My 2020 Jayco Kwikee step is stuck in the out position. Watched your vid to the 2:28 mark. Went to the door, saw a little piece of plastic, put it where you put the magnet: voila! Step worked. It had fallen off screen door! Looks like there are two screw holes but they weren't used. The thing is attached with double-backed tape. Pathetic! I was a 31J10 teletype repair tech in the US Army. Electro-mechanical. I didn't even have to get dirty or get out any tools to fix this! Have a beautiful day and to all the trolls? Get a life! Road-side assistance would have towed me but all the RV dealers are fully booked to February. So thankful I found your video! God bless you!
A rude comment on this video inspired me to write this comment. I am not a certified RV mechanic and I am not a professional videographer. Yes, I could have done a better job of explaining and showing each step. That could be said for 99% of the how to videos on TH-cam. When I start getting paid to produce these videos, I'll be sure to do that. I get frustrated trying to find videos that solve the exact problem I have. I've seen RV automatic step videos that show you how to replace a motor but I wanted to produce a video that showed my thought process on how to troubleshoot the problem in the first place. I think I did that with this video. I didn't rehearse it or script it. I explained my thoughts at each step to illustrate how to troubleshoot the problem. I didn't show steps on removing bolts or unplugging cables. If you need to see that in this kind of video then you probably should pay someone to do the job for you. I welcome constructive criticism but don't just leave a negative or rude comment or I will delete it. I have little patience for trolls.
Lowell Specht thank you so much for this video! You saved me a ton of money and it was fun following your lead and actually getting my stairs to work. We were about to head out of town (flagstaff), when I realized the stairs didn’t go in. I immediately did what I usually do and tried to contact my RV guy. When he didn’t respond I started searching TH-cam and found your video. I did what you did, and bam, it’s working again! Thank you for your helpful video!
Most of us who work on vehicles are backyard DIY, even if I've performed the job (breaks etc) I enjoy watching you tube how to and appreciate people like you, who produce these for us. I have wanted to do the same, but when it gets down to it, I just want to get er done. I do copy and save these for my vehicles. Thanks again for sharing Lowell! God bless stay safe!
You did just fine. It's important to show how these components function together. Many people are just looking to see how these can be tested and what considerations they should take. The problem you had happens frequently with these motors. They have a feed back mechanism that trips to indicate the end of travel. On occasion they stay tripped and automatically send the control unit the end of travel condition when it hasn't even moved yet. The best way to "fix" this when it happens is to tap on the motor with a hammer and retry. Sometimes the motor must be removed, the shaft moved and reinstalled. This will untrip the motor and it will work again. If it keeps happening, just replace the motor.
Just purchased a older motorhome, and your video has helped me fix my steps. I looked for other videos and could not fine another one. Thank you for taking time to do this.
I have watched many Videos about RV steps this week. Just happened across yours searching for something else. Your system is the same as ours, motor ,gear box etc. 94 Bounder. Ours was stuck in the out position, so we took after it today. Checked all the normal things as per. When I started to clean the outside gear cover i saw a 90 degree rub ware the bushing goes that the square drops through. took some 80 grit sand screen and light oil and smoothed the ID of the housing then put the scotch bright to it. Greased the entire works with a tube of Cam grease I had lying around , Just like a new one now. next was I used break clean on all the pivot points, let it flash off , then WD 40 to wash out the rust etc. then oiled all the points. Oh and didnt forget to grease the ball and socket either. Thanks again for a great Vid.. Cheers Dog
Lowell, first THANK YOU!!!! I know for sure that the trolls are out there but you should just ignore them. Lot's of great info. Saved me about $400.00. Again ignore the trolls, you are a fellow RVer trying (and succeeding) to help us. You are not a slick A/V production company. But even so the video is a jewel! Keep 'em coming! :-)
I took mine down and found the mechanical parts were good then found the Motor plug was loosely connecting. I tightened them with a tiny hemostat and put everything back together, SUCCESS! love your video
I suspect the motor brushes were not getting good contact. When you took the motor off the worm gear turned the motor enough to get the brushed to contact again. It's pretty common. Glad it's working for you. That gearbox is the same one I have and it's obsolete. The replacement motor kit is high priced too.
Lowell, you couldn't turn the motor with a wrench because it's a worm drive. You can't force drive a worm gear from the driven end (unless it is a very shallow ratio), rather it acts as a very effective brake. You'd break that gear before you could force turn it. In fact that's why the steps don't just go back down from gravity, spinning the motor over like you were trying to do :) The steps are pretty heavy after all. There's no other brake holding the steps up once they are retracted, than that worm drive, that's how well it holds.
Yes, I figured that out once I removed the motor and got a look at the gears. Until then, I wasn't sure if the gears were always engaged or just when the motor was activated.
