Kwikee Steps Again

[Ray,IN]

FWIW, my step stopped moving although I could hear the controller click every time the door reed switch was near a magnet.
I removed each electrical plug connection and sprayed with contact cleaner. After 3 days the step began moving with the door as it should. Since I sprayed all of them at the same time, I haven't a clue which plug was corroded so much it lost contact.

[bmcgc]

So far so good. I have used the steps about a dozen times and they are operating as they should.

[Jakeman]

Originally Posted by bmcgc

The past 4 years my steps have worked about 10% of the time.

I carry my hot tub steps with me so we can get in and out.

This past weekend I finally tried to figure out exactly what the issue is.

Power from the coach seems ok. Power out of the control box to the motor seems intermittent.

The motor does nothing or clicks and gets hot if I cycle the signal a few times.

I can buy the control box, motor and gear box for about $125 off Amazon and replace all three components.

I am unable to unattach the arm between the steps and gear box to allow the steps to drop. The retaining pin in the control arm will not budge.

There is access to only the underside of the step mounting bolts. I am concerned that if I attempt to unbolt the steps, the bolt will only spin, or I will never be able to get them reinstalled.

Any suggestions?

I went through this with mine and it turned out to be the wiring from the door switch, for some reason there is a spade connector inside the door jam, it was corroded badly.


If you are going to check the wires, make sure to attach a pull wire to them before you pull them out the bottom, so you can get them back in easily

[Flanz]

Just pulled down the motor/gear box mechanism on my entry steps. It was a simple process as long as the carriage bolts stay in place. My motor was toast due to rust and junk getting into it.

I decided to take it apart to see what happened. The picture tells the whole story. So what I did to the new assembly was to run a bead of silicon around the area where the motor and gear box mate. Hopefully this will keep the water and anything else from getting in.

[NMBluept]

Originally Posted by Flanz

Just pulled down the motor/gear box mechanism on my entry steps. It was a simple process as long as the carriage bolts stay in place. My motor was toast due to rust and junk getting into it.

I decided to take it apart to see what happened. The picture tells the whole story. So what I did to the new assembly was to run a bead of silicon around the area where the motor and gear box mate. Hopefully this will keep the water and anything else from getting in.

That looks familiar! My steps worked sometimes and made a chattering noise when extending or retracting. I removed the motor (3 10mm bolts) and disassembled it. It looked just like yours. I further investigated and found the plastic gear missing about 30% of the teeth. I found a OEM replacement motor assembly on Amazon for $101 - I didn't get one of the $32 Chinese replacements since I really don't want to mess with this again.
I found the plastic gear on Amazon & eBay for under $20. Mine is a 78 tooth gear. I ordered one and will get the o-ring and rebuild the old motor so as to have a spare.

[NMBluept]

Got the new gear and replaced the large o-ring. Now have a backup motor assembly. I've attached a picture of the worn gear vs. new gear. This was quite simple to do and under $20 for gear & o-ring.

Safe travels,