topgun2

Yes, we are thinking about all of the Family located in harms way. Do everything you can to be safe and good luck.

Bill - It is hard to argue against being safe and doing what makes one feel safer. Obviously, anytime you're messing around with something weighing as much as an Oliver it pays to be careful. Using jacks of any sort has always made me a bit nervous. That little "head" on bottle jacks looks even smaller to me when in use even though I always use something between it and what I'm jacking in order to distribute the weight a bit over a larger surface. The pressed steel parts of vehicle jacks never look strong enough to hold up what I'm about to work on. Sure, jack stands help with my fears but they are bulky and carrying them all the time is a bit more than I can bare. Which ever way you choose, just be careful and be redundant if possible. Bill

John - Yes, I suspected that this caulked in trim ring was as you describe. However, I was in no mood to deal with removing caulk and what I did was more than enough to get 95% of the fan clean. While it is not entirely comfortable, with the fan removed and a little flexibility, virtually all of the interior of the unit can be cleaned. Bill

Bill - With all other RV's I've owned until the Oliver, I carried a small bottle jack. Along with the jack in my truck I was always able to do what was necessary to fix any problem I encountered. Back when I purchased my Oliver it was still permissible to use the onboard "leveling/stabilizing" jacks for this purpose. However, the Factory now recommends NOT using these jacks for any purpose other than to "stabilize". I recently noted that on new Olivers there are even decals placed down near the frame which show places where frame jacking points are located. Certainly I'm not in a position where I can tell you what to do with your Oliver. Nor can I foresee all circumstances in which a jack might be necessary. However, in the rare times I've needed to raise my wheels (one side at a time only) off the ground, I've used my onboard jacks. I believe that I'm aware of the risks in doing this and my Oliver is no longer under warranty. Bill

Sure does look like you found the hard part! Assume that this has fixed the flow problem? Bill

Sometime ago I presented a Mod where I installed a black filter material on the MaxxAir Fan in order to reduce light transmission into the interior of my Oliver. I thought an added benefit of this mod was that the filter material would keep the fan somewhat cleaner than it would have been otherwise since normally I only use the fan on the exhaust setting. While in Montana this year I noted a "couple" of insects that were trapped on the other side of the filter material and a few days before heading home the fan developed a ticking sound - particularly at slow speeds. So, I figured I'd remove the filter, fix that ticking sound and clean the interior of the fan for the first time in four years. Upon removing the filter material, I was totally surprised with the number of dead bugs and the nastiness of the fan. Since the MaxxAir frame is caulked into place (along with four screws) onto the inside shell of my Oliver, I proceeded to remove what I could of the fan without a total removal. Here is how I did it: 1 – Remove the screen by turning the four plastic “tabs” 180 degrees either to the right or left. 2 – Remove the inner face plate – the one with the controls and knob that is used to manually open the exterior cover (see picture) by removing four screws plus the screw in the center of the black knob. Disconnect the electrical connection noted in the picture and gently let the faceplate hang in place. 3 - Remove the fan using an allen wrench (3/32 I believe). In my case the set screw holding the fan to the motor shaft was either put on by a gorilla or had a bit of corrosion which caused the set screw to be difficult to loosen. I put a couple of drops of “Liquid Wrench” on the threads of the set screw, let it set for a few minutes and then used a small piece of tubing as a breaker bar as a help with the small allen wrench. Be a bit careful here with the force applied - you do not want to strip the inside of this set screw. Also be careful with all plastic parts in that they are easy to break. 4 – Clean and dry screen and fan. I used “Simple Green” cleaner and a soft brush to clean both the screen and the fan. The fan was then wiped down with the same mixture I use on the interior of the Oliver – 4 parts Duragloss detailer with 1 part Duragloss liquid wax – in order to give it a nice clean shine. 5 – Clean the inner face plate and clean all other interior surfaces of the MaxxAir. Again, I used this Duragloss mixture. 6 – Re-assemble all parts in the reverse order. Note that when re-installing the fan on the motor shaft, the fan set screw should be tightened against the “flat” surface on the motor shaft. Do not over-tighten any of the screws that go into plastic! Snug is sufficient. Don’t forget to re-connect that electrical connection that was disconnected in step 2 above. When re-installing the screen, if the four plastic “tabs” were originally turned 180 degrees then the screen should easily slip back into place. These four tabs can then be turned back to the original position into the indent on the face of the plastic on the screen. Do not force these plastic tabs, they are snug but finger pressure is all that is necessary if they and the screen are positioned correctly. 7 – Turn the fan on to make sure that all is well. For what its worth, the “ticking” sound was caused by a little label (serial number and model of fan) becoming partially un-stuck from the interior side of the fan housing. As the fan would rotate, the blades would hit this label causing the noise.

