2021 View 24D Kwikee Steps Issue

WillowRider · 12-07-2021, 11:25 AM

This is about the entry steps not extending on a 2021 View 24D with 8,000 miles behind it purchased new October 2020. There’ve been previous problems with the door, one with the door opening seal not sealing, the other with the door not unlocking with the remote key fob. I fixed the first with some seat‑of‑the*‑pants adjustments to the two latches. The second required some micro adjustments to the 2‑pin connection in the hinge side of the door and door jam.

The stuck steps have me stumped. There’s no partial movement, like Slinky57 experienced earlier this year. The steps worked fine a couple weeks ago. Since then, the View has had the windshield replaced, which required the electronics to be recalibrated by the local Sprinter dealer, who has the Sprinter service contract with the local M‑B dealer (an odd and not RV owner favorable arrangement as the Sprinter dealer focuses on contract services with commercial Sprinter fleets, not RVs). When we got the View home and opened the coach door, nothing. The steps stayed retracted. We detected no noise, no humming or clicking or crunching. We ran through every combination we could imagine of ignition key setting, engine off, engine on, coach battery off, coach battery on, step switch on, step switch off. I found the circuit breakers for the step switch and step power (in a panel on the side of the base of the passenger seat), and neither one was “popped,” indicating no issue there.

A general search here unearths very little. Still, I thought I’d post this to see how unique our issue might be. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

TravatoJohn · 12-07-2021, 06:50 PM

You might try YouTube. There are several trouble shooting videos on this subject. Travato John

WillowRider · 12-07-2021, 10:06 PM

I did and found some interesting and I hope helpful additional details to what was in the Slinky57 thread. One thing for sure: this is not an uncommon problem, something that's both comforting and not so comforting. Thanks for the suggestion. Here's hoping.

Wayne M · 12-11-2021, 01:24 PM

Can you pull the steps out and then try the door close and open again. I had that problem years ago and it was a mater of motor sync. I don't remember the specifics but it won't hurt to give it a try.

Also, climb under and see if any debris is clogging the gear(s) on the ratchet that opens and closes the steps. Since the steps are electronically current limiting, anything can cause it to not function if debris is present.

Morich · 12-11-2021, 03:54 PM

Since steps are hanging out in a really bad place for all kinds of water, corrosion can be easy to give us fits and then the action of steps is a very much more complex thing than just a simple battery and ground operation as there are so many safety items built in.

That leaves me doing two things. First looking for anything obvious on bad connections and then going online with the exact model numbers I have and looking for a really indepth troubleshooting chart to follow as it is really not a place where I can guess what they expect it to do!

WillowRider · 12-11-2021, 04:28 PM

I tried pulling on the steps. Not a hint of give. Then again, I'm no Charles Atlas.

I did, however, get them operating. Following suggestions from other threads here and a couple youtubes, the first thing I did was crawl underneath and staying clear of the steps, tapped on the motor several times with the handle of a large rubber mallet and pushed/pulled on the external gear mechanism. Then I took the plastic caps off the two elements of the reed switch in the door jamb. I wiped the caps and the internals several times to make sure they were clean. I also did a quick tighten (they were not loose, but just in case) of the connections inside the door part of the switch. Flipped the step switch and success! I repeated many, many times and so far, so good.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Wayne M · 12-12-2021, 08:19 AM

Happy to hear you fixed the steps!

WillowRider · 03-02-2022, 12:19 PM

Round II on the steps: After working for a couple months, they began to shudder while opening and closing. Then they would not work, then work, but still with this odd shudder mid-cycle. We took the RV to La Mesa RV Center, Tucson, the dealer from which we had purchased it, new, in October 2020. Of course, according to the service tech, they stopped malfunctioning the moment we drove off. A week later, the service tech said he had finally gotten them to do the shuddering and had determined they needed a new motor. This with slightly more than 8,000 miles on the odo!

The repair took approximately two weeks. When we picked up the RV, the stairs worked fine. Due to other, unrelated circumstances, by the time we retrieved the RV, the starter battery had reached critical charge level, which meant we had to drive around for a couple hours to restore the charge. Having done so, we parked the RV in its storage lot and just to be sure, checked the stairs. They didn't work. Just as before, no matter the configuration of switches, door, ignition, transmission, etc., they stubbornly refused to extend. Combined with those other circumstances, this served to reaffirm our dismissal of the dealer for further service.

The next day, I set about trying some of the fixes I had unearthed during Round I. Sure enough, after repeating what I had done with the door- and door-jam mounted magnetic switch, the steps started working. While doing this I noticed a significant gap, like at least half an inch, between the two parts of the magnetic switch with the door closed. I'm not sure if this is normal--I will be most grateful if anybody can confirm this--but it lead me to create a spacer between the door and the door-mounted part of the switch to cut that gap to more like a quarter of an inch. At the same time, I noticed the two parts of the switch do not align, being off-center by the width of the switch. Hmmm.

In the event, the steps are working with the new spacer, But again, I will much appreciate any observations by other owners on the location and spacing of the two parts of the magnetic switch.

