Entry Steps failed

[Neemer]

Off the top of my head, I don’t know what brand they are, but I suspect Lippert.

After pulling into my stop for the night, something gave way and my steps are swinging free. The motor runs, but something isn’t hooked up like it’s supposed to be.

I’ll crawl under there tomorrow and take a look. What am I likely to find?

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Off the top of my head, I don’t know what brand they are, but I suspect Lippert.

After pulling into my stop for the night, something gave way and my steps are swinging free. The motor runs, but something isn’t hooked up like it’s supposed to be.

I’ll crawl under there tomorrow and take a look. What am I likely to find?

Possibly the three bolts that hold the motor in place may have come loose thus the gears will not mesh. I doubt if the gears on the motor failed. I suspect the gear on the step is worn. This happened to me about four years ago. I was able to get a machine shop in New Orleans to rebuild mine. The machinist told me that it was just made of mild steel. He reinforced ours during the repair.

Good luck

Darrell

 

[stang37]

1). You could have lost the cotter pin that hold the pin in the clevis that connects the motor to the steps.
2). Someone might have stepped on the steps as they were moving and it stripped the motor gear.

Either of these will just let the steps swing freely.

 

[Neal]

Amazon product ASIN B005G21JP2

 

[Wemustrv]

It sounds like the arm from the motor to the steps has become disconnected.

 

[Neemer]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I was able to check things out a little better and found the linkages are intact. So, I must have stripped gears in either the motor or the gearbox. Today’s mission is to going to be to find a way to strap them out of the way while in travel mode. I’ll get them repaired when I get to FL.

 

[Neal]

Here is the controller. I carry a spare motor and controller in my spares kit. While I may not need it, someone else may as happened at the Balloon Fiesta and @Richpatty had an issue needing a controller. Good to have on hand for self or others. Kwikee is about as reliable as OASIS.

Amazon product ASIN B002LLE5WK

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Here is the controller. I carry a spare motor and controller in my spares kit. While I may not need it, someone else may as happened at the Balloon Fiesta and @Richpatty had an issue needing a controller. Good to have on hand for self or others. Kwikee is about as reliable as OASIS.

Amazon product ASIN B002LLE5WK

I have spares as well. Purchased them before I discovered that the gear teeth were worn down.

 

[TheLooks]

I believe it is just a repurposed power window motor from some American made car.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I believe it is just a repurposed power window motor from some American made car.

Yes it is. I bought mine at NAPA. It is an 80s Ford left front door glass motor. I think I paid 30 or 40 dollars for mine. Once I had the original removed I recognized it for what it was (some of my career was dealing with car parts). If any one wants the NAPA part # I can probably dig it up.

Darrell

 

[Bayouownbeer]

Yes it is. I bought mine at NAPA. It is an 80s Ford left front door glass motor. I think I paid 30 or 40 dollars for mine. Once I had the original removed I recognized it for what it was (some of my career was dealing with car parts). If any one wants the NAPA part # I can probably dig it up.

Darrell

If that’s the case it’s half the cost of the kwickee aftermarket motor

 

[Joe Hogan]

Step motor from AM Equipment

214 Series DC Gear Motor - AM Equipment

Original equipment replacements for LCI / Kwikee®

www.amequipment.com

 

[Neal]

Reminder to all with Kwikee steps - wait for your steps to fully extend (deploy) until stepping on them. Putting any resistance on the motor while in transit seems to cause issues such as stripping the nylon gear.

 

[Buly]

I just had to replace the plastic gear wheel on my steps. Bought the wheel on eBay for $14 including shipping.

 

[Fish]

My plastic gear in the motor failed, my unit is a 2007. I would have thought they'd have improved the design by now but I guess not.
Mine was a coachstep, taken over by kwikee.
Motor assembly looks the same as what Neal posted except mine has a gear where that one only had a shaft.

I hope you have better luck lining up the 3 holes than I did. I had to drill out the motor holes, buy longer bolts, it was a disaster. I really learned what the underside of the front end of my Monaco looked like because I laid under it for so long.

We lost the motor gear at a rest area in Florida on the way home last year. Motor grinding, steps not moving. Luckily I had a few straps and strapped it closed.
I agreed to take a job at a chemical plant outage in KY on the way home, 7-12 hour days for a month. Found a campground at Paducah and dropped off the motorhome. Clamped the steps open with vice grips so I could use them for a month since it's a very high step to get in without them.