topgun2

Do I sense some potty humor "leaking" in here?😇

Of course not - he's over at the Grand Canyon for 15 minutes!☺️ The truck is in camo but the Ollie sure does stand out. Still looks like a great rig! Have fun over at the Ollie shop and try to not spend too much money. After all - that $15 saved will only go so far. Did I see that you are not going to hang around for the Rally? If you do get there - please look me up. Bill

Unfortunately the last I heard, Matteo (sp?) is no longer with the company. Hopefully Micro-air will have another employee attend our Rally in the future and it would certainly be nice if the new employee is as helpful, kind and hard working as Matteo. Bill

Nice photos! I'd send that first shot with your Ollie in to Matt Duncan for possible publication by Oliver. Those slot canyons are cool too! Bill

Sounds to me like you are doing pretty good so far. Any idea, yet, of why it seized in the first place? Certainly you don't want to get in a position of where you throw the piston through the side of the engine 😵

Assuming that you used a mild bleach solution when you sanitized your system and only left it in the hot water tank overnight - it is highly likely that you have no permanent damage to your system (and tank). If I were in your shoes, I'd only make sure that the tank is thoroughly flushed. Actually - to over do it a bit - I'd probably pull the anode rod and flush the tank with one of THESE. Bill

Let me see - wind, rain, hail, sand, dirt, bugs, gloom of night, harsh sun, tree sap, repeat (not necessarily in that order) - what could go wrong? "harsh chemicals" - define please. For what its worth, I don't usually consider anything that I can leave my unprotected hand in for an hour unduly "harsh". But, then again, you should see my hands 😁. "power washer" - do they mean that poor pathetic electric power washer or the 5,000 psi job that will take your skin off? In any case - is it ever wise to use a power washer of virtually any sort on electrical equipment? I wash my solar panels with the same stuff I use for the rest of the Ollie and for my cars and for my truck. I don't see any difference. But, then again, my eyes are getting to be a lot like my hands 😇. Bill

RTV silicone is a type of silicone that cures at room temperature (see it HERE). Bill

I'd add to my comment above that I took the Oliver specific pages and placed each one in a protective sleeve so that they would not become worn and/or the holes for the binder would become torn. An added benefit of this was that I could simply slip any additional notes or changes in specifications right in with the original. Bill

I'm a BIG fan of this size tank. When there isn't a dump station I can get it to a toilet and given its size I'm able to lift it to dump the contents into the toilet. Of course one can do the same thing with a larger tote if they are careful about how much "stuff" they put in there. Bill

Don't forget to take a camera with you and use it! These are individualized guided tours. However, do not be hesitant or afraid to ask to see something in more detail, touch it, walk over to get a closer look at it, etc. Certainly get your monies worth. With regards to the wet bath - think about exactly how much time you spend in the bath versus what that square footage of space costs in terms of not only money but in terms of square footage value to you. When I'm camping/boondocking in the Western States I most often shower outside and use a solar shower. This saves on propane (the sun heats the water) and grey water tank space. Let alone giving me all the room I could ever ask for!😃 Bill

Yep - printed materials also came with my 2016 and I've added much more to it over the years. I've also downloaded the online manuals to both my laptop and to a memory stick - just in case. Bill

I've been told that the answer is "yes" to both. But I've not actually observed either in the real world. Bill

Albert - That is a cool hull number and a great time to pick it up. I do think you'll be impressed with the solar on the Ollie unless you are a major consumer of electricity. With your delivery so close - are you coming to the Rally? Attendance would certainly help you prepare even more and would also give you more ideas than you can handle regarding mods that everyone has made to theirs. Hope to see you there! Bill