For whatever reason (like I never drink the water from my fresh water tank even though I do sanitize that tank) I too have never used the water filter when filling it via the boondocking/winterization (BW) port. There seems to be a consensus that the suction pump simply doesn't have enough power to overcome the restriction of the filter. I did have a situation where I could not keep bugs out of the container I was using as a source for the water I was putting into the tank via the BW port. So, I simply used a clean shop rag over the end of the hose to filter the bugs out. This worked fine, but, obviously, that rag didn't have the same amount of restriction that a regular water filter has. Bill

Hobo - See the "404 error" thread at the top (in blue) of the Recent Topics page. This problem is still being worked on. Good luck with the water flow problem - identifying the problem is simple, you have a blockage. Finding the blockage is the hard part. Bill

Looks like a nice place! However, that photo of Zion's threw me for a loop until I figured it out. Bill

HMD - All things are possible with enough time and money. The current propane cooktop really doesn't use very much propane - the water heater and furnace consume much more. However, it would appear that what you really want is a larger fridge. This topic has been discussed a number of times on the Forum previously and the "problem" basically comes down to the molds used for the Oliver shells. Without significant alteration to these shells there is simply no way to fit a larger fridge while allowing for proper ventilation of the fridge and room for a microwave/convection oven. Even if you take out the microwave/oven deal there are still problems. Bill

Has the factory changed vinyl suppliers? I thought that Oliver uses Oracal. Bill

On my Elite II I slightly loosened the door catch and added another layer of Reflextix to the door plus I outlined the shower door area with foam insulation. Since nothing has frozen up I can't be certain that this has really been effective. But, there is less dust and dirty in that area now as compared to before. Bill

The Ecoboost engine is really surprising but it really does seem to perform as you say - either economy or "boost". Of course when that boost is on and you are not towing you better hang onto that seat. I just returned from two months fishing in Montana (from Western North Carolina). According to my truck's computer I got right at 13 miles to the gallon for the whole trip. Certainly I wish that number was higher but there was never even a question about towing even when all the tanks were full - the truck handles hills with no problem at all. And during most of the rest of the year when I'm not towing (and not punching that gas pedal) the gas mileage in the low 20's is very nice. Bill

Just for sake of clarification, general knowledge and to be "fair" - it should be noted that the production line for Oliver campers has changed drastically over the past couple of years. Much more attention is being paid to quality control and there is much more standardization in these units than there was in the past. Of course, for those that want more things customized this approach to production presents a problem. However, quality control and standardization allows for the campers now coming off the line to have far fewer problems than was seen in the past. Bill

I specifically chose fewer/lighter decals versus the alternative and appreciated the fact that Oliver gave owners the choice. Some of the side stripe color combinations that I've seen are very nice while others are simply just not my style and/or taste. Specifically, I did not get a front graphic. While I thought that the standard Oliver design was fine, I objected to the fact that bugs are more difficult to remove from a decal than they are to remove from the gel-coat. Also, I had asked that the factory not put the "Oliver Legacy Elite II" on the sides of the camper. However, Anita pointed out that (even more) people would then be asking me questions versus simply noting the name and looking it up online. I still don't really like that on the side but (as usual) Anita was correct. Heck! Even changing the "Oliver" to "Twist" high up on the rear of the camper has come back to haunt me - "who makes the "Twist"? Bill p.s. (I've been tempted to answer that question with - "Chubby Checker" but have never done so.

So, from your description, it would seem that the problem you were having was caused by either the red tape mucking up the works and/or the igniter center pin rotating into a position where it would not work properly. Certainly there was virtually nothing you could have done about the red tape but is the igniter accessible without removing the furnace? Nice job and thanks for the description! Bill

Interesting - This morning I said to myself that there seemed to be fewer 404 and as a matter of fact, I've not had one 404 today. Regarding the PM issue - I've received over a half dozen PM's in the past 24 hours. Strange on both fronts but I'll send a message to Jason letting him know of your experience. Bill

WandR - Welcome to the family. We can tell people about how great these campers are but until they actually travel and camp in one they really have no idea. Please make sure that you take a moment at the Owner's Rally to stop any of the Moderators you see and introduce yourself. We'd love to get to know you. Bill

Obviously you'd have to check the size of each unit, but, there are a bunch of different ones available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+propane+gas+detector&crid=2ZWURTI7LGPOH&sprefix=rv+propane+%2Caps%2C157&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_11 Bill

Routlaw - As mentioned above, Jason is working with the Forum's software provider to correct this "404" problem that we are all having. Given that it is fairly certain that this is a software problem, it may take a bit of time to track down the exact cause. It is possible that the search for this cause could be the reason you are seeing a bit slower speed. Sorry for the issues, but, knowing Jason, he is working as fast as he can to get things back on track. Bill

SG... - The "secret" is in the prep. Clean, clean and then clean again. Install on a hot day allowing the gutter material to really "relax" in the sun. Then where the instructions tell you to apply pressure with a toothbrush handle after you have put it in place - really do this. The main part of mine has performed without a problem for the past 4 years. A couple of the ends have become un-stuck and as per the post above I've repaired those with a product called "E-6000". I'm still very happy with how these gutters perform and look. Bill

Now, that's what I call a fondue fork!

Mike - you have a dog - use it!

Yes, Yes, Yes! As ScubaRx says - take your time and enjoy the ride. Don't do what I did! Bill

It was truly a joy to watch #512 leave the nest. Seeing the excitement and joy re-kindled those same feeling that I had when first picking up Twist four and a half years ago. Having just spent two months in Montana and never once being attached to shore power, I must admit that I had become all too comfortable with my Oliver. These campers really are in a class by themselves and it is always a joy to see others join the family. Bill