Clicking noise from steps 2007 View 23H

[SteveM13]

My steps were working fine until last week.

When you open the door, it makes a clicking noise.

Louder than something like a relay clicking, not as loud as gears skipping.

The noise happens whether you have the switch for the steps on or off.

Has anyone seen (heard) this before?

Steve
2007 View 23H

 

[RICHGOSSMAN]

You barely have any picture of your steps in there that's mostly your battery box. But that's probably that your gearbox and your step is going out. I can almost see one of the hinge points on what looks like a kwickie step to the far right on the picture.

 

[SteveM13]

Turns out, the batteries were low (very low).
Didn't know about the battery disconnect switch, so it ran down.

 

[Morich]

Danger is always there when we are getting to know a different RV! There are tricks to trap us and some are really built in sneaky!
One biggie is that the battery disconnect is meant to cut off the batteries and it does in a way. It WILL cut them off from charging if we think to leave the RV plugged and just cut the battery draining off. It DOES cut them off from charging and much of the drains BUT NOT the safety items like CO and propane detectors, etc.
The sneaky part is when we outthink ourself! We plug it in to keep the batteries charged, but then we may not want to power all that small stuff we are not planning to use all winter! Those small safety items WILL kill the battery , given time and we come back in the spring to find our batteries are killed!
This is one that I hope I can get across to you as it is a real problem for new users!
Plugged in but cutoff switch off, you will find the lights and such can be used but that doesn't mean the batteries won't die!
One way to check this , is to look at the one of the little LED on propane or CO detectors when it is dark. You will likely find them still worked when disconnect is off and RV is unplugged! They are using battery!

 

[SteveM13]

I'm thinking of looking into how to permanently attach battery tenders to both the house batteries and the chassis battery so I can just plug in and turn on the trickle chargers and know things will be OK.

 

[RayIN]

I'm thinking of looking into how to permanently attach battery tenders to both the house batteries and the chassis battery so I can just plug in and turn on the trickle chargers and know things will be OK.

An alternative is to install a battery disconnect switch, you can get one that disconnects both banks or just one bank, rated accordingly.
Lead acid batteries, which includes AGM style, self-discharge at the rate of 3%/month. That means sitting 8 months means they still have ~75% charge.

 

[Morich]

Once I stopped being quite so tight, I found the simple way to keep both batteries charged was to leave the disconnect on and the RV plugged in. That keeps the coach batteries charged by the converter, so to get power over to the chassis, I added a strap with alligator clips to tie positive of one to positive of the other. On our RV, the two sets were next to each other and simple to do this if done when we got home. If they are not close to each other and it is handy, the solenoid is a place you find both coach and chassis cables and can put the strap there if handy.
But there are points to keep in mind. One is that you can use a small gauge strap that is handy, not battery cable size, but only if the batteries voltages are near the same to avoid high current passing through a small strap! One simple way to do that without needing to stop and figure is when you have driven some distance with the two groups connected together by whatever battery isolation gizmo your RV has. BIM or mode solenoid are the common types. When they have been connected together for an hour or so driving, the surface voltage will be near the same and a small strap does fine.
But that doesn't mean you can put it away for three months and expect them to be good in the spring! Checking them to make sure the water is good and something has not gone wrong with the plan is always a good idea as it can save having to replace batteries if they run out of water!

 

[Morich]

I took a look at your RV and it has batteries in different locations so tying together there is not likely to work, so an alternate idea?
If this sounds right for you, take a look at putting the strap on at the mode solenoid as it is what connects them when we drive or use the dash switch called boost, aux, or other names at different times.

Your RV shows this to be behind or tucked up behind a fuse panel, often out on the driver's side? If you peek in under the fuses and spot this where it might be handy to reach, it might save running two chargers?
This shows you might have a cable marked with red tape that is chassis and one marked with yellow tape that is coach? A strap put on between them when you get home will be plenty to keep them both fed by any one charger you put on either one!
Warning alert? I put a note on the steering wheel to be sure I take it off before a camping trip to avoid letting myself run BOTH sets of batteries down in some silly way!
I've never done it but assumed I might leave something on and kill both. That could get ugly if too far out in the woods with nobody around?

Fits for me but may not work for your plans, just an alternate idea!