Airstream Excella 500 1979 User manual

®1 979 By Airstream

Introduction
An Airstream Excella Travel Trailer offers you
excellence in travel luxury and mobility. This
owner’s manual is your key to carefree travel
fun. It contains information necessary to
avoid problems. Consult it when you have a
question about your new Excella. It has been
designed to aid you in knowing your trailer
better. All information, illustrations and speci¬
fications contained in this literature are based
on the latest product information available at
the time of publication approval. The right is
reserved to make changes at any time without
notice. Should you trade or sell your Excella,
please leave the manual with the trailer. Go
Airstream and make this your year for care¬
free vacations.
Note: If and when new materials and pro¬
duction techniques are developed which
can improve the quality of its product or
material substitutions are necessary due to
availability, Airstream reserves the right to
make such changes.

Contents
Wally Byam Caravans and Clubs.2
Airstream Limited Warranty.4
Warranty and Service.5
Explanation of Airstream
Limited Warranty.6
Service Centers.8
Wally Byam Stores.12
Tow Car Equipment.13
Electric Brakes.14
Hydraulic Brakes.16
Loading.18
Tires.26
Hitching Up.27
Towing Tips.30
Overnight Stop.33
Extended Stay.34
Winter Airstreaming.36
Storage and Winterizing.37
Exterior Identification.38
Exterior.40
Floor Plans.42
Interior. 4 7
L.P.G. System.58
Refrigerator.61
Microwave Oven.64
Range and Oven.66
Furnace.68
Water Heater.70
Water System.71
Drain and Waste System.74
Electrical System.77
Battery.79
Electrical Outlet Locations.81
Electrical Wiring Diagrams.82
Electrical Trouble Shooting.91
Specifications.92
Pre-Travel Check List.94
Lubrication and Maintenance.96
Maintenance Record.97
Index.98

Wally Byam Caravans, Rallies and Clubs
When you bought your Airstream, you bought
a whole new way of life. Airstream owners en¬
joy endless opportunities for friendship, fun
and adventure. You may join every Airstream
Wally Byam Caravan and Airstream Compa¬
ny Rally, we arrange for such rallies to vari¬
ous areas each year. You also become eligi¬
ble to join the Wally Byam Caravan Club
International, the largest single make trailer
club in the world. The WBCCI is made up of
26,500 family memberships and 170 local
chapters or units throughout the United
States, Canada and Mexico. They meet at
monthly rallies, or where weather conditions
prevent, year round rallies, Caravanners come
together for pot luck dinners to plan events
for the good seasons.
Since the first Wally Byam Caravan in 1951,
120 Airstream Caravans have gone to most
parts of the world. Caravans to Canada and
Mexico are now so popular that there are sev¬
eral each year. Many a lifelong friendship was
started on these trips. Old-timers and new
owners share experiences and find a new
kind of fellowship, and there is no better way
to learn to use your Airstream. Caravanners
enjoy many advantages: the security of trav¬
eling in a group, planned entertainment and
exceptional sightseeing opportunities. The
prestige and good will established over many
years by our Caravans adds further benefit to
Caravanner membership.
The “Caravanner” is the Airstream publica¬
tion and the “Blue Beret” is the official Cara-
2
van Club publication. The “Caravanner” is
for general distribution to owners and pro¬
spective buyers, while the monthly “Blue
Beret” is for WBCCI members only.
Several months before a Caravan rolls, the
“Caravanner” and the “Blue Beret” publish a
description and a registration coupon. Every¬
one who registers receives a detailed bulletin
with complete information on the caravan.
When going abroad, all official matters such
as insurance, tourist cards and border cross¬
ing formalities are handled for you by the
Caravan staff. On every Airstream Caravan,
the route is carefully planned, and a day by
day itinerary, including mail stops, is given to
all Caravanners in advance. Our staff also
makes all the arrangements for parking,
entertainment, tours, etc. well ahead of the
starting date. Airstream Caravan Programs
always take Caravanners of all ages into
account. Airstream provides a Caravan staff:
a leader, a recreation advisor, and service
representative and an advance representa¬
tive. This staff is backed by committees com¬
posed of interested Caravan members who
assist in the day-to-day operations.
Wally Byam, pioneer trailer traveler, and
founder of the Airstream Company, was born
on July Fourth and the first International Ral¬
ly was in the form of a huge birthday party for
him at Bull Shoals, Arkansas. It was patterned
after the International Rallies in Europe which
Wally and his wife Stella had attended for
many years. Everyone enjoyed this first big
rally so much that the club decided to make it
an annual event. Since then, International

