Kwikkee Steps Not Working

[wildebill308]

Great, glad you got it fixed. 

Bill

[manholt]

I'm glad you got the issue resolved.  Thank you for the feed back and links!  There will be an OP by years end with your problem...

Carl

[QuiGonJohn]

11 hours ago, manholt said:

There will be an OP by years end with your problem.

I know what you mean.  Too bad they can't structure under something like "SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES" to have Sub-Forums for Heating, LP Gas, AIr Conditioning, Steps, etc.

Or in another area, like Slideout has it's own, maybe that could be Slideouts and Steps.

[manholt]

We do, this whole post should have been under Electrical or Slideout....you should scroll down some more and see what's on the front page of the Forum!

Carl

[QuiGonJohn]

So now, a little over 5 months since I got my steps working, they are acting up again.  We went to 2 state parks in the Fla panhandle last week, from South Florida.  They worked the evening we left and the first night we stopped.  Continued to work the second day on the road and the night we spent at Walmart.  When we left there that morning they worked, but the next time we stopped nothing, they would not extend.  When we were at our destination I connected wires direct to the motor and could not get the step motor to move.  I unhooked the release so the steps just hung down and tried attaching wires and now I could get the motor to move, so I figured it was not the motor.  I left them in the extended position at the campground, with the power cord unhooked so they would not retract.   I also lubed all the pivot points of the steps to be sure it was not am issue of just needing to be oiled.  When we left the campground, I reconnected the power, they retracted and I tested and they extended and retracted as they should.  At our first stop for gas we had to stop at the pumps and then move and do a few things, they worked fine both times.  At our next stop, a couple hours later, they stopped working again.  Any ideas on what may be causing this?  I already tried doing the same thing to the connector at the motor, like I did back in November, this time that does not seem to help.

[desertdeals69]

Try wiring the motor direct to the battery to see if the motor will run when it won't with the step harness.

[wayne77590]

Just a passing thought:

The mechanisms gears are wide open to road debris. If there are any debris between the ratchet plate and the step frame the current limiting switch will keep it from operating.

[QuiGonJohn]

Wow, still not getting notification emails when people respond, sorry.  Since I posted it has been quirky, sometimes works sometimes not.  We are home and right now the steps are extended and I disconnected power so they won't retract.   When I get some time I plan to go under it again and look for debris or other issues with the linkage and gear.  In fact I hope to be able to take the cover off one area and see what is going on in there.  I also thought to remove the cover from the control board and possibly try reseating any connectors or electronics I find there, that this can be done to.  Then see how that does.  In the mean time, we bought a cheap, foldable step we can place there, if the regular steps don't come out for us when we stop someplace.  Frustrating, since I got it working back in Nov and hadn't had a problem all that time.

[manholt]

As long as you wash it of with a low pressure sprayer (I don't use soap, just a hose) and lube it every 30 days, you should not have any problems.  Also, very important, is to allow step to open all the way, before putting any weight on it...that includes pets or kids!  Since I started doing the above, have not had a problem in 3+ years!

Carl

[Blues2go]

My steps worked intermittently also but made a loud noise when closing. The same may not apply to your situation. I took my motor completely off the motorhome, separated the motor from the gear box, disassembled the gear box on the motor assembly and found that the plastic gear inside was stripped as I had suspected. I am in the process of ordering the gear but can't find just a replacement gear without buying the whole motor assembly. Does anyone know of a source for just he gear. Thanks.

[hermanmullins]

Blue, I have an old unit. Send me PM and I will give my number to call.

Herman 

[OLDMARINE]

Blues2go

Try E trailer.com , they are very good about finding YOU'r Part

hope this helps , Old marine

[hermanmullins]

So Blue which one do you need? 

Cost $0.00 plus shipping. 

Herman 

[QuiGonJohn]

Herman, did Blues2go take you up on that?  If not, I could use them.  Have my RV at the shop and they say motor is bad, but since it works sometimes, I think it might also be a gear and not the actual motor.  When I get the RV back I will be pulling the motor and checking it out.

Also, I thought when I first started this thread I had come across a link for the motor, I think it was about $67.  Well I cannot find that and once again I tried using the SEARCH.  I went to the MAIN PAGE for the FORUM, I did a SEARCH of ALL CONTENT on both "steps" and then also on "kwikkee".  I did not come up with any other related thread, except this thread, (and when I put in "step" a whole bunch of others, "the first step is to ...").

