jd1923

Thanks Scotty, this is very helpful and adds a new twist! The Oliver has LED lights for brake, reverse and taillights. The low amp draw of LEDs may not register with the factory brake controllers, cause for the error codes. @Boudicca908's truck is GM vs. Ford but could still be the same issue. This is worth a try! If true in this case, there could be nothing wrong with the factory brake controller, nothing wrong with Oliver trailer wiring, just the factory controller not playing well with LED trailer lighting, wow! Learning this, the U-Haul trailer test I suggested would not be conclusive! If U-Haul trailers have standard automotive incandescent lights the factory controller would not show error with the U-Haul but only trailers like the Oliver with LED lighting. Yesterday U-Haul failed to rent a trailer with brakes and 7-blade connection. I would try this $30 device asap and scratch the U-Haul idea for now. At some point, if you're able to tow a second Oliver and the error messages go away, that would be a viable test showing issues with your Oliver trailer wiring.

Hmmm! Squeaking one day backing up. RR wheel squeaking another day with the spin test. Spin test today all is quiet after 180 highway miles. Starting to sound more like brakes. They should self-adjust, so yeah issue "diffuses" as you wrote. In automotive issues it's always sound reasoning to think, "what did we work on last that might have caused this?" In your case it was Alcan Springs installation. They could have banged the wheel or dropped the axle on that side. Easy enough to do working on leaf spring replacement. Or maybe they noticed your brakes needed adjusting and tightened the self-adjusters which do not always adjust as they should. You changed your gain from 7 to 5 noting they were grabbing better. A lot of maybes... Try the spin test again on all 4 or... Forget about it until you hear something again when driving or backing slowly, like you did the first time. Enjoy your trip, maybe this was nothing. Two suggestions:1) If you do not have one... Get an Infrared thermometer digital laser gun. When you take a break after a bit of highway towing, asap measure hub and drum temps. Temps on all fours should be close to equal. One hub measures higher than the others, could mean a bearing issue. Higher temp on one drum (or lower meaning shoes not engaging) points to brake issues. You must remove your center caps to measure hub temps. Many of us have. You should like the Texas Star emblems stuck on my Nev-R Lube dust caps in lieu of those standard (big ugly) center caps designed to fit over the old-school bearings. I like Klien tools and purchased this model. It has saved me when my brakes faded coming down a steep range as my brake controller was acting up. I read temps on my truck front rotors up to 400F and waited roadside until they cooled to under 200F. Yeah, when you stop take temps on ALL 8 wheels! Amazon.com: Klein Tools IR1 Infrared Thermometer, Digital Laser Gun is Non-Contact Thermometer with a Temperature Range -4 to 752-Degree Fahrenheit : Industrial & Scientific 2) When you get home follow my how-to on axle maintenance:

Let me first revise this statement a bit. Love the Rear Porch Light installation, which copies the design and same product used for the Entry and Side Porch Lights! 😎 Not as much love for my new front light, but it's finished and it's not bad. I made a new mounting bracket for the front light from a simple flat bracket. I chose this part since 6" is a good total length and it's 2mm thick. Many SS brackets are thicker which would make it more difficult to form into a U-shaped bracket. Amazon.com: 4 Pieces Stainless Steel Straight Brace (6.1 x 0.7 inch，156 x 18 mm) Flat Straight Braces, Straight Brackets, 24 Pieces Screws Included : Industrial & Scientific Not easy working stainless steel which is a hard steel. I measured the required 2 3/4" width at center. After applying rings of black tape to keep the SS from being marred, I clamped the bracket tightly into a vise at the marked point. I used a jigsaw to cut the groove, running the moving blade right against the vise to keep it in place. I'm not a metal fab guy, so this is the best I could do. I used a "heavy metal" blade, but it wore out after one cut, needing a second blade for the other side. The grooves I cut positioned the correct location and space for the bend. I also believe the heat from sawing helped in hammering a clean angle. Then the bracket was too wide, so I used a bench grinder to cut down the width in the upper portion where it connects to the light. Filed the edges and used steel wool to shine up all sides of the bracket. Sounds like a lot of work but was done in about 30 minutes, (after days of thinking it over)! 🤣 It looks much better now. It's shorter than my previous install and I moved it forward a little. It's visually more pleasing since it doesn't conflict with the lines of the belly bar. It lights up the truck bed fully without shadow. You can see shadow only on the tailgate, but when it's closed the light reflects down to see the trailer hitch and cables if needed. We're good now! But these LED lights are BRIGHT! Maybe later a mini hood attached to the light, so it doesn't hit your eyes when standing to the side. There's always something in the minds of engineers! 😎