Become part of the Airstream Way of Life.
Join our WBCCI activities and we believe you
will enrich your life. Owners join through a
local unit of WBCCI. All operate autonomous¬
ly, elect their own officers and fix their own
dues. Annual International dues are paid with
the unit dues at the time of application. These
are at present: International dues, $7.50 per
trailer and unit dues from $1 to $10. If you are
interested, please write to the following ad¬
dress for information regarding units in your
area:
Along with the fun, Airstream owners recog¬
nize the need for better legislation, more and
better overnight parking facilities, more sani¬
tary stations and other travel conveniences.
Rallies have grown and grown. Some 3949
Airstream Travel Trailer families recently
gathered at Ames, Iowa, for the 1978 Interna¬
tional Rally.
They are alert to adverse bills governing trav¬
el trailers and have achieved much through
the actions of the strong WBCCI National
Legislative Committee.
The Way of Life Department, of the
Airstream Company dedicates its full time
staff to improving the owners’ fun and makes
use of all the information and experience
gained by owners over the years to help
develop even better Airstreams and Way of
Life programs for the enjoyment of all
Airstream owners.
Only Airstream Wally Byam Caravanners and
WBCCI members are entitled to have an offi¬
cial Trailer Number and be listed in the 1979
Annual Directory. This directory contains a
schedule of all major WBCCI activities and
Airstream Wally Byam Caravans and Rallies
for the year. It also lists such things as
Freewheelers Club membership, C.B. Radio
and Amateur Radio Club memberships and
call signs, members who offer courtesy park¬
ing, and a complete list of Authorized Service
Centers.
WBCCI Headquarters Office
15939 Piuma Avenue
Cerritos, California 90701

Please place your Registered Warranty over this Facsimile with the folded edge on top. There is a-glue strip on the back for this purpose
AIRSTREAM LIMITED WARRANTY
When you buy a new Airstream Travel Trailer from an authorized dealer, Airstream warrants to you that, except for
tires and battery, it will pay for the repair or replacement of any part of your trailer or any component equipment
installed by the factory that is defective in material or workmanship. This warranty extends for a period of two (2)
years from the date of original purchase.
All that we require is that you use your trailer in a normal manner and properly maintain and service all component
parts requiring scheduled maintenance, and that all repairs and replacements be made by the Airstream factory or
any Airstream Certified Dealer Service center. Any warranty defect will be corrected without cost upon return of
the trailer, or defective part, to the Airstream factory or Airstream Certified Dealer Service center.
All warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, whether written or oral, express or
implied, shall extend only a period of two (2) years from the date of original purchase. There are no other
warranties which extend beyond those described on the face hereof and expressly excludes conditions
resulting from normal wear, accident, abuse; exposure or overload. Some states do not allow limitation on
how long an implied warranty lasts, so tire- above limitation may not apply to you. Airstream will not be
responsible for any consequential damages incurred as a result of any defect. Some states do not allow the
exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not
apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary
from state to state.
For additional information regarding your Airstream Limited Warranty, refer to the materials entitled "Explanation
of Airstream Limited Warranty" provided with this warranty.
Ohio Factory: 419 West Pike Street, Jackson Center, Ohio 45334
California: 15939 Piuma Avenue, Cerritos, California 90701