Bought a 94 Winnebago Adventurer with the kwikee steps that worked fine from NY to home in FL. Sat for a month and went to go inside the other day and they wobbled as they extended slightly and never locked out. The motor continuously spun and as I stepped on first step to see if it would stop it slid backwards loosely. I can raise and lower them by hand very easily now and had to cut wire to motor to keep from killing the battery again. If it is work gear driven then apparently my gears are worm food now so most likely replace whole step unit anyway. Shame there was not a coupling right beside the box I could unplug instead and didn't want to go tracing the harness for one. RV is in great shape and steps look beat so this would best be complete replace job.
Sounds like you are correct to complete replace the steps. They shouldn't wobble so that sounds like they are fairly worn out. I recommend adding a quick disconnect connector so you don't have to cut the wire cable in the future. Mine is newer, 2002 model, and it had a connector as can be seen in my video.
I think you can simply replace the cotter pin and pin with like size parts from any hardware store. The step doesn’t carry so much load that a regular steel pin should work fine.
Sometimes just kicking the bottom step in the retract direction works too. My understanding is that sometimes the limit switches (or mechanism) for the motor sometimes get stuck and tapping with a hammer or kicking the step can correct the problem.
Just passing on a tip from my experience....steps wouldn't work...waved a 3x3inch magnate next to magnetic sensor on door and Voilà, steps work! Magnate travels with me!
If you have to continue to wave the magnet in front of the door frame sensor, then something is wrong with the magnet on the door. Replacing that door magnet will fix your problem. If it was just a one-time occurrence, then likely you had some dirt obstructing the servo and just got lucky when you tried the magnet. Perhaps you stepped on the steps and shook the dirt loose coincidentally. Same if you have a loose electrical connection. Make sure your electrical connections to the motor are good and tight.
@@lowellspecht8850 : Hello! The little magnet on my 2020 Jayco was stuck on with double-sided tape! Not even screwed into the screen door! Luckily, I found this little piece of plastic in the door jamb and guess what it was? Yep, the magnet thing! Will be getting 2 screws next time I am near a hardware store! Guys were saying $125 plus parts and labor and Good Sam said they had someone that would come out for $200! Thank you! You saved me at least $200!
I'm not sure what the voltage reading should be at the magnet. It may not be 12 volts. Perhaps another viewer can contribute. Ask the step manufacturer to provide a wiring diagram with expected voltages. Kwikee was very helpful to me when I needed support. Intermittent operation is most likely an electrical problem as you seem to indicate. Inspect the cabling all the way from the battery and verify voltage using a volt meter while wiggling the cable to see if you can cause a fluctuation. If you can't reproduce the intermittent voltage that way, you may have to try replacing the electrical components. Before doing that, I would make sure all connections are good and no corrosion exists or is cleaned up.
@@lowellspecht8850 Thank you for responding. I cannot find any information and when I called Lippert they weren't sure either. I cleaned all of the grounds and still get the same voltage but the stairs started back working. May have been an intermit because of a poor ground.. stay tuned.
The best tool, in my opinion, to remove a cotter pin is a pair of needle nose pliers. The trick is to unbend the two ends that wrap around the end of the larger pin with the hole and get them as straight as possible. You won't be able to get them perfectly straight but do the best you can. Then pull the pin, using the needle nose pliers, from the opposite end. The end where the pin has the small loop in it. This may be to the left on yours but it could be any direction since the larger pin is allowed to rotate. Usually, one has to tap *lightly* on the end with the two straightened pieces, with a hammer to get it moving. By design, it is a tight fit between the cotter pin and the hole and that is another reason, replacing the cotter pin makes installation easier. If you have two pliers, you can try pulling on the loop end with one, and on the other end, push while squeezing the two ends together.
Sounds like wires are swapped on the new motor’s electrical connector. I suggest comparing the wire positions in the new connector to the old connector. If they are different, I’d send the motor back and get another one.
Simon, it is not clear to me the intent of your comment. My step, when working normally, does retract when the engine is started or when the door is closed. I didn't mention it explicitly in my video but it was also not retracting when the engine was started. If you are stating that yours doesn't close when the engine is started and it is supposed too, but otherwise closes when the door is shut, then perhaps you have a bad wire connection.
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Letting you know this is still helping folks. You rock sir.
This is the BEST video on this that I have seen. Our motorhome has been sitting for three years and the stairs won't come out.
Glad you liked it!
Saved me from buying new motor, thank you for this video.
My 2020 Jayco Kwikee step is stuck in the out position.
Watched your vid to the 2:28 mark. Went to the door, saw a little piece of plastic, put it where you put the magnet: voila! Step worked. It had fallen off screen door! Looks like there are two screw holes but they weren't used. The thing is attached with double-backed tape. Pathetic!
I was a 31J10 teletype repair tech in the US Army. Electro-mechanical. I didn't even have to get dirty or get out any tools to fix this!
