step control module

[How_Dun]

We have a Newmar 2008 Dutch Star 4023. When the steps retract the motor will not stop and the steps hammer several times. We are in Texas and called our dealer, he said to replace the module which we did. I checked the voltage and it was 13+. I also cleaned all ground wires. This did not solve the problem. The dealer has no other suggestions. Has any of you had this happen. What do I do now?

[dougrainer]

jlrobison2 wrote:
Why not contact Kwikee ,They are very nice and might send parts FREE ?

Sorry, Kwikee will not do ANYTHING for free. Doug

[FIRE_UP]

jlrobison2 wrote:
Why not contact Kwikee ,They are very nice and might send parts FREE ?

robison2,
Well Sir, Kwikee "might" be nice but, if you read my second post on this thread, you'll see they not only won't "give" me anything but, they also won't SELL me just the gear I need. They want me to purchase a complete "Upgrade kit" for well over $300.00. That's not happening. I purchased a completely brand new gear box from Amazon for $63.00 and free shipping to my door. The world is full of business transactions like this. Don't sell the customer the part he/she needs, sell them a brand new unit instead. Oh well, I figured a way out of it and still get my step fixed.
Scott

[How_Dun]

Yes, I agree about needing a new gear but I'm going to wait until I get home to rebuilt the steps. The center pivot pin will not tighten up without removing the whole step assembly. Thanks for all your help.

[FIRE_UP]

What's a real pi... off is, at least when it comes to Kwikee, those morons won't sell a single gear, as is what I need. They're answer to my situation in an email was, No, YOU NEED AN "UP GRADE" KIT!! And that kit is around $275-$300. All I need is one, lousy gear. But, it sounds just like what the OP needs, one gear to replace the bad one.
Scott

[dougrainer]

How Dun wrote:
Found the problem. On the metal gear, the last tooth was worn allowed the motor sprocket to slip past the tooth and hammer. I adjusted the linkage and moved the gear back. Thanks for your help.

What you did "fixed" the problem, but is NOT correct. Your "throw" on the extension of the step is not as far out now, since you modified the linkage. The correct fix is to replace the drive gear plate. They cost about $60 from LCI. Doug

[How_Dun]

Found the problem. On the metal gear, the last tooth was worn allowed the motor sprocket to slip past the tooth and hammer. I adjusted the linkage and moved the gear back. Thanks for your help.

[jmduc]

LCI steps motor is faulty or check the gear ,it may have worn teeth and needs to be replaced, I just finished rebuilding my steps and replaced the motor, gear and all nuts, bolts, bushings, washers after having them sandblasted and epoxy painted. They now work better than new.

[BigMac]

Ditto on the shaped gear. Had that exact problem on my LSI step. Tooth was broken.

[dougrainer]

Look at the pie shaped pivot gear. See if some of the teeth are broken off. If so, replace both the gear and the motor. Doug

[FIRE_UP]

dougrainer wrote:

FIRE UP wrote:

How Dun wrote:
We have a Newmar 2008 Dutch Star 4023. When the steps retract the motor will not stop and the steps hammer several times. We are in Texas and called our dealer, he said to replace the module which we did. I checked the voltage and it was 13+. I also cleaned all ground wires. This did not solve the problem. The dealer has no other suggestions. Has any of you had this happen. What do I do now?

How Dun,
Well Sir, one of the first things I need to know here is, what exactly do you mean by "hammer" several times? You see, the reason I ask that is because I just finished working with a problem on our step that sounds incredibly close to what you're experiencing right now with yours. Ours has been operating just fine for the time we've owned the coach, about 3.5 years. But, we just came back from our annual Quartzsite AZ trip and, upon parking the coach at home, and the step retracted, it made a "hammering" noise for a couple of seconds.

I opened the door, which, extended the step and that went as normal. But, upon retracting the step, it made the hammering again. So, I decided it was time to operate. I removed the step motor and drive mechanism. I put it on the operating table and began to dissect it. I came up with what you see in the pictures.

