Stairs won’t extend (operate)

[StaRVGazer]

My stairs suddenly won’t operate. They were working without incident. Good power (13v), batteries charged, light underneath comes on, all breakers in the closed position (there are 3 related to the stairs), don’t need to have ignition on but I tried that. I pulled the main harness plug out of the PVC condulet underneath the stairs....13v to ground on two terminals at least, I think 10v on another and zero on the 4th....those last two could have been transients, all with the door open and the light underneath on. Check grounds. Under no circumstances do I get voltage at the motor plug (which I disconnected to take readings).

I tried turning the main battery disconnect off then back on. Tried powering down with the salesman switch then on again. Tried the ON-OFF stair switch on the Spyder panel at the door. Still nothing. Tapped on controller and motor with a large screwdriver handle. Still, I get no voltage at the motor.

Controller? Or am I missing any other diagnostic?

Thanks,

Paul

[Lt Dan]

It's possible the problem is the controller, but you won't have voltage to the motor until the controller sends it to either extend or retract. Since the light is on, that tends to indicate the controller is working. You might try applying 12v directly to the motor wires to see if the motor is operational. WARNING, make sure you are out of the way and have no appendages close to the stair when you apply voltage as it can move suddenly and with force. Motor failure is a more common problem with these than the controller.

[StaRVGazer]

Thanks. I have no schematic but does anyone know if the motor leads are RED 12v power, and YELLOW ground? Or are they +12 and -12V with the motor grounded to frame?

Paul

[Lt Dan]

Originally Posted by StaRVGazer

Thanks. I have no schematic but does anyone know if the motor leads are RED 12v power, and YELLOW ground? Or are they +12 and -12V with the motor grounded to frame?
Paul

You will need to disconnect the connector to the motor itself, not the controller wires. I think they are Red/Black and the voltage is reversible for direction. Here are two documents with some troubleshooting steps and a wiring schematic. Just FYI, a lot of the documentation for equipment will be on a USB drive you should have gotten with the coach.

[StaRVGazer]

Thanks! Turns out I do have the info but, I followed the troubleshooting flowchart you attached.

I get trouble at the white wire....no voltage from override switch. Curious thing though, I don’t think that switch has ever done anything. In the past I’ve tried switching off and on and see no difference.

However, I did check the 5A fuse....I assume they mean the circuit breakers on the panel under the driver’s seat. No problem there. Don’t see any blown fuses in the engine bay either. But, could be a loose wire. I tried rocking the switch several times.

If I ignore that step and follow the flowchart it gets me to bad controller near the bottom. All other steps in the sequence work until I get to forward/reversing voltages on the motor leads w/ door open and closed. Nothin'.

I’ll give Tiffin a call on Monday and see if they have any thoughts on the override switch voltage.

May try a controller swap as well.

Thanks,



Paul

[Brianb131]

I had a 2016 36LA, same Quickee stairs. I experienced the same issue several times, and got all the same suggestions. A Tiffin Tech diagnosed as a bad motor, and is a common issue with these steps. The motor does not work, however the light does. Very easy to change, only 3 bolts from underneath. You can buy the Kwickee 676061 motor on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Kwikee-379147.../dp/B005G21JP2

[dssl]

It can be the motor or the controller. From what I understand motor is more common. When mine didn't work it was the controller.

A pigtail to connect the motor to 12v source is useful, if you can move the steps with by powering it directly your motor is fine. If it doesn't move with direct power and you have voltage to the controller then the controller is probably bad.

If you end up needing a new controller then cut of the motor wire and you have a pigtail for next time.

[depchief]

Sounds like the motor. Power to everything but no operation. I replaced the motor that I purchased on E bay.

When I crawled under to R/R I found the face plate on the gear body was in 2 pieces, so had to get a new one also.
Actually an easy job

[Bsipe01]

I experienced intermittent step operation on our '11 Phaeton, I had completely rebuilt the steps with new hardware and powder coating, re-did the grounds, and cleaned up all the connections. Still, it persisted. I finally took a look at the magnetic reed switch. I found one of the connections had no terminal end, the wire was just twisted around the screw. I also discovered that the switch would operate reliably when I stuck a strong magnet next to it.

I re-mounted the reed switch, terminated the wires properly, and adjusted the switch and door magnet clearance closer. Made a significant difference, and there's been no intermittent operation since. The door switch is key for operation of the steps, so don't overlook that in troubleshooting.

[vettenuts]

Originally Posted by Bsipe01

I experienced intermittent step operation on our '11 Phaeton, I had completely rebuilt the steps with new hardware and powder coating, re-did the grounds, and cleaned up all the connections. Still, it persisted. I finally took a look at the magnetic reed switch. I found one of the connections had no terminal end, the wire was just twisted around the screw. I also discovered that the switch would operate reliably when I stuck a strong magnet next to it.

I re-mounted the reed switch, terminated the wires properly, and adjusted the switch and door magnet clearance closer. Made a significant difference, and there's been no intermittent operation since. The door switch is key for operation of the steps, so don't overlook that in troubleshooting.

Curious how you disassembled the steps, they appear to have rivets rather then bolted joints.

[StaRVGazer]

Thanks for all the replies!!

I think I had a couple of things going on. I went ahead and purchased a controller and a motor just in case. Diagnostic PDF lead me to controller. Before I replaced anything I did a reset procedure for "Locked Rotor State" per the attached Kwikee PDF. The procedure I went through indicated that might be the case since I'm guilty of stepping onto the steps before they complete travel.

After I did that I noticed that whenever I opened/closed the door the interior lights would dim momentarily. I also felt the motor and it was warm. I gave it a rap with a wrench and it started working but not for long...they started hanging up mid-travel so I replaced the motor. Now everything seems to work fine.

I did have one issue with the spur gear. When I removed it from the old motor everything in the gear box looked clean, smooth, and well greased. however, when I slid it on the shaft of the new motor it hung up so tight I couldn't get it off without serious prying. I think it bound up on a burr or something. It hung up on the shaft about the perfect distance of the previous spacers so when I mated it up with the gear box everything felt smooth manually. I couldn't detect any binding or grinding so I'm leaving it for now. Next time i have it at the house I will pull the motor and use a small gear puller to try and get it off if it doesn't loosen on its own from use, then put the proper spacers in.

Thanks again for all of the input!!

Paul

[Mbe111]

Bsipe01,
Nice job on rebuilding your steps, they look like new!

[lyonstom]

Lt Dan, you indicated we should have received a USB drive with our new 2019 Phaeton 40IH which would have all the downloaded information & materials? I think there's a bunch of missing stuff in our "big binder"....
Any idea (name) of who to contact at Tiffin to get the USB?
Thanks a bunch