Have a beautiful day and to all the trolls? Get a life!
Road-side assistance would have towed me but all the RV dealers are fully booked to February. So thankful I found your video! God bless you!
What an awesome video to help understand how to troubleshoot and remove the stair system 😍
Great explanation!
A rude comment on this video inspired me to write this comment. I am not a certified RV mechanic and I am not a professional videographer. Yes, I could have done a better job of explaining and showing each step. That could be said for 99% of the how to videos on TH-cam. When I start getting paid to produce these videos, I'll be sure to do that. I get frustrated trying to find videos that solve the exact problem I have. I've seen RV automatic step videos that show you how to replace a motor but I wanted to produce a video that showed my thought process on how to troubleshoot the problem in the first place. I think I did that with this video. I didn't rehearse it or script it. I explained my thoughts at each step to illustrate how to troubleshoot the problem. I didn't show steps on removing bolts or unplugging cables. If you need to see that in this kind of video then you probably should pay someone to do the job for you. I welcome constructive criticism but don't just leave a negative or rude comment or I will delete it. I have little patience for trolls.
Lowell Specht thank you so much for this video! You saved me a ton of money and it was fun following your lead and actually getting my stairs to work. We were about to head out of town (flagstaff), when I realized the stairs didn’t go in. I immediately did what I usually do and tried to contact my RV guy. When he didn’t respond I started searching TH-cam and found your video. I did what you did, and bam, it’s working again! Thank you for your helpful video!
@@lab4change2023 I am glad the video helped! Safe travels!
Most of us who work on vehicles are backyard DIY, even if I've performed the job (breaks etc) I enjoy watching you tube how to and appreciate people like you, who produce these for us. I have wanted to do the same, but when it gets down to it, I just want to get er done. I do copy and save these for my vehicles. Thanks again for sharing Lowell! God bless stay safe!
You did just fine. It's important to show how these components function together. Many people are just looking to see how these can be tested and what considerations they should take.
The problem you had happens frequently with these motors. They have a feed back mechanism that trips to indicate the end of travel. On occasion they stay tripped and automatically send the control unit the end of travel condition when it hasn't even moved yet. The best way to "fix" this when it happens is to tap on the motor with a hammer and retry. Sometimes the motor must be removed, the shaft moved and reinstalled. This will untrip the motor and it will work again. If it keeps happening, just replace the motor.
Just purchased a older motorhome, and your video has helped me fix my steps. I looked for other videos and could not fine another one. Thank you for taking time to do this.
I have watched many Videos about RV steps this week. Just happened across yours searching for something else. Your system is the same as ours, motor ,gear box etc. 94 Bounder. Ours was stuck in the out position, so we took after it today. Checked all the normal things as per. When I started to clean the outside gear cover i saw a 90 degree rub ware the bushing goes that the square drops through. took some 80 grit sand screen and light oil and smoothed the ID of the housing then put the scotch bright to it. Greased the entire works with a tube of Cam grease I had lying around , Just like a new one now. next was I used break clean on all the pivot points, let it flash off , then WD 40 to wash out the rust etc. then oiled all the points. Oh and didnt forget to grease the ball and socket either. Thanks again for a great Vid.. Cheers Dog
Lowell, first THANK YOU!!!! I know for sure that the trolls are out there but you should just ignore them. Lot's of great info. Saved me about $400.00. Again ignore the trolls, you are a fellow RVer trying (and succeeding) to help us. You are not a slick A/V production company. But even so the video is a jewel!
Keep 'em coming! :-)
Excellent video did exactly as he did to fix my steps, except snapping off a bolt. Same problem dirty motor and control.
Thanks for helping me out
Great video. It would have been nice to actually see the culprit. Though, it works. Yay.
I took mine down and found the mechanical parts were good then found the Motor plug was loosely connecting. I tightened them with a tiny hemostat and put everything back together, SUCCESS! love your video
I am glad my video helped you.
I suspect the motor brushes were not getting good contact. When you took the motor off the worm gear turned the motor enough to get the brushed to contact again. It's pretty common. Glad it's working for you. That gearbox is the same one I have and it's obsolete. The replacement motor kit is high priced too.
good vid thanks mine is doing the same thing this helps
Lowell, you couldn't turn the motor with a wrench because it's a worm drive. You can't force drive a worm gear from the driven end (unless it is a very shallow ratio), rather it acts as a very effective brake. You'd break that gear before you could force turn it.
In fact that's why the steps don't just go back down from gravity, spinning the motor over like you were trying to do :) The steps are pretty heavy after all. There's no other brake holding the steps up once they are retracted, than that worm drive, that's how well it holds.
Yes, I figured that out once I removed the motor and got a look at the gears. Until then, I wasn't sure if the gears were always engaged or just when the motor was activated.