But not much room at all. I looked at this yesterday and there's about 3-4" between top of belly bar and the sink countertop. Measure thrice!

Thanks Rich, his frank language is funny too! 🤣

My friend Ron, of course you know! Our son Adam played a USTA Tennis Tournament in the very nice Houston suburb of Clear Lake 15 years ago. I remember sitting outdoors, large-brimmed hat on for the sun, I was drippin' wet just watching! 😎 The 16-year-old boys had drenched shirts before the first set was won. Traveling the west vs. the gulf states is night and day. Wish we had a forum member in the east with a Chill Cube for comparison. The Chill Cube condenser fan wets the condenser by design. To my knowledge, no other A/C unit has this feature (perhaps Furrion has a patent). The water-cooled condenser increases the overall cooling efficiency. In very dry climates (the spring is our windy dry season), the little bit of condensate it pulls out of the dry air quickly returns to the air (evaporates). I have yet to see any condensate drip on our hull. When greater cooling is needed and it's humid, the fan should create a visible mist blowing from the condenser coils. More mist means less drip. But when the volume of condensate gets large it would overflow the condensate trough and run down the hull.

No, I’m agreeing it is likely correct because all the right wire colors are there for a trailer wiring harness. Blue wire is power to brakes.

Correct, 4-pin harness is for small trailers without brakes. 4 pins only connects turn signals and brakes lights. They’re wasting your time. You need a heavier trailer, large cargo trailer, car hauler, anything with 7-blade plug like your Oliver!

Just two years old and squeak!!! 🤣 RE the gain on your brakes. My take is the old 1750 LB leaf springs were quite forgiving! The 2750 LB Alcans not so much. The old suspension would allow the hull to porpoise when the brakes contacted. The new suspension will not, so brake contact to road is immediate! More so because your springs have not had break-in time. Put your gain higher when you get back on steep mountain roads, maybe up to 6. And maybe you don't need 7 anymore. My older truck does not have a factory brake controller. The default gain on the Tekonsha is 6.0. I bring it up to 6.2 in the mountains and sometimes down to 5.8 around town. Looking forward to what you see from you inspection tomorrow!

Scotty (or Greg), you may know I’m the only one here with the Chill Cube installed on an Oliver. So you may say I’m biased! I just ran a test which I’ll post soon on my Chill Cube thread. Ran it for one full week on batteries, set at 80F (it’s parked at home). Daily high temps low 90s! Without A/C with the AZ sun the cabin would be high 90s or more. Not a drop of condensate down the hull. The Chill Cube has a condensate trough that the condenser fan runs through, picking up the water like a water wheel. But can’t promise there wouldn’t be any in humid climates. There would be much less. Ran it for 7 days using on average 96 Ah per day ONLY! We have 320W rooftop solar which adds power in addition to the 96. Your Oliver and ours are both 2016 models. Maybe you have the same solar. Without solar say it adds to 240 Ah per 24 hours. That’s about 10A per hour average. On full blast, it pulls 60A but not for long. Our Dometic P2 took 150A minimum and would take forever to cool down. I'm starting another test this week with set temp at 74F. 80F is a good summer storage temp and at 74F it will be very comfortable inside. I'll bet I can run it 3-4 days at 74F in 90F+ heat. I cold never imagine this when we had LA batteries and the awful Dometic. BTW, I’m talking DC amps that can be read with Bluetooth connection to a shunt. We do everything on 900 Ah batteries, usually un-plugged (600 Ah is a good number). I now know for a fact the Chill cube takes 30-50% of the power compared to ANY RV A/C in the market today that is not an inverter or variable speed compressor! If there is a little drip, level front and curbside jacks up 1/2” and the excess will run down the back corner. It’s basically distilled water, so will not stain the fiberglass like rain water catching all the chems they put in our skies. The Chill Cube will run on batteries twice as long as the Freshjet and it’s also quieter than any other model out there, no compressor bang like the Truma, Houghton, Tosot or any US market Dometic product. And if you’re dead set on the condensate issue, the Freshjet is your only choice. You couldn’t pay me to own anything else now that we’ve experience the Chill Cube (a non-paid advertisement)! 😎

