Steps won’t extend

Boucher30

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2024
Posts
12
Location
Spartanburg
My steps have all of a sudden stopped extending outward any and all is appreciated. I have checked the fuse it seems fine so now what? Btw my wife will be forever thankful if she can get these working again.
 
A long time ago I had neglected lubricating my steps and that same problem (failure to extend) occurred and was resolved by using spray silicone lubricant. A few years after that, the motor for the steps failed and that failure was not a complete failure as the steps would work sometimes and sometimes not, I thought it was a lubrication issue but ended up being the motor itself.

There could be other issues such as damaged wiring, key on in the ignition, blown fuse (at the step controller) etc, but I would lubricate it all very well before I did a lot of other diagnostic work on them. When my steps first got stuck due to a lack of lubrication, they would still work some by pulling on them while opening the door. ~CA
 
Mine do that from time to time. Once it was the motor, all other times it was related to the cab battery.
 
A long time ago I had neglected lubricating my steps and that same problem (failure to extend) occurred and was resolved by using spray silicone lubricant. A few years after that, the motor for the steps failed and that failure was not a complete failure as the steps would work sometimes and sometimes not, I thought it was a lubrication issue but ended up being the motor itself.

There could be other issues such as damaged wiring, key on in the ignition, blown fuse (at the step controller) etc, but I would lubricate it all very well before I did a lot of other diagnostic work on them. When my steps first got stuck due to a lack of lubrication, they would still work some by pulling on them while opening the door. ~CA
I hear nothing that even sounds like it’s trying to come down do you think that means motor or did yours do that and needed lubricating?
 
I hear nothing that even sounds like it’s trying to come down do you think that means motor or did yours do that and needed lubricating?
I have had mine stuck in two different ways so to speak. The first time it became stuck I hadn't been in the RV for about a month and the motor made no noise whatsoever. I lubricated each area and moved (tried to move) the steps a little back and forth to get the lubricant in the mechanism and then it started working again. In the second case and right after the first and on occasion, the steps would move a little but no more and with that I did hear the motor struggle.

What I would suggest is to take a good look at all the moving parts and pins and lubricate them anyway if you haven't done so lately. I usually do mine ~twice a year.

As a note, the motor is similar to an electric window motor and when the window is all the way up or down it can go no further and the motor will make no noise if you try. Same with the steps and if they are stuck completely or not.

Someone here has a guide regarding the electric steps, I will check and see if I can find it and link it below. ~CA
 
I had thought JimD created a guide but I think this is the link that I was thinking of which has a lot of great information that should help you troubleshoot and fix your steps. In this Link Jim explained his testings and also shared a lot of links that you will find of value.

BTW, JimD has shared some RV electrical guides on the forum that he has written that you may find of value. Just search on his name and "guide".

While I was looking I also found this link that instead of documents has some good youtubes regarding how to troubleshoot the steps.

Fortunately for mine, all I have ever had to do is lubricate all the moving parts (and I now keep it all lubricated) and then replace the motor once. I am fortunate not to have broken wires or blown fuses or other issues that some others here have had. The motor was actually working on mine when I replaced it as it had become slow and unreliable even with everything well lubricated. ~CA
 
I have had all 3 scenarios.
- First trip out, get packed up to come home, steps won't retract. I have to disconnect from motor and tie steps up. The was because magnet came unglued from door. Took to dealer (I didn't know there where even magnets that controlled them). Lost a month waiting for an appointment. The dealer glued new ones back in. I immediately screwed them in. No that I think about, I should buy an extra pair.
- Next during winter storage they wouldn't do anything. I had not put engine battery (Steps run from this battery) on a trickle charger and I had killed battery. New battery and they worked fine.
- 3rd, they would sort of work but sometime not. Sprayed lubricant in all the pivot points and the steps worked as designed. I now periodically spray lubricant through out the season and winter.
They are finicky but if all three things are good, then they will work as expected. Of course a bad motor will also certainly put them out of commission.
 

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