Bought a 94 Winnebago Adventurer with the kwikee steps that worked fine from NY to home in FL. Sat for a month and went to go inside the other day and they wobbled as they extended slightly and never locked out. The motor continuously spun and as I stepped on first step to see if it would stop it slid backwards loosely. I can raise and lower them by hand very easily now and had to cut wire to motor to keep from killing the battery again. If it is work gear driven then apparently my gears are worm food now so most likely replace whole step unit anyway. Shame there was not a coupling right beside the box I could unplug instead and didn't want to go tracing the harness for one. RV is in great shape and steps look beat so this would best be complete replace job.
Sounds like you are correct to complete replace the steps. They shouldn't wobble so that sounds like they are fairly worn out. I recommend adding a quick disconnect connector so you don't have to cut the wire cable in the future. Mine is newer, 2002 model, and it had a connector as can be seen in my video.
Great info, thanks ! I lost that pin and cotter, is that a special order part ?
I think you can simply replace the cotter pin and pin with like size parts from any hardware store. The step doesn’t carry so much load that a regular steel pin should work fine.
I tapped the motor with a hammer. Steps working again.
Sometimes just kicking the bottom step in the retract direction works too. My understanding is that sometimes the limit switches (or mechanism) for the motor sometimes get stuck and tapping with a hammer or kicking the step can correct the problem.
Mine made a gear striping noise before failure. Purchased new motor and all is well.$125 retail
Just passing on a tip from my experience....steps wouldn't work...waved a 3x3inch magnate next to magnetic sensor on door and Voilà, steps work! Magnate travels with me!
If you have to continue to wave the magnet in front of the door frame sensor, then something is wrong with the magnet on the door. Replacing that door magnet will fix your problem. If it was just a one-time occurrence, then likely you had some dirt obstructing the servo and just got lucky when you tried the magnet. Perhaps you stepped on the steps and shook the dirt loose coincidentally. Same if you have a loose electrical connection. Make sure your electrical connections to the motor are good and tight.
@@lowellspecht8850 : Hello! The little magnet on my 2020 Jayco was stuck on with double-sided tape! Not even screwed into the screen door! Luckily, I found this little piece of plastic in the door jamb and guess what it was? Yep, the magnet thing! Will be getting 2 screws next time I am near a hardware store!
Guys were saying $125 plus parts and labor and Good Sam said they had someone that would come out for $200!
Thank you! You saved me at least $200!
Excellent. I am going through this as of now. At my magnet, I am not getting the full 12 volts and my steps are intermittently working.
I'm not sure what the voltage reading should be at the magnet. It may not be 12 volts. Perhaps another viewer can contribute. Ask the step manufacturer to provide a wiring diagram with expected voltages. Kwikee was very helpful to me when I needed support. Intermittent operation is most likely an electrical problem as you seem to indicate. Inspect the cabling all the way from the battery and verify voltage using a volt meter while wiggling the cable to see if you can cause a fluctuation. If you can't reproduce the intermittent voltage that way, you may have to try replacing the electrical components. Before doing that, I would make sure all connections are good and no corrosion exists or is cleaned up.
@@lowellspecht8850 Thank you for responding. I cannot find any information and when I called Lippert they weren't sure either. I cleaned all of the grounds and still get the same voltage but the stairs started back working. May have been an intermit because of a poor ground.. stay tuned.
I can not get the cotter pin out , What tool did you use and does it come out towards the left?
The best tool, in my opinion, to remove a cotter pin is a pair of needle nose pliers. The trick is to unbend the two ends that wrap around the end of the larger pin with the hole and get them as straight as possible. You won't be able to get them perfectly straight but do the best you can. Then pull the pin, using the needle nose pliers, from the opposite end. The end where the pin has the small loop in it. This may be to the left on yours but it could be any direction since the larger pin is allowed to rotate. Usually, one has to tap *lightly* on the end with the two straightened pieces, with a hammer to get it moving. By design, it is a tight fit between the cotter pin and the hole and that is another reason, replacing the cotter pin makes installation easier. If you have two pliers, you can try pulling on the loop end with one, and on the other end, push while squeezing the two ends together.
Replaced step motor, and now it's behaving in reverse! Door open and step closes and vice versa. Any suggestions how to fix?
Sounds like wires are swapped on the new motor’s electrical connector. I suggest comparing the wire positions in the new connector to the old connector. If they are different, I’d send the motor back and get another one.
It could have been a bad ground.
Need to speak up or get an external mic you can wear. I can't hear you on my laptop speakers.
door step does not go in when you start engine
simon foster
Simon, it is not clear to me the intent of your comment. My step, when working normally, does retract when the engine is started or when the door is closed. I didn't mention it explicitly in my video but it was also not retracting when the engine was started. If you are stating that yours doesn't close when the engine is started and it is supposed too, but otherwise closes when the door is shut, then perhaps you have a bad wire connection.