By the sounds of it - you have already decided on what you want. If I were in your shoes I'd try attacking the issue from a different perspective - how do you intend to use your camper? What I mean by this is if your main usage will be going to commercial camp grounds and possibly the occasional National Park (even though the 27 foot AS could be a bit of a challenge in some of these parks) you will have your decision. On the other hand - if you want ease of travel, ease of getting into and out of more remote places or if you want to camp in chilly weather then that road will lead you in a different direction. If you spend or plan to spend a fair amount of your camping and on the road time actually in your camper then something a bit on the roomy side would be attractive while if being in the out of doors, hiking, fishing and the like is your style then you will go in a different direction. Let these decisions drive the answer to what size and/or design of camper you should look at. Then you will be in a better position to be comfortable with the brand of camper. Good luck! Bill

I do know that both Jason Essary and Rodney Lomax are scheduled to be at the Rally and that both would be interested in discussing repairs and improvements. Unfortunately, it is probably too late to include a "formal" session such as the one you are suggesting for this year's Rally but a PM to Matt Duncan might get it included for next year's Rally. Bill

I sure would have used this information IF it had been available when I purchased my CalMark. I doubt that they would have recommended anything different at the time even for the older covers such as mine. The original warranty on my cover was for 6 years - I'm now into my seventh year and the cover still shows no signs of wearing out. Bill

GJ - Consider it done. See: Torque values for lug nuts Good suggestion! Bill

Note that these plug kits are only meant to plug things like nail, screw, holes and the like in the tread area of tires. If you get a puncture in the sidewall of a tire (i.e. you cut the side of the tire on a curb or a rock) or if there is a good sized cut in the tread, these plug kits will not work. While I've used these kits on tires to get me home, I will take the damaged tire to a tire shop to have a proper "mushroom" type repair done. This requires the bead of the tire to be taken off the rim such that a "plug" that is in the shape of a mushroom can be installed from the inside. Also note that you will need to have an air compressor with you in order to reflate the tire once you have installed the plug. If you have never used a plug kit before it would help to have a little practice. A local tire store might let you practice on a junk tire. Some strength is required - you must first get the "reamming" tool into and out of the hole in the tire and then be able to get the tool with the plug on it into and out of the tire. Bill

Once per year - usually when I take Twist out of winter storage - I simply take the cover down to the local laundromat. This particular one has a couple of very large machines. I don't use too much detergent and on the final rinse I throw in between 5 to 10 oz. of Nikwax TX.Direct Washin Waterproofing (THIS STUFF). Note that my CalMark cover is the older heavier style but I think that at least the washing part would apply to the newer light weight covers too. Bill

Sure - try SOMETHING LIKE THIS Bill

1 - take the four screws that hold the remote panel off and gently remove the panel. There should be a phone style connector in that back of that panel - unplug it and re-plug it in three of four times - and - do the same thing where the other end of the wire goes into the inverter. 2 - Check to make sure that the wires (both ground and positive) going into the inverter are tight. 3 - now re-try the remote switch. If it works you are done. If it doesn't work - do what they said. New remote panels are not all that expensive on Amazon but, hopefully, you don't have to go that route. Bill

Good luck! The diaphragms on those carbs are generally fragile and since most people use regular ethanol gas it just destroys them. You can always try regular carb cleaner but letting that stuff sit long enough to do its job is probably long enough to destroy what's left inside (if anything). Bill

I believe that Mossemi has been down the same road but I do not remember exactly what he did or how he did it. You might want to send him a PM or, hopefully, he will see this and reply here. Good luck! Bill

Flat tire - I carry a "plug" kit that I can get in WalMart. I've always carried one of these kits - with or without the Ollie in tow. Wheel bearing issue - I carry a set of bearings like this: While I could change out the bearings with this set, that is NOT my intent. It is fairly easy to get the drum off the axle and carry that to virtually any gas station or tire shop that has a mechanic. The issue is not doing the job on the side of the road where it could be fairly dangerous, but, getting to a safe place and NOT having to wait for them to order the bearings. Yes, these bearings are fairly standard, but, I don't want to hear, "I'm sorry, we just sold our last set this morning". I've been carrying two of these sets around for the past seven years - just in case. And, before you ask - yes, they are made in China. However, I figure that they will last long enough to get me home where I can do a proper job with good bearings and good grease. Bill