Forum Discussion

BruceMc's avatar
BruceMc
Explorer III
Jan 06, 2014

Kwikee step logic

Having just purchased a new Kwikee Sires 28 step for our class C, I dug it out of the box and read the directions. Gee, easy! Right.

Wire colors:
Red - power
Green - ground
Brown - to magnetic door switch, then to ground
White - to switch, then to power
Yellow - to ignition

I tied red, green to my battery, positive and negative.
Step opened,

I expected I could touch yellow or (edit) white to power and have it close. Nope.

So... I thought it was broken, out of the box. I then set up all wires with switches to power/ground per the directions.

Here's the setup:

Power - Red
Ground - Green
Brown - switch - ground
Yellow - switch - power
White - switch - power

Here's how it works:
Connect Red to power, Green to ground, with all switches off - Steps Open. (Door open, Ign off, Override off)
Close the door - Brown grounds - steps close.
Open the door - Brown opens - steps open.
Close the door - Brown grounds - steps close.

Flip override switch on - White to power, Step stay closed. (yep, closed)
Open the door - Brown grounds - steps open.
Close the door - Brown opens - step stay open because White is tied to power.
Open/Close door, step stays extended because override is on, White is tied to power.

Door closed - Brown grounded, Override on, White to power, steps extended.
Turn Ign on - Yellow to Power - Steps close.
Turn Ign off - Yellow open, Steps remain closed.
Open door, steps open.
Close door, steps stay open because override is on.

The basic logic - No matter the other switches, anytime the door is opened, the steps open, if not already open.
If the door is closed, steps stay open if override on, if ign turned on, steps close.

Interesting logic, but it all works. I can see how it's supposed to work now...
  • More_To_See's avatar
    More_To_See
    Explorer
    Jan 06, 2014
    Great post. I think maybe it will help me with a problem given enough time to study your analysis.

    Here's our problem. We had to have new steps installed on the road a couple years ago. Ever since then those new steps come out any time the door is opened. Switch position does not matter.

    Quite often we don't want the steps coming out due to a sidewalk curb being right there to jamb them. So our only solution is to use the driver's door getting in and out.

    Any thoughts?
  • BruceMc's avatar
    BruceMc
    Explorer III
    Jan 06, 2014
    That's what I found - if the door is opened, the steps extend.
    A workaround - add another switch to disable the door switch.
  • Dutch_12078's avatar
    Dutch_12078
    Explorer II
    Jan 06, 2014
    More To See wrote:
    Great post. I think maybe it will help me with a problem given enough time to study your analysis.

    Here's our problem. We had to have new steps installed on the road a couple years ago. Ever since then those new steps come out any time the door is opened. Switch position does not matter.

    Quite often we don't want the steps coming out due to a sidewalk curb being right there to jamb them. So our only solution is to use the driver's door getting in and out.

    Any thoughts?

    If your steps hit anything while extending, they'll just stop the same as they do when fully extended. The rise in current when the motor stalls signals the controller to turn off the motor.
  • glorio's avatar
    glorio
    Explorer
    Jan 07, 2014
    If your steps were changed from the old to the new style and
    the reed switch in the door was not replaced this could be your problem.
    After changing mine I had to replace this switch. It made the park switch
    on the wall work backwards. Get the number off your controller and call kwikee and they can send you the proper reed switch. I don't remember if the new switch is normally open or normally closed. It will make a difference of how you
    steps operate.
    Hope this helps
  • Flyfisherman128's avatar
    Flyfisherman128
    Explorer
    Jan 07, 2014
    I cant imagine it working any other way. Why would you open the door and not have the step at your disposal. If the door is open you are either going in or out. If the ignition is on and the door is open the steps should stay extended so you don't fall out the door. Close the door and the steps retract. How often do you drive with the door open?

    I installed my own steps didn't see any problem with the setup.
  • vern_kelly's avatar
    vern_kelly
    Explorer
    Jan 07, 2014
    Great post by BruceMc:

    My dad has the kwickee step on his Minni Winni and was not working. Stayed retracted and not going out when opening the coach door. The coach batteries were fine which are in a compartment right above the step. The problem was the Ford engine battery was failed. (7.5 volts). Replaced battery in the engine compartment and the kwickee step works fine as well as the engine starting again. I did not realize that the step was powered by the engine battery instead of the coach batteries.
  • More_To_See's avatar
    More_To_See
    Explorer
    Jan 07, 2014
    Ok. Suppose you park on an inter island ferry and there is a nice new Corvette real close to your door. Open it and that Corvette paint job is toast. I'd like to be able to absolutely keep those steps from coming out. I think with this thread I'll finally get on the problem and solve it.
  • Harvard's avatar
    Harvard
    Explorer
    Jan 07, 2014
    vern kelly wrote:
    Great post by BruceMc:

    My dad has the kwickee step on his Minni Winni and was not working. Stayed retracted and not going out when opening the coach door. The coach batteries were fine which are in a compartment right above the step. The problem was the Ford engine battery was failed. (7.5 volts). Replaced battery in the engine compartment and the kwickee step works fine as well as the engine starting again. I did not realize that the step was powered by the engine battery instead of the coach batteries.


    From my experience with this, the step controller appears to get signals (via ignition position) from the chassis battery BUT the step motor gets juice from the coach battery. Not with standing, if the system is equipped with a BIRD module (Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay) then both batteries may be in parallel as controlled by the BIRD module.
  • BruceMc's avatar
    BruceMc
    Explorer III
    Jan 07, 2014
    The manual makes the following distinction:
    Yellow (ignition) through a 5-6 amp fuse to the fuse block.
    Red (Power) through a 20-25 amp fuse/circuit breaker, through a battery disconnect, to the battery.

    The diagram doesn't say the battery is the house or chassis battery, but by showing the disconnect, it implies the main power is from the house battery. Yet, there could be a disconnect on the chassis battery as well, so it could be either battery.
    (I would presume a disconnect would be on the house, however.)

    Regarding the magnetic door switch: (Edited, had N/C, N/O backwards)
    If the switch is white, it is a N/C, Open when the magnet is in proximity.
    If the switch is black, it is N/O (normally open), therefore Closed when the magnet is in proximity.
    (Edit) All steps from 2/99 use the black N/O magnetic switch.
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    Jan 07, 2014
    BruceMc wrote:
    The manual makes the following distinction:
    Yellow (ignition) through a 5-6 amp fuse to the fuse block.
    Red (Power) through a 20-25 amp fuse/circuit breaker, through a battery disconnect, to the battery.

    The diagram doesn't say the battery is the house or chassis battery, but by showing the disconnect, it implies the main power is from the house battery. Yet, there could be a disconnect on the chassis battery as well, so it could be either battery.
    (I would presume a disconnect would be on the house, however.)

    Regarding the magnetic door switch:
    If the switch is white, it is a N/O, closed when the magnet is in proximity.
    If the switch is black, it is N/C (normally closed), therefore open when the magnet is in proximity.
    All steps from the last decade or so use the black NC magnetic switch.


    The steps should ALWAYS be wired to the chassis battery power. Simple reason. IF you have a problem with the coach batteries and you are connected to the coach batteries, you cannot get your steps retracted to travel. If connected to the chassis, if you have a chassis 12 volt problem, the engine will not start and if the engine does not start you do not have to worry about the steps retracting as the RV cannot move anyway. Doug

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