There's two gears in that gear box. One, the Driven gear, is about 3" in diameter and the other one, the Drive gear, is about 1" in diameter. The driven one, has one broken tooth and one about to break. The drive one is flawless. But, if you look close at the picture of the drive gear, you'll see the broken tooth of the driven gear, lodged in between two teeth of the drive gear.

So, in cleaning things all up, I noticed that the driven gear, only rotates about half way in the total movement of the step, either in or out. That leaves the other side of the driven gear, completely brand new and not used at all. So, because the shaft of the driven gear allowed me to do it, I rotated that driven gear 180 degrees so that, the drive gear comes in contact with all brand new teeth on the driven one.

I put it all back together with new and way better grease than the factory used and, it works absolutely flawless. No noise(s) what so ever. I got lucky on that one. Now, could this be your problem too? Who knows? It's actually quite simple to remove that motor drive assembly and, do some dissecting on the operating table. It would take you about 1/2 hour, from the time you started pulling it off the coach, to the point it's all apart on the work bench. There's only a few moving parts so, it's not very hard. Take a look at the pics and see what you think. Maybe it's your same problem.
Scott

You have a Kwikee step. The OP has an LCI and is a different animal. His problem is the step motor. Doug

Doug,
Well Sir, I didn't know he had a different brand step. Learn something every day. Trouble is, I always forget what I learned the day before. Thanks for the info.
Scott

[jlrobison2]

Why not contact Kwikee ,They are very nice and might send parts FREE ?

[dougrainer]

FIRE UP wrote:

How Dun wrote:
We have a Newmar 2008 Dutch Star 4023. When the steps retract the motor will not stop and the steps hammer several times. We are in Texas and called our dealer, he said to replace the module which we did. I checked the voltage and it was 13+. I also cleaned all ground wires. This did not solve the problem. The dealer has no other suggestions. Has any of you had this happen. What do I do now?

How Dun,
Well Sir, one of the first things I need to know here is, what exactly do you mean by "hammer" several times? You see, the reason I ask that is because I just finished working with a problem on our step that sounds incredibly close to what you're experiencing right now with yours. Ours has been operating just fine for the time we've owned the coach, about 3.5 years. But, we just came back from our annual Quartzsite AZ trip and, upon parking the coach at home, and the step retracted, it made a "hammering" noise for a couple of seconds.

I opened the door, which, extended the step and that went as normal. But, upon retracting the step, it made the hammering again. So, I decided it was time to operate. I removed the step motor and drive mechanism. I put it on the operating table and began to dissect it. I came up with what you see in the pictures.

There's two gears in that gear box. One, the Driven gear, is about 3" in diameter and the other one, the Drive gear, is about 1" in diameter. The driven one, has one broken tooth and one about to break. The drive one is flawless. But, if you look close at the picture of the drive gear, you'll see the broken tooth of the driven gear, lodged in between two teeth of the drive gear.

So, in cleaning things all up, I noticed that the driven gear, only rotates about half way in the total movement of the step, either in or out. That leaves the other side of the driven gear, completely brand new and not used at all. So, because the shaft of the driven gear allowed me to do it, I rotated that driven gear 180 degrees so that, the drive gear comes in contact with all brand new teeth on the driven one.

I put it all back together with new and way better grease than the factory used and, it works absolutely flawless. No noise(s) what so ever. I got lucky on that one. Now, could this be your problem too? Who knows? It's actually quite simple to remove that motor drive assembly and, do some dissecting on the operating table. It would take you about 1/2 hour, from the time you started pulling it off the coach, to the point it's all apart on the work bench. There's only a few moving parts so, it's not very hard. Take a look at the pics and see what you think. Maybe it's your same problem.
Scott

You have a Kwikee step. The OP has an LCI and is a different animal. His problem is the step motor. Doug

[crasster]

Yeah, I would definitely say its a gear issue vs. an electrical one. Either it is off on the gearing or there is a shutoff switch when the steps retract or go out that is not working.

[How_Dun]

Thanks Scott, I will look at that. Will let you know. Thanks again.