Can someone help with a link?

Also, how can I tell if my motor is right hand or left hand, as mentioned in Wayne's post.  Looking at it, I suppose it depends on the angle you view it from.

[desertdeals69]

3 hours ago, QuiGonJohn said:

Herman, did Blues2go take you up on that?  If not, I could use them.  Have my RV at the shop and they say motor is bad, but since it works sometimes, I think it might also be a gear and not the actual motor.  When I get the RV back I will be pulling the motor and checking it out.

Also, I thought when I first started this thread I had come across a link for the motor, I think it was about $67.  Well I cannot find that and once again I tried using the SEARCH.  I went to the MAIN PAGE for the FORUM, I did a SEARCH of ALL CONTENT on both "steps" and then also on "kwikkee".  I did not come up with any other related thread, except this thread, (and when I put in "step" a whole bunch of others, "the first step is to ...").

Can someone help with a link?

Also, how can I tell if my motor is right hand or left hand, as mentioned in Wayne's post.  Looking at it, I suppose it depends on the angle you view it from.

Go to an auto parts store like Auto Zone and get a 89 Ford LTD drivers door window motor (If I remember correctly).  They have the picture of it so you can match it up and it comes with the gear box.  It was about $46.

[QuiGonJohn]

desertdeals, if I go that route I will pull the assembly and take it with me to match it up. Have to wait to get the RV home, so I can pull the assembly and check it out.

[wayne77590]

Here is one link and I think it is the one from when I purchased my replacement motor.  Having the model number and contacting the company would be the most wise thing to do.

Kwikee Step Motor

Amazon also has Kwikee Step Motors for sale: Make sure you have your model #.

Here is the Kwikee Step Guide

[QuiGonJohn]

So I got my RV back today and worked on the step again.  First I removed the pin and unlinked the step from the motor. With the steps unlinked the motor seems to work fine.  But maybe it's getting weak.  I removed the motor, one bolt broke so I have to find a replacement for that.  Anyway, the gear on the motor and the large gear inside the gear box, both look fine.  They are metal and I don't see any broken teeth or anything like that.  So I am not sure what to do next.

[desertdeals69]

On 6/5/2017 at 3:05 PM, QuiGonJohn said:

desertdeals, if I go that route I will pull the assembly and take it with me to match it up. Have to wait to get the RV home, so I can pull the assembly and check it out.

It came with the motor and the gearbox.

[QuiGonJohn]

I just looked this up on Auto Zone's website.  They do not show an 89 Ford LTD, 86 is latest, then it jumps up to 2010.  If I start with Year, then Ford, no LTD shows up.

As to the gearbox, it seems you mean the smaller gearbox, directly connected to the motor, that is how I removed it.  But NOT the larger Gear Linkage Box, shown here on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G21JCU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

So from the Auto Zone site I see this one:

http://www.autozone.com/collision-body-parts-and-hardware/window-lift-motor/dorman-window-lift-motor/41182_479487_0_78655?fromString=search&make=&model=&year=

This seems to be the closest, although on my original one, the electrical connector is on the lower side of the motor, as pictured, not near the top. But the orientation of motor to gear box, and gear box holes seems to be the same.  This is the page with all motors for the 86 Ford LTD.

http://www.autozone.com/collision-body-parts-and-hardware/window-lift-motor?filterByKeyWord=89 ford ltd&isIgnoreVehicle=true&fromString=search

Did this also come with new mounting bolts?

[wjell]

I also have this problem intermittently. I have found that giving the motor a solid thump gets it working again - until it decides to not work again. Sometimes an hour or a month or could be a year or more. Just make sure you are clear from the steps when you whack it. 

[QuiGonJohn]

Well I took apart the gear box, what a mess in there.  I think I will just get the new motor assembly.  I struck out at Auto Zone, the one I posted above, the mounting holes do not line up and they did not have any others. Very close match, but w/o the mounting holes right, I'd be out of luck.  So it looks like I will pay a little more and order the Lippert motor from American RV, $64.16 plus shipping.

[manholt]

Do they have the same motor on Amazon?

[QuiGonJohn]

Amazon has one too, but it is listed as the Kwikkee 1101428.  I thought I read somewhere that the Lippert 379147 was improved, higher torque.

[desertdeals69]

When I went to Auto Zone they had all the pictures and we just matched it up.  It may not have been and LTD but another model but I remembered it was an 89 but there could be more than one year since they are not going to have a new motor design every year.