Need Help with Steps!

[Big Hack]

Hello everyone, New member here. I hope someone can help me. I have a 2006 34' Seabreeze and the steps would not come out when we went to use it this weekend. I am the second owner of this coach and it only has 10K miles on it, but the origional owners manual was never found when I purchased it. I have checked all the breakers and fuses they are all good. I crawled under the coach and noticed that when we opened the door the step light would come on then go off when we would close the door. I had to pull the pin and open the steps so we could use it this weekend, but I'm at a loss at figuring out what's wrong with it. Has anyone any ideas on what else I can check?

Thanks,

Hack

[NLOVNIT]

This exact thing happened to us (2006 Bounder w/12,000 miles) with our Kwikee steps in June & same as you, we had to pull the pin to manually extend the steps. We shoved a leveling board between the scissor arms to keep it extended during a trip until we could get it in for service. DH tested the wiring & we had power going to the module but nothing coming out of it. We had an incident earlier in the season where the steps wouldn't extend then either (after sitting a few weeks between trips), but after driving it to our next destination, they mysteriously worked again. I guess that was a sign something was going bad.

It turned out that both the control module & motor were shot. We had both replaced & all is fine now.

One more thing, in recent uses, the motor was quite noisy during operation (possibly another sign of upcoming failure). Since the replacments, operation of the step is nearly silent.

This site rx4rv.com had a whole thread dedicated to the non-working/problems w/steps issue.

Hope this helps. BTW, welcome to iRV2. We're glad to have you here.

Lori-

[Richard S.]

Hack,
This link will get you to the owners manual.
http://www.kwikee.com/Asteps.html

PS. Check out the National RV owners club on this forum. It may have information that may help you in the future.

[Big Hack]

Hey Lori, I'm glad to be here. And by the way, that website was great.

Richard, I appreciate the advice and I really needed the manual.

Thanks to both of you.

Hack

[JC2]

Big Hack:
After you get the steps fixed, be sure and set up a regular monthly/bi-monthly schedule for lubing the steps. This seems to be a frequently forgotten process by a lot of RVrs and can lead to problems down the road.

[JCM]

I lube the steps aprox 2 x per year with Castrol Chain Lube (for motorcycle chains). It is the best lube I have ever found and I havn't ever had trouble with the steps since. The steps were irratic in the beginning when I used WD40 or Silicon sprays.

[justimagination]

Hack, you on the right track. That is the most important thing that the step light is working properly, which tells you the wiring and CONTROLLER are OK. The electric motor on these steps were made to go inside the door on a Ford Taurus, and not in the outside weather, which is the main cause for a lot of the problems they have. Take the MOTOR out, loosen the end where the BRUSHES are, clean the COMMUTATOR with some fine sandpaper (100 grit will do) use your knife to scribe between the spaces on the COMMUTATOR, blow out with air real good, put it back together, I bet it works. Mine has been working for three years w/o a hitch, cost $ 0, JMHO, good luck,
David G.

[wa8yxm]

If the batteries are good, and the step light works properly. Try this..... Take a hammer, Crawl under the rig "Behing" the steps (You do not want to get in their way) Have your partner stand by the closed door.

Now, gripping the hammer by the head, "Tunk" the motor a few times, firmly, with the handle, (you do not want to smash it, just shake it up a bit) then have your partner open the door.

You may need to do this a few times

There is no guarentee it will work.. but then if it does not your $0.00 will be cheerfully refunded... And if it does.. Same thing.

Now: Mine did that several times.. I finally removed the motor (NOTE this needs to be done very carefully small parts WILL drop out) or rather opened the gear box, moved things just a bit so the motor stops at a different point when the steps are in or out, and... have had no problmes now for a few years.

Seems my motor had a "Dead spot"

The motor is a common window riser motor, you can get one at an auto parts store, should it need replacement, Take the old one with you as they use one of two different motors.. Ford and GM