorts of stuff in and out of the Ollie. I always have a small tube of it with me while on the road. Its available (of course) on Amazon, WalMart, Ace and (probably Lowes and Home Depot too. Bill E6000 on Amazon

Concrats to you guys for filling it in. Now, a couple of oars and, don't forget to plug those scupper holes you are well on your way to getting all of the States.😁 Bill

Got some exterior and interior pics of Jim Oliver's Ollie today. But, I can't post them until I get home early next week. Bill

Winston and Brandi did a fabulous job of restoring Jelly Bean. If you ever see it don't be afraid to ask for a tour. Jim Oliver's Beast presently sits in the Oliver Service area. However, Scott Oliver has plans to move it to his home in the near future. Hopefully I can get some additional pics of it this afternoon. Bill

Life on the road sometimes requires stopping to do laundry! Here in Cody, WY the best laundry is the Cody Laundromat. Now that this chore is done and restocking at Walmart is done the regularly scheduled activity of fishing at a higher altitude is to be resumed. A special hello to the Ollie II that was headed east towards Cody last week after they left Yellowstone National. Bill

Ouch!

Perhaps even more important is the load capacity - how much stuff can it carry? Find the sticker inside the driver's door jam and then add up your hitch weight, plus all the other things you carry (like people, dogs, equipment in the bed, etc.) and compare those two numbers. Most 1/2 trucks have a "limited" capacity in this regard. Bill Posted from a sage brush field outside Meeteetse, WY

Where else would Ollie be but at Cracker Barrel for the night? Not the best CB location ever, but, the price is right.

When you say, " does that mean that you have replaced the fitting or simply that you tried another zerk that was already in place? It is possible that the zerk in question was installed improperly - these must be installed relative to the bolt such that they will accept grease. If this is the case then there isn't much you can do except for taking the bolt out and installing it the correct way. However, it is more likely that there is something going on with the way you are trying to connect the grease gun to the zerk. If you have a small "punch" or nail set you could gently press on the little "ball" that is in the end of the zerk to make sure that it will depress under pressure. Sometimes these little ball do get "stuck". Of course I'm also assuming that you were able to get grease into the other zerks on the Ollie? Bill

Sorry but I'm in the middle of preparing to leave for the Rockies. However - the reason for the switch is so that you can turn the fan off if the slight noise it emits bothers you while trying to sleep. Both Mossemi and I have replaced the original fan due to bearing failures in the fan and Mossemi also replaced the thermal switch. Hope this helps at least a little. Bill p.s. there are posts here on the Forum about both of these repairs.

Spy any moose down there in the willows? How are the bugs? Bill

Have you tried one of THESE fridge fans? I've used one of these for years due to the fact that our RV fridges are subject to a bunch of factors that simply are not present with our fridges at home. The fan helps to more evenly distribute the air and, thus, evens out the temps throughout the fridge. Bill

Two years ago I installed the "Gas Stop" devices on both my propane tanks. Given that my Oliver was 7 years old at the time I thought that it would also be prudent to install new "pig tail" propane hoses at the same time. At the end of the camping season last year I suspected that I had a small propane leak but since I was placing the Ollie into storage for the winter I didn't investigate the possible leak any further. However, I did purchase a propane leak detector - exactly like the one that Rivernerd mention in THIS THREAD. While attending the Annual Owner's Rally this year, my suspicion of the leak returned. So, today was the day to get serious about finding it. After getting the propane tanks in place and attaching the pig tails I opened the valve on what I thought was the offending tank. Sure enough, I not only smelled it but I even heard it! Obviously, the main brass fitting at the end of the pig tail was the problem (i.e. the fitting that screws directly into the regulator). So, I took that apart, cleaned it up, wrapped yellow Teflon gas specific tape on it and reinstalled. That solved the main smell and certainly the "hissing" issues, but, I still thought that I could smell a leak. Out comes the "bubble test" (i.e. a little dish soap in water sprayed onto the offending area and look for bubbles). Well, sure enough, there was a small leak in the brass reducer between the end of the pig tail and the main brass fitting that I had just repaired. OK, take it apart again, new tape all around, reinstall and using the "bubble test" I thought I had this issue nailed. Sure enough - no bubbles! Great, but maybe my nose was just getting to used to that wonderful propane smell. Maybe I was just imagining it - surely I had fixed everything that there was to be fixed AND there were no bubbles. Just to be sure I used the "test" feature on the Gas Stop devices. Yep - the needle in the little gauge was slowly dropping. I bubble tested again but had the same test result - no bubbles. Being a bit slow witted it was only at this point that I remember my purchase of the propane leak detector (thanks again Rivernerd). I got it out, read the directions and proceeded to "sniff". My repaired connections didn't set off any alarms. But, the connection from the pig tail to the large knob that screws onto the propane tank gave off a "faint" reading (actually a beeping noise on the detector). Sure enough - even though this was a "factory" installed item and I've never had one of these leak in over 25 years of dealing with propane tanks and pig tails, this was the final source of the leaking. I'm still surprised that the "bubble test" didn't show this leak but the "Smart Sensor" picked it up right away. There are a number of these types of sensors available currently on Amazon - both models that are priced higher and lower than the Smart Sensor (HERE). But, as Rivernerd said, "Not only is it worth the peace of mind, but even if only used once, it is less expensive than a motel stay!". Bill

Highly recommend you try the plastic hack that Seadawg mentioned - you simply will not believe how much easier it is getting the foam back inside the covers. Bill