Electric Stairs Won't Operate Under Shore Power

[Ericb760]

Yes, I searched and read the plethora of posts regarding retractable stairs not operating, but I have yet to see my particular problem addressed. The stairs operate as intended on generator power, but do not work at all on shore power. Another post stated that they are powered by the engine battery so I made sure to switch from AUX to BATT, which I assume means going from the house batteries to the engine battery. Still nothing. I disconnected from shore power and started the gen set and the stairs popped right out with the door open, and closed with the door shut.

I'm new, so I may be missing something obvious?

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Ericb760

Yes, I searched and read the plethora of posts regarding retractable stairs not operating, but I have yet to see my particular problem addressed. The stairs operate as intended on generator power, but do not work at all on shore power. Another post stated that they are powered by the engine battery so I made sure to switch from AUX to BATT, which I assume means going from the house batteries to the engine battery. Still nothing. I disconnected from shore power and started the gen set and the stairs popped right out with the door open, and closed with the door shut.

I'm new, so I may be missing something obvious?

I see a couple of problems here. House batteries and transfer switch. Take a look at page 3 of this diagram: http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/1990/099082.pdf


Your steps run on 12VDC. You are not getting it from the House Batteries I am guessing. Use the diagram to find out why not. Asking yourself questions like 'Is the battery disconnect switch in the correct position?', 'Are the house batteries good?' and 'Do all of the DC services work?' is a good place to start.


Also, a stretch at best, check for corrosion to the step operator door switch and step connector. You have an old rig and corrosion may be a real issue.



Hope this helps. Happy trails.
Rick

[Ericb760]

Thanks for the advice. The steps are not original to the rig. Based on the looks of them I doubt they are more than a few years old. I will check those links.

[Ericb760]

Your wiring diagram suggests that the step is powered by the chassis battery and not the house batteries. A quick check confirms that my chassis battery was dead (or close to it). I have a trickle charger on it now. Will report back in the 16 hours the charger says it is expected to take.....

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Ericb760

Your wiring diagram suggests that the step is powered by the chassis battery and not the house batteries. A quick check confirms that my chassis battery was dead (or close to it). I have a trickle charger on it now. Will report back in the 16 hours the charger says it is expected to take.....

If your battery dropped well below 9V it may be damaged and will not crank the engine, especially in cold weather. You can try a Equalize charge to see if that gives the battery more capacity.



With the charger on the steps should be working now.