Community Forums

glennj3cub · 12-02-2018, 11:15 PM

I probably need to replace them anyhow. The step motor does not seem to have the power to pull them up unless I assist with my hands. They did go down fine.
This weekend they stopped working pretty much all together but I was able to get them up. I still hear a click when the switch turns on but nothing moves and the step light does not come on.
Is this a repair job or do I need to just bite the bullet and replace the entire thing?
I have looked at motors but none look like this one.

Thank's,

Glenn

Arch Hoagland · 12-03-2018, 12:40 AM

Have you lubricated all the parts that move?

I use spray on lithium grease once a year on all the moving parts.

They usually get their power from the engine battery. Do they work better with the engine running?

How to make a signature for your RV so we can serve you better.

1 .Click "User CP" on left side of the screen in about the middle.
2. Click "Edit Signature" on left side 7 bars down under Your Control Panel.
3. Fill out your signature information.
4. Click "Save Signature"

glennj3cub · 12-03-2018, 01:42 PM

Thanks Arch. I took care of that issue.
I have owned this RV about 4 years and the steps never had the power to lift up without my help. I have routine maintenance. It has sat under the shed for several weeks when I went out to check things out and realized the step would not move.
After looking beneath it and pushing and pulling on wires and parts, nothing changed.But I was able to pull up very hard and push on the step and it move up into storage position.
When I flip the switch at the door I hear something like a solenoid near the step.
Oh, with the engine running makes no difference.
Thanks

rcnuts · 12-03-2018, 02:44 PM

This issue has been discussed before. Im not sure how handy you are, but heres a good approach regardless of the manufacturer of the steps. Get face to face with the mechanics, and observe where all the electrical connections are. Carefully pull apart each one, one at a time and check for corrosion or old crappy crimping on the spade terminals. Use "de-ox" or similar anti oxidizing gel on all connections as you reassemble. Any cracked wires should be replaced as these wires are stranded and once the plastic outer shield is compromised corrosion starts. Id go over the whole thing closely before spending what its going to cost to replace. What your describing sounds like the motor is starving for proper voltage. Just my 2 cents!
Harris

Arch Hoagland · 12-03-2018, 02:47 PM

Let us know what fixes them...

glennj3cub · 12-04-2018, 06:49 AM

Thanks everyone, I hope to get under there later this week though it is somewhat difficult to remove some of the electrical connecting covers. Fun time under the RV!

Arch Hoagland · 12-04-2018, 07:30 PM

It's like I tell my wife...just because I'm out in the garage swearing doesn't mean I'm not having a fun time.

glennj3cub · 02-12-2019, 10:24 PM

It has been a while, due to rain and cold but finally got under her and did nothing more than push and pull on wires. It started working again, like it did before.
It still will not fold up the steps without me pulling on them. They come down easily.
Nothing seems to be finding and I sprayed lubricant on anything that moves.
Still sounds like a weak motor?

AnotherMike · 02-14-2019, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glennj3cub

It has been a while, due to rain and cold but finally got under her and did nothing more than push and pull on wires. It started working again, like it did before.
It still will not fold up the steps without me pulling on them. They come down easily.
Nothing seems to be finding and I sprayed lubricant on anything that moves.
Still sounds like a weak motor?

My RV has a mechanical folding single step but I would like to get an electric double step... but it seems that there aren't any real RV junkyards local to southern california.

A while back I was helping a friend work on his coach electric steps. One useful diagnosis method was to use a long set of jumpers from the house battery to the step feed... This trick bypasses all of the coach wiring... If the steps work better then it's a voltage drop issue caused by old wiring. If they work the same it's a step mechanical issue.

It seems that RV steps never get lubed... lubing all moving points with good grade of thick grease might help. And I'd look carefully for bent areas - my MH had a very stiff step because at some point the previous owner had left it down and bashed a curb with it. It was essentially unusable until I bent it back into some semblance of straight with a long wrecking bar and a 3 pound sledge hammer. It's still somewhat stiff but it can now be persuaded to extend and retract. A proper fix will take removal of the entire assembly from the coach and further straightening in a bench vise. Or replacing it (with a motorized set).

BTW the electric step unit I worked on uses an electric window motor - it took a while to figure out but it's the same motor as in a fairly recent Ford F150 pickup truck. You can get one through a NAPA auto parts store. Take the old one with you to make sure it matches.