Delinquent Door Steps
Q: I would really appreciate any direction you can provide. I have a 2000 Dutch Star diesel pusher with door steps that won’t work. I’ve checked the house batteries and they seem okay, but the steps will not pull out or retract without a pull or push by hand. Can you advise me as to what troubleshooting action I should take? I’m no mechanic, so I may have overlooked even the simple things.
Dana Beyeler, F262098
Russell, Pennsylvania
A: Here are several possible causes for this problem, provided the step did work satisfactorily at one time.
Mechanically, the problem could be due to a lack of lubrication and/or inspection. The proper lube product applied correctly to the step’s working mechanisms may solve the problem and help you avoid similar issues in the future. If lubricating the step doesn’t help, try to recall whether the step has taken any unusual impact, such as hitting a lane divider, a curb, etc. This could have bent the step’s frame, causing it to bind when activated. You also should check the integrity of the step mounting to the motorhome’s frame. Check for loose bolts, broken or cracked welds, bent brackets, etc.
If the step is mechanically sound, you need to begin looking at electrical issues. An inadequate ground circuit condition may exist between the step motor, the step frame, and/or the motorhome frame. Make sure to check the connection for the engine battery ground cable and the house battery ground cable to the motorhome frame. A voltage drop test to the ground circuit can prove this in seconds. If an undersized wire or a high-resistance electrical connection does exist in the step harness, the amperage draw to the step motor could exceed 16 amps and instantly open the circuit breaker, which ordinarily will not cause any damage. Again, a voltage drop test can prove this.
Electrical Problem
Q: In March 2006, we purchased a 2003 Allegro Bus with 17,000 miles on it from an Arizona RV dealer. We would like your opinion about whether there is a connection between several problems we are now having; what course of action we should take to repair these situations; and how we can hopefully prevent others from occurring.
In July the leveling jacks would not retract (low battery was indicated). With the engine running, the jacks did retract. A battery dealer checked the house batteries and they tested okay under load, but the jacks would not extend. The battery dealer said the jacks or the dump air system was not sending demand to the batteries. (The RV repair guy thought there was a failure to send a message in the dump air system.)
In August the slideouts would not extend and we could not hear a sound. A mechanic checked the fuses, breakers, etc. and found that the solenoid in the right rear inverter compartment was not working. He shorted out the terminals and the slideout worked with the key on.
The following happened at different times in September:
The right electric sunshade became inoperable (the left one worked fine), and the indicator light for the electric water heater didn’t light although the water was hot.
I had a White-Rodgers Type 586-105111-3 solenoid installed, but it didn’t help. The slideouts work with the engine running or the ignition switch in the “On” position.
The electric awning over the door quit operating in the out position. I manually retracted and taped it in place.
While I was pulling into a parking space at an RV park, the jack warning siren came on. The jacks had extended about 1 inch while the coach was moving. They had apparently stopped when the engine was turned off.
I installed a new awning motor. The awning now works.
Do you see any relationship between these things that could be causing the problems? What can we do to rid ourselves of the gremlins that seem to be in our electrical system?
Frank McLaughlin, F335643
Sacramento, California
A: Reading your description of the “electrical gremlins” in your coach has a familiar ring. There may be a lack of conductance within the chain of ground circuits that tie the common ground circuit of each 12-volt-DC electrical device to the negative side of the house battery bank. In any case, this possible cause must first be proved (or disproved) to forestall needless and unproductive time and expense.
The conditions that “set the stage” for your coach’s gremlins are many and varied: I’ll name a worst-case scenario first. If a vehicle is continuously exposed to any corrosive atmosphere (such as salt air) for extended periods, incidental corrosion at any battery cable or circuit connection may very well occur. The possibility of an intermittent low battery voltage situation also can occur.
A very basic voltage drop test, performed by a competent and experienced auto electric specialist, is required. A high-quality analog DC voltmeter with an expanded scale is needed (in my experience). This voltage drop test is performed independently to each circuit “” the negative and the positive “” that is common to the motorhome’s body electrical system components. This voltage drop testing procedure is not something new. I personally learned about it some 40 years ago. In recent years a newly developed electrical circuit testing tool named The Power Probe has proved to be very useful in conjunction with voltage drop testing to verify or cross-check testing in some situations.
The programmer for the leveling jacks (a 7-inch-by-10-inch box that is probably located under the dash) may not be grounded properly to the chassis. In some production units, the box may have a 1/4-inch-by-1-inch unused bolt protruding from it. This is for a ground wire. The second alternative (if a ground bolt is not supplied) is to determine if the ground wire is in the harness and just isn’t connected.