Community Forums

Kenvb · 03-30-2019, 08:38 PM

any ideas would be great. sometimes they work fine ,next time just see them wiggle a bit and nothing..so we climb in and leave door open. then in 15 minutes they open?

dennis45 · 03-30-2019, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenvb

any ideas would be great. sometimes they work fine ,next time just see them wiggle a bit and nothing..so we climb in and leave door open. then in 15 minutes they open?

Have you lubricated ALL of the pivot points recently? Manual calls for monthly lubrication.
Use a good water resistant spray lube.
CRC is one I've used and also Boshield T9. WD40 is among the poor choices.

SuperGewl · 04-01-2019, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

Have you lubricated ALL of the pivot points recently? Manual calls for monthly lubrication.
Use a good water resistant spray lube.
CRC is one I've used and also Boshield T9. WD40 is among the poor choices.

Well you are correct, WD40 is NOT a good lubricant. Its design was as a penetrating oil to loosen things.
What you really need is some type of actual lubricant, WD-40 does make Silicon Lubricant and Gel Lubricant that work just fine.

I my self I use Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector fro the steps.

WBandJ · 04-01-2019, 02:47 AM

One of our previous MH had an inline fuse installed. The fuse holder was not weatherproof and was exposed to the elements. The contacts inside the fuse holder corroded. When parked in the driveway with the steps down, they would mysteriously close. I finally discovered that intermittent voltage changes due to the corroded fuse contacts were causing the steps to close.

Kenvb · 04-01-2019, 02:57 PM

its not a lack of lube issue, I have sprayed whole can of that CRC on the pivot points in last 3 yrs. that orange box with the wires is the culprit. I layed on ground beside the steps and tapped that box with small plastic hammer and the steps work.

ksg5000 · 04-01-2019, 05:11 PM

Sometimes erratic steps are the result of poor/corroded step ground wire and/or low battery.

Kenvb · 04-05-2019, 09:03 AM

its not batterys..I installed 3 brand new 1200 amp starting batteries last week. if the motor doesn't start,.i can drive it on the starter now..no. it starts better than ever now. the old cummins barely turns over now and it starts.i hate to take it to local RV dealers at $140 a hr. Trudy bought a light weight stepping stool for now.

dennis45 · 04-05-2019, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenvb

any ideas would be great. sometimes they work fine ,next time just see them wiggle a bit and nothing..so we climb in and leave door open. then in 15 minutes they open?

Send me a Private Message and I'll send you a Service/Troubleshooting Manual.

Ray,IN · 04-06-2019, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

Well you are correct, WD40 is NOT a good lubricant. Its design was as a penetrating oil to loosen things.
What you really need is some type of actual lubricant, WD-40 does make Silicon Lubricant and Gel Lubricant that work just fine.

I my self I use Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector fro the steps.

The original WD40 was a water displacing chemical, not a lubricant.It displaced water then dried to a waxy film. It is flammable when wet, I nearly burned up my 1953 Chevy when I attempted to start it while the WD40 was still wet and spark plug wires cross-fired.

onebrit · 04-09-2019, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenvb

any ideas would be great. sometimes they work fine ,next time just see them wiggle a bit and nothing..so we climb in and leave door open. then in 15 minutes they open?

Ken
I have had problem with my steps several times in the past and found that after checking I was getting voltage to the motor I decided to remove it I disassembled the motor and found that the commutator was really dirty so I cleaned it with a fine emery and then using a nail file scraped the insulators between each segment to make sure no tracking would occur from one segment to another as the brushes looked fine I reused them put back together
plugged temporary power source and away she went, I had already got a replacement motor so now I have a good spare should it occur again.
Hope this helps if you have voltage at the motor remove the step drive pin and pull step in and out by hand just to check freedom of movement at this point its the motor that's the problem.
Good Luck

Kenvb · 04-14-2019, 04:15 PM

thanks will check the motor connections ,,

onebrit · 04-16-2019, 07:12 PM

Ken
Just a quick follow if you have voltage at the motor chances are its the brushes and the commutator needs cleaning.
Good luck
Onebrit

winnie32v · 04-17-2019, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onebrit

Ken
I have had problem with my steps several times in the past and found that after checking I was getting voltage to the motor I decided to remove it I disassembled the motor and found that the commutator was really dirty so I cleaned it with a fine emery and then using a nail file scraped the insulators between each segment to make sure no tracking would occur from one segment to another as the brushes looked fine I reused them put back together
plugged temporary power source and away she went, I had already got a replacement motor so now I have a good spare should it occur again.
Hope this helps if you have voltage at the motor remove the step drive pin and pull step in and out by hand just to check freedom of movement at this point its the motor that's the problem.
Good Luck

My steps have been erratic at times. I have had to 'loosen' the nuts that hold the motor assembly to the frame, allow the assembly to 'drop down' a little, and all works well for a while. Then re-tighten.
So, do you have any pics or instructions on your clean-up of the motor.
I seem to recall years ago that when I tried to take the cap of of the motor (or maybe the gearbox) it felt like there was a spring ready to pop out, so I tightened the screws and put it back on the motorhome.

Please advise for procedures for the motor as well as the gearbox.
Thanks.

onebrit · 04-18-2019, 07:58 PM

Dear Sir
Unfortunately I didn't at the time I was having trouble with our steps think that I might be trying to help someone else resolve this Erratic step or step failure. I am a service technician on all types of Machine tools and have worked on large DC motors for many years now. So I tend to just dive in and try and resolve these kind of problems luckily having some success. However I will try and see if I can give you more details but will have to go look at my spare to remind myself about the disassembly procedure as I don't want to give you false information, I'm not sure if step manufacturer would have specs on replacing the brushes as that may include disassembly. I'll try and follow up on this to see If I can offer more detailed help.
Kindest Regards
OneBrit