Excellent - You'll know more tomorrow! Not sure if we should be routing for the error to show with the U-Haul trailer or not! If it shows, then the issue is with your truck, and 4 GM dealers already couldn't figure it out. If you do not get a trailer error, make sure you give it a fair test. Pull it out, down the road. Turn your truck on and off several time. Pull the 7-blade plug in and out a few times. Still no error? Then we must conclude wiring on the Oliver side is bad.

Doesn't matter. Your mechanic thought this was the correct junction box and all the right colors are there for a trailer wire harness. This is referring to my comment on the black wire. The black provides constant 12V positive. In a cargo trailer that has no batteries it's used to power interior lights from the TV battery. In the Oliver and perhaps other travel trailers it uses the truck batteries to charge the house batteries. OTT disconnects it when installing LiFePO4 batteries. I believe it's a dumb and perhaps dangerous practice since a light gauge wire should never be used for this purpose. Anyway, this is not your issue. The only thing that connects power from your TV brake controller to your TT brakes is the blue wire. Just check to see if the blue wire connection tight. No, the Amazon link you provided has both male and female ends, its listyed as an extension cord. If you want to replace the male end, head only, get something like this. If the issue is at the truck to trailer connection only then this is the easiest route. Only takes an hour to replace this, Amazon.com: MECMO RV 7 Pin Trailer Plug Splice-in Replacement Trailer Side Male End 7 Way Round RV-Style Trailer Light Wiring Harness Connector, Heavy Duty 7 Prong Trailer Wiring Tow Plug for RV Boat Trailer : Automotive I like the idea of this one since it has a waterproof cable gland built into it, but it would be too long to fit on my truck. Amazon.com: Oyviny RV 7 Pin Trailer Plug with IP68 Waterproof Seal, Detachable 7 Way Round RV-Style Trailer Side Connector 7 Point Trailer Wiring Plug : Automotive If you need to replace the entire cable from the male 7-blade connector all the way back to your junction box under the vanity, you need something like this: Amazon.com: CheeMuii 7 Way Trailer Cord Heavy Duty 8 FT Trailer Wiring Harness Kit 7 Pin Trailer Plug Inline Wire Harness Cable for Trailers RVs Campers : Automotive Amazon links are to show examples. I'm not suggested these products specifically. No way you need a GM part and the picture of a part description you showed above is a combo 7-pin and 4-pin unit (4-pin for little trailers without brakes). You asked RE the clamp ammeter? I purchased a more expensive Klein product, their rugged version, but any will do just as long as it reads AC/DC, for the 120VAC systems and 12VDC systems we have on the Oliver. This one looks decent. Amazon.com: Klein Tools CL120 Digital Clamp Meter, Auto-Ranging 400 Amp AC, AC/DC Voltage, Resistance, Continuity, Non-Contact Voltage Tester Detection : Industrial & Scientific