R2D2 · 03-02-2022, 03:17 PM

I found the same issue with the magnetic contacts. The plungers seem to self adjust sometimes due to vibration. I used washers on the jamb switch to move those contacts closer to the door contacts. I haven't had any connection issues since.

WillowRider · 03-02-2022, 06:08 PM

Thanks! Happy to know you came to the same conclusion. I'll keep this updated going forward.

Ron N · 05-15-2023, 01:37 PM

Hi Willow Rider...I have a 2022 Navion and the RV has been in he driveway for the last month. Only going in and out without driving. This is the 2nd time my steps stopped working. 1st time the dealer simply remounted the motor and I had to fight for warranty coverage since they did not replace it. Have checked braker box like you suggested and will now play with the magnetic door pins and wrap on the motor to see if it works. Not sure what else to do here. So frustrating !

Ron N · 05-15-2023, 02:12 PM

Willow Rider.....Went out and played with the door connector "pins" and they seem to align properly. Crawled underneath and saw that the entry light by the steps was ON which told me the steps had electricity going to it. When crawling underneath be sure to position yourself beside the steps and not under them. Wrapped on the. motor underneath the steps with a rubber mallet and played with the on/off step switch and BINGO they worked again. Hopefully Winnebago reads these forums and takes some of these nuisance issues back to the respective manufacturers. Thanks all for the advice !! Hopefully it stays working.

WillowRider · 05-15-2023, 04:32 PM

Ron --

The problem I had wasn't with alignment, although horizontally the two parts are a little off. It was with proximity. The two parts did not consistently get close enough to "engage." I ended up putting a spacer behind the part attached to the door. I have not had a problem since. If I do, I'll go the next step and move the part on the door to better align horizontally with the part is the door opening. Good luck!

Ray,IN · 05-18-2023, 07:16 PM

The door magnet should be right beside and near the top of the reed switch mounted on the stepwell wall. I would remove and clean the wires and set screws on the reed switch. It doesn't take much corrosion/dirt to create poor contact.
The steps are always "Hot", the controller powers and changes the motor by switching the grounds(2), so they also must be clean and tight.
Kwikee recommends lubricating the step linkage monthly for best operation.

reference: Kwikee Products Service Training Manual

R2D2 · 05-20-2023, 08:52 PM

Another thing I like to do is wipe the contact surfaces with emery cloth occasionally to clean them and promote better contact between the door and jamb switches.

Ray,IN · 05-21-2023, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2

Another thing I like to do is wipe the contact surfaces with emery cloth occasionally to clean them and promote better contact between the door and jamb switches.

Actually the rougher the surface of electrical contacts, the less actual surface there is to conduct electricity. A smooth surface is a makes for less resistance, that's why I only use a pencil eraser to polish and clean contacts.
I have some commercial commutator polish sticks that are the consistency and feel as smooth as the big rectangular school erasers

R2D2 · 05-21-2023, 09:04 PM

Interesting and good to know, thanks for that tip!

eyecando · 06-11-2023, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowRider

This is about the entry steps not extending on a 2021 View 24D with 8,000 miles behind it purchased new October 2020. There’ve been previous problems with the door, one with the door opening seal not sealing, the other with the door not unlocking with the remote key fob. I fixed the first with some seat‑of‑the*‑pants adjustments to the two latches. The second required some micro adjustments to the 2‑pin connection in the hinge side of the door and door jam.

The stuck steps have me stumped. There’s no partial movement, like Slinky57 experienced earlier this year. The steps worked fine a couple weeks ago. Since then, the View has had the windshield replaced, which required the electronics to be recalibrated by the local Sprinter dealer, who has the Sprinter service contract with the local M‑B dealer (an odd and not RV owner favorable arrangement as the Sprinter dealer focuses on contract services with commercial Sprinter fleets, not RVs). When we got the View home and opened the coach door, nothing. The steps stayed retracted. We detected no noise, no humming or clicking or crunching. We ran through every combination we could imagine of ignition key setting, engine off, engine on, coach battery off, coach battery on, step switch on, step switch off. I found the circuit breakers for the step switch and step power (in a panel on the side of the base of the passenger seat), and neither one was “popped,” indicating no issue there.

A general search here unearths very little. Still, I thought I’d post this to see how unique our issue might be. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

There are several posts about this issue in both this forum and IRV2.

Most likely cause is the motor and Amazon has an exact replacement. Verify the light under the step comes on when the door is opened and goes out when it is closed.

You can unplug the connection to the step motor and verify it is getting voltage when the door is opened. The polarity should reverse when the door is closed. If that checks out, replace the motor. I took mine apart and cleaned the brushes and the motor worked fine for a while but then failed again. Replacing the motor solved the issue.

The Kwikee troubleshooting manual attached may help.

Amazon has several motor assemblies that sit are similar, but only 2 had the attached 2pin plug I needed. The one I needed had a pin that extended out about 1/2inch out of the gear. See https://www.amazon.com/HZ-MONSTAR-30...656953&sr=8-14