Kwickee Single Step

Mice may have chewed through a wire

Your battery may be just a tad too low for operation. I know nothing about your RV and how it charges but wit mine sometimes when I don't have the solar trickle charger hooked up I have the same issue. Try starting the engine or using a charger overnight.

Would it not retract at all, or just from the ignition being turned on?

Mine stopped working from the ignition, but still worked fine from the door. I found a grounded diode/resister inline with the ignition's wire that had broken. I bought a replacement for it and installed it, and that fixed the problem. I think it is a voltage limiter to keep the 14+ volts from the alternator spiking the step's electronics.

Here is a link to the thread where I was trying to figure it out, and finally got it repaired.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28038583.cfm

Try using a spray lube on all moving parts, hinges, etc. also try whacking the motor with a hammer (gently). Be careful and don't be under the steps when doing this lest the steps move and hurt you.

wildtoad wrote:
Try using a spray lube on all moving parts, hinges, etc. also try whacking the motor with a hammer (gently). Be careful and don't be under the steps when doing this lest the steps move and hurt you.

This could be the solution to the problem. Especially if you can hear a creaking and/or groaning. I don't have retractable steps, but my brother-in-law did. He used PB B'laster, it dissolves rust.

^^^ what these guys said. Our Kwikee was bogging a few years(hold that thought) ago and Gene's word "groaning" is perfect description. Slid under and sprayed with WD-40. It worked and got quiet. The link between the motor's gearbox and the rest of the step seemed to be the one that made the difference. These things seem to to have a circuit that measures physical resistance and stops trying at that point. For example, if we park next to a curb, shut the engine off and open the house door... Step will extend till the curb stops it. It does not sit there straining till we start the engine again and the step gets a command to retract.

That "few years" thought... WD-40... I made a "note to self" to go back with a "permanent" lubricant and that note fell off my brain. I's been literally years, probably six or so, and the step is still fast, smooth, quiet. WD-40 is a better product than a lot of folk say it is(n't). If I had to be stranded with one spray can it'd be WD-40.

Just now getting back to the replies. Thanks! Warming into the 60's here in Northern IN today so I'll get underneath the RV to check for mice damage, tap the motor with a hammer (gently), spray with wd-40, and look for broken wires etc. I will report anything found.

@D.E.Bishop - before I discovered the step was not retracting I did have a very dead engine battery. I charged it up and got it started but I wonder if it might have been due to a short in the step wiring. House batteries are on a trickle charger and were fully charged.

@Bobbo - it's not retracting at all so I probably do not have the same issue you had.

@Gene & jd - the step had been getting slower and creaking when it was operating. No amount of spray lub helped. But as stated above I will try the wd-40 today.

I did all the above and nothing worked. I did notice, however, that the Kwickee step light is on and stays on. Only way to turn it off is to switch off 12v power to the whole rig. Not sure what that might indicate.

If you go on line Kwickee has a good troubleshooting guide. With a multimeter and their step by step instructions you will be able to determine if it is the door switch, motor, or control module. Also by just disconnecting the wires to check volts you can see if any of the connections are corroded and you can then clean them. When mine did the same thing as yours it turned out to be the control module. If you post back what you find from the simple tests you will get a lot of help.

Problem fixed! I unscrewed the ground wire from the chassis because it looked quite rusty then reinstalled. But did not fix the problem. I had a friend put her ear close to the step motor while I turned the ignition key and she could hear a "click" so I figured I had power getting to the step properly. Then I went online to Kwickee and saw a diagram of the motor assembly. Seeing that only 3 bolts held it in place I pulled the motor off and saw it was really, really rusty. I used a wrench to see if the motor shaft would rotate. It did but barely. So as j-d suggested I sprayed wd-40 around the shaft and tried to rotate again. This time it moved. I repeated the wd-40 three times and reattached the motor. Turned on the power and shut the door and the step retracted! Thank you j-d and others. You saved me big $$$$ by not having to have it serviced by a dealer.