Good find, Detective Columbo! 🤣 First time I heard the terms curbside and streetside was on this forum. The automotive industry uses left and right from the driver's point of view in the driver's seat. Whether I'm working on my Dodge truck, one of our Toyota products, or any vehicle if an auto part is unique left to right, you will see an L or R printed on it or in the part#. Go figure the wheel you are having an issue with is one that had a prior issue, also the one OTT replaced! Now you must enter a Service Ticket since OTT is already involved. Strange no date on this receipt. Maybe you have a larger picture showing it. Looks like they replaced everything on your right rear. They usually remove the entire braking plate and replace it with a new one that has the shoes, springs and everything. This is the way these are serviced. Nobody just replaces shoes on trailers anymore. The full assemblies are not very expensive (the drum/hubs with bearings are). It states ALL BRAKE ASSEMBLIES AND HUBS which means more than one but above it does state RIGHT REAR. The "HUBS" are integrated to the drums and the bearing is in the hub. This means regardless of where your squeaking is coming from it's coming from a part replaced already under warranty. When you spin your tire tomorrow, inspect the tire carefully for any bald spots or even scuffs on the tread surface. The tire was also replaced since it was "flat spotted" due to the brakes locking. Question is WHY? Why is squeaking occurring at the same RR location? The brakes locked last time but we cannot conclude it's the same cause today unless you find some flat spotting which would indicate brakes. Everything was replaced with new parts. I sure would like to know when. Maybe you can determine the date from related paperwork you have. Back to work, Columbo! 😎

Good thought Tom (and Dudley). Could be the brake shoes, but I would think @DunnYet would have noticed more than a squeak when spinning the wheels if this was true. The shoes, when the self-adjusters are working correctly, should just slightly drag on the drum and you should hear and feel drag as you spin in either direction. Correct the brakes are worn in rolling forward, something to consider for sure. The circular pattern of the shoes is not perfectly round like the drum. If the squeak has some pulsating pattern this could be true. If it's a constant squeal when spinning, then more likely the bearing. A three-year-old trailer should not have bearing or brake issues. IMHO, 3 years would be minimal time for a first inspection. This is supposed to be a 5-year 100K system. Also understand to check the brakes the outer circlip and spindle bolt must be removed. The bolt is on at 150 ft-lb and you must be able to replace it and retighten to this spec. I don't think a buildup of brake dust would do this. If the trailer was dragged through a lot of water on and off, then perhaps. I just lifted our Oliver and spun the two wheels on one side. I heard the constant drag showing the shoes are adjusted nicely. On one I heard a slight chirp in reverse, it went away immediately. Nothing you would call a squeal, but it plays to your hypothesis. Mine are like brand new though. I installed new D52 axles 10 months ago and have only 3,600 miles on them. @DunnYet, next time you do the spin test, try to focus on what kind of sound and where it's coming from, dead center or on the perimeter. You could use the tube in ear approach in lieu of a stethoscope. Constant squeal or something more dragging and pulsating?

Must have been getting tired last night! Truma in the title made me think HWH since there have been so many posts. Today I clearly see 'furnace' in title and body of post. There is something called a "wall cowl" and several flaps in this system. One of them is banging when it changes speed producing this sound.

Be very careful my friend! Certainly, take a look inside.

Excellent work! You got a lot done today. 😎 I have no idea how long these bearings are good for once they give the first clue. We're going to find out though, yours being the first experience on our forum. Some of y'all who boo-hooed my bearing replacement thread, time to rethink your position. A little noise in reverse. I think that's better than noise going forward or both directions. I would continue on your planned trip. Every day or two when you're leveling, lift that wheel and give it another spin. You have pinpointed your issue and can see how it progresses with miles towing. Exactly, there is no need. My bet is you'll get back to Texas on that bearing! But what do I know? If it gets bad, the bearing is easy to source, and a good trailer shop can replace it. I'll link my bearing replacement thread below. An Authorized Dexter Reseller should be able to replace it under warranty. You have a 2022 date on that axle and given the 5-year warranty is correct, you should be covered. I do not believe there is an original owner clause but find the limited warranty statement online to understand your rights. OTT, another authorized shop or Dexter direct. Your choice, OTT will just take more time. I'd go with a local authorized shop, hopefully back in Texas. If it gets bad when you're still in Wyoming, you always have the Alcan option. I usually forget it's Saturday too! If needed, you could call ahead to order the part. If so, send them your label picture. BTW, Dexter may not provide warranty replacement for a minor squeal. It needs to get worse and truly fail, the noise will be somewhat louder! 🤣 Don't wait 'til you get home. Given they were correct and Alcan just reinstalled them a bit tight, they have not yet been damaged. Loosen them as soon as you get a chance. They're Nylok nuts and will stay put. You'll be under the trailer with your torque wrench anyway, LOL! The rubber should oval-out some but not mushroom over the support metal like in your picture. I see 7 threads on that stud and 4 +/- might be the right count. Make them all the same. Buy new bushing sets later if they get bad. Keep us posted and do enjoy your trip! So cool, you got this worked out quickly! 😎

