Battery compartment won't unlock

[Tom and Doreen]

While camping last week and showing the trailer to one of the many interested people who stopped by I found that the battery compartment door would not unlock / open; the latch would unlock and turn (freely....too freely) but the door would not open.  It seems that the lock handle may no longer be connected internally to the lock / unlock mechanism.  I don't suppose there is an easy fix for this?  

Aside from this I've learned an important lesson: Always allow extra time when packing up a campsite because the Oliver draws a lot of interest and people will be stopping by. 

[topgun2]

Besides turning the lock with the key I assume that you have tried pulling out on the door.  But, have you tried pushing in on the door as you turn that key?

My experience is similar to yours - people "panic" when they see you packing up to leave and want to take that "last" opportunity to ask questions.  Be careful with this in that while you want to be polite and show off your Ollie, you also certainly don't want to miss any important steps in your routine for packing up.  Don't be afraid to ask these people to give you 5 or 10 minutes so that you can complete packing up.

Bill 

[Tom and Doreen]

27 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

Besides turning the lock with the key I assume that you have tried pulling out on the door.  But, have you tried pushing in on the door as you turn that key?

 

Hi Bill, I tried pulling on the door but I don't think that I pushed on it, I'll try that tonight. I suspect that it won't make much difference as the door is tightly closed and the latch just spins freely around as if not connected to anything. I hate the thought of drilling through the latch.  I'll likely be heading down to Oliver in January anyway so I may just wait until then for repair ( and hope that I don't need to access that area until then ). 

[John E Davies]

That is a very simple design, my guess is that the jam nuts have come loose, but it should still rotate the arm. Try pulling outward and and then inward on the handle, while rotating the handle.

 

If there is a door vent opening nearby,  you could pry that out and reach inside with a bent rod to move the arm that way. What a strange problem, please post a pic if and when you get the door open. Good luck.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[topgun2]

50 minutes ago, Tom and Doreen said:

I suspect that it won't make much difference as the door is tightly closed and the latch just spins freely around as if not connected to anything.

With mine - I've found that there have been times when the latch will "stick" to the inside.  A slight quick push in "un-sticks" it and I'm good to go.  Of course - my lock isn't spinning either but its worth a shot.

Good luck!

Bill

[Tom and Doreen]

Thanks folks!  ....Problem solved!  We've been camping in pine forests for a couple of weeks with varied temperatures and at times downpours;  It turns out that quite a lot of pine sap found it's way into the door gasket and glued the door shut.  Pouring warm water around  the door seal and tugging very hard freed it up!   

[John E Davies]

Getting the sap off your Ollie is going to be a chore. Plastic scraper blades work well if it is cool (not sticky). 

I hate sap.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Tom and Doreen]

Thanks John!  I noticed quite a few sap blobs on the roof, I'll get a plastic scraper and get at it.  

[topgun2]

I've also used a bit of Goof-Off to get sap off the Ollie and truck.  Go at it lightly though.

Bill

[Rivernerd]

55 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Getting the sap off your Ollie is going to be a chore. Plastic scraper blades work well if it is cool (not sticky). 

We live in a pine forest in central Idaho.  After I installed a sign on a tree two years ago, long trails of pine sap ran down over the sign in several places.  I found that WD40 sprayed onto the sap trails, and left to soak overnight, emulsified the sap and made it much easier to remove with a plastic scraper, without damage to the sign.

When pine sap gets onto our Elite II, I plan to use WD40 to help with removal.