Sorry John, somehow I missed this when you posted this earlier! This is turning out to be my lamest mod! I usually do better. Dudley came up with the switch idea, and I didn't take the time to realize the light wiring would come in below the vanity countertop! So I have the doghouse mount with wires showing, new switch hole drilled... I'm bummed. 🙃 I was at first thinking of another porch light up front at the same height as the others. When that didn't seem right, I did not think of mounting something lower. Yes, for sure you can do your idea! You could pull power and put the lamp fuse inside the jack head. You would run the switch leg down the jack post, along the incoming line with the 30A fuse. Catch ground inside. Some kind of loom would make for a clean installation to cover the two wires and the jack fuse. You could use the same lamp as the porch lights. There is also a surface mount version of the light I purchased for the front. I just finished making my custom light bracket today. I'll post a picture when I get it installed.

Wow! Happy 10th and 50th Mike & Carol from your friends at Ollie-land! 🤗

Next time at your storage, take a good look at the jack post to see if it’s straight and can fully extend and retract. If you need a new post, I’ve got one, could ship to you. 😎

high prices, over-charging, service calendars booked months out, shoddy work, all they care about is new RV sales! 🤣 Just hear-say though, since I have no real experience in this area. Years ago, with a Class-C, I called to make an appointment and I replied no-thank-you after hearing they were taking appointments 3+ months out and you'd have to leave it there for a few weeks! They'll "work you in." We have a new business that opened recently in town. It's a great concept! They do not sell RVs, but only service HD trucks and RVs. If you need service, look for a place like this in your neighborhood. Get your TV and TT serviced with one company at the same time! Southwest Truck and RV | Gas or Diesel vehicle repairs | RV Repair

June 7th went by and our Oliver has been parked for a few weeks on the corner of our property. The A/C running, set at 80F on battery (😎) since it's getting hot again. We've had a most beautiful Spring that has literally lasted for months. Clear skies every day until some clouds blew in. Just heard some thunder, always hoping for rain. Maybe a monsoon or two will come early this year... I forgot all about her on our third anniversary! We're not traveling again until Labor Day which starts our new travel season and there's nothing big scheduled in mods like our last two summers. She looks and performs a whole lot better than she did 3 years ago! 🤣 The 7th is also Chris' birthday! I certainly did not forget that nor our 32nd wedding anniversary on the 1st! Charley turned 12 yesterday. He got a summer cut and a bone! He loves traveling in our tow vehicle and camping in the Oliver! (see pic above) Thankful to have our Oliver! It's improved our lifestyle, with the ability to leave on moment's notice and glamp (never really liked that word but how true it is). Looking forward to another great year with our Oliver. Even giving some thought to that Rally...

We all do this and I'm sure you've done it correctly 100s of times. Don't we all also eyeball all hitch connections 2-3 times before we leave and every time we stop? If it was not connected correctly, it would have fallen off in the first few miles while still towing at low speed. Wondering how much OTT will quote? Pretty good price in the link I supplied above for the same Bulldog part. Here are my before & after pics! The only hard part with this installation is marking the correct positions for the drill holes on the new Bulldog. The larger ball helps and with the 12.5K rating you will have a 2x safety margin, given most Olivers loaded are a little over 6K LBS.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You have been dealt a bad hand and have done more on your own that most people are able or willing to do! This should not be the case on a 2022 Oliver and 2023 HD truck! Good thing you have a modern diesel truck. I imagine you are running the exhaust brake to compensate for the trailer brakes. Taking another look at this photo, I don't see the large black cable coming from the hitch, but I do see all the wire colors associated with a trailer wiring harness. You can have an issue there, but there is no movement there like at the hitch or at the wheels. Wago connectors covered with electrical tape, good work OTT! Wagos are not reliable. It makes sense the black is fused for the +12V (accessory or charge wire). This should be disconnected anyway. The blue is for brakes. If you have a butt connector and crimp tool where you can reach in there, I would replace the Wago connector. I'd replace them all but not while on the road. So all trailer lights, turn signal lights, etc work except the blue wire? Again low likelyhood. Intermittent loss is more likely either the electronics going bad in the truck brake controller, a loose connection at the 7-blade connector or a wire shorting on-n-off at the wheels. The U-Haul rental is a pain but will give you a truck vs. trailer diagnosis. You may do this and find no error and then think you wasted more time, already thinking it was something wrong in the Oliver. If you are able to test for amperage on the brake lines and found an error this would be easier with tool and testing knowledge. Problem with this option is it can test good when sitting/testing and then a bad wire can touch when moving, hence your intermittent issue. Nothing worse than intermittent issues. I bought a truck NEW once in my life, the other 10 were all purchased USED. It had a bad trans, the torque converter would slip intermittently when hot. I took it to 3 different Dodge dealers for warranty repair. It always worked fine when at the dealer, at least that's what they said! Sound familiar to your experience? It lasted until it was out of warranty and then it failed on an AZ to TX trip. I was lucky to limp along on the final stretch, just barely getting to our Georgetown home. You could stop at Harbor Freight in Little Rock and purchase a clamp-on ammeter. Test for amperage like in the picture I shared above. I've got another idea. Forget about it for a while, use your exhaust brake and enjoy your trip. After you get to New Mexico drive another day to Prescott Arizona. I have an Oliver parking spot with a 30A hookup, good mountain water, free dump station down the street. I have the next 3 weeks off work and would work a couple days on your Oliver! We can tow my Oliver with your truck to see if we get the same error message. I will wire a new 7-blade connecter, new brake wiring at the axles or whatever is needed. I'm not kidding! I enjoy repair work and it's a genuine offer to help you. PM me if you want. If your issue is with the Oliver, I can and will fix it. Best wishes, JD

This could be nothing. Could be something squeaking from the new leaf springs. Alcan torque numbers are high. The springs or a very tight bolt can squeak. But to answer your first question, "should I be worried?" There are things you could look into... First thing you can do in the morning, parked at the campsite, is use your stabilizer jack to lift that side up. Spin both tires one at a time. Hopefully you do not here squeaking running this test because it would mean a Nev-R Lube bearing is failing. However, this is not a conclusive test, since when lifted there is no load on the wheel bearings. These bearings can last many years, warrantied for 5 years, but can fail at any time. A low probability cause since your Oliver is relatively new, unless a whole lot of miles have been towed. Also, with the wheels lifted do the 3 - 9 o'clock position pushing back and forth and 6 - 12 positions to see if there is any free play. If good, you should NOT be able to budge the wheels at all. After you break camp, do some slow towing forward and backing up in an open area where you can take your time. One of you driving, the other with ears close the Oliver wheels on the side it's squeaking. See if you can reproduce the sound and try to pinpoint the location if possible. Your shocks look terrible! The bushings were greatly over-tightened when installed (bushings flat and way too many threads showing above the top washer). Shocks can make squeaking sounds. This would be your best-case scenario as you can drive to Texas and back without shocks on an Oliver without causing harm. In fact, if you believe it is a particular shock, remove it to see if the squeaking goes away. At some point they should be replaced, but they are not critical in your getting home. If it gets worse and you're not too far already from Alcan Springs, it may be a good idea to go back. You're a customer. They have the tools and expertise and would certainly take the time to help you. If it is a bearing failure, they could change it for you, and likely under warranty on a 2023 trailer! They are a Dexter Authorized Reseller. At least call Lew or Tim. Let them know of your situation and get their advice and help if needed. If it doesn't get any worse, you could play it by ear and continue to Wyoming. Keep in mind a return through Grand Junction to Alcan Springs may be necessary if it gets worse. This sure beats being somewhere else in the country, far from home, not knowing where to go for service. Best wishes to you in your travels! JD