Kwikee Step Behavior? 2020 View 24D

[roundtail]

The behavior of the Kwikee steps on our used 2020 View 24D has me puzzled. The steps behave as expected with the switch "ON", as the steps move with the door.

However, it's the "OFF" position that has me scratching my head. On our previous motorhomes, this was a simple difference: Switch "OFF", steps went out and stayed out. Only the engine ignition position would cause an auto-retraction. From what I gather, our View's steps should be doing the same.

They aren't. They seem to have some correlation to either the Sprinter's doors, the MBUX state, or some combination of both. Sometimes the steps will retract without warning, about ten minutes after the coach door has been closed.

Is this normal? I can't help wondering if the previous owner rewired the yellow control wire to something other than "ignition hot".

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks!

 

[Morich]

I would assume these operate pretty much like most RV steps and that means it is far more complex that we might first think! It is not as simple as the switch at the right side of the door telling the controls it is open or closed, but it involves numerous other items for the controls to get the operation correct.
There are lots more things to go wrong, but there is one very common switch at the door which can take a beating and it is a critical item!

When you say the steps are quiet and then for unknown reasons make some move, that makes me jump to loose or funky connections!
Electrical contact can be a really easy thing to change if some small part is loose or worn.
I might first suspect the door switch as it is involved in lots of the decisions the control makes. A good close look at the wires may show one loose or damaged?

A loose wire can do lots of weird things for small events we don't even notice. Things like dropping a book, may change the loose connection, to either make or break the connection!
There is often a small "reed" inside that switch and it can get damaged slightly without showing it! I damaged one of my own by using a magnet to keep the steps from flying out while I worked on the batteries under the cover right behind the steps.
I used a magnet that was too strong and bent the reed switch so it then became hard to get it right!
Sometimes it is fairly cheap and easier to just swap the switch, rather than spend time scratching our head on whether it is the problem?
Your choice, of course, and this is just my thought, but it may be worthwhile to just jump to replacing that little switch as a first step?
Another simple start might be to try some trial and error for a bit if you are so inclined??
If you are out and want to know the switch is not doing weird things, one way to gain some info is to take the wires off the switch and use something like a clip to tie the wires together. If the weirdness continues, you then can say it is not the switch!
One of the downsides is that you will have to avoid assuming the steps are going to come out to catch you! you will then have to connect/disconnect the wires manually while testing the idea!

 

[roundtail]

I would assume these operate pretty much like most RV steps and that means it is far more complex that we might first think! It is not as simple as the switch at the right side of the door telling the controls it is open or closed, but it involves numerous other items for the controls to get the operation correct.
There are lots more things to go wrong, but there is one very common switch at the door which can take a beating and it is a critical item!

When you say the steps are quiet and then for unknown reasons make some move, that makes me jump to loose or funky connections!
Electrical contact can be a really easy thing to change if some small part is loose or worn.
I might first suspect the door switch as it is involved in lots of the decisions the control makes. A good close look at the wires may show one loose or damaged?

A loose wire can do lots of weird things for small events we don't even notice. Things like dropping a book, may change the loose connection, to either make or break the connection!
There is often a small "reed" inside that switch and it can get damaged slightly without showing it! I damaged one of my own by using a magnet to keep the steps from flying out while I worked on the batteries under the cover right behind the steps.
I used a magnet that was too strong and bent the reed switch so it then became hard to get it right!
Sometimes it is fairly cheap and easier to just swap the switch, rather than spend time scratching our head on whether it is the problem?
Your choice, of course, and this is just my thought, but it may be worthwhile to just jump to replacing that little switch as a first step?
Another simple start might be to try some trial and error for a bit if you are so inclined??t
If you are out and want to know the switch is not doing weird things, one way to gain some info is to take the wires off the switch and use something like a clip to tie the wires together. If the weirdness continues, you then can say it is not the switch!
One of the downsides is that you will have to avoid assuming the steps are going to come out to catch you! you will then have to connect/disconnect the wires manually while testing the idea!

Thanks Richard. My first thought was the jamb switch, but it looks fine.

To elaborate on my post, this behavior only occurs if the Sprinter "wakes up". As long as the Sprinter doors are left alone or the power locks are not used, and the dash and MBUX stay off, the steps are fine.

I suspect something "Sprinter powered" (other than ignition) is triggering the "drive away" protection. I'm just wondering if this is how WBGO did it...or not.

 

[Morich]

Okay, Too easy for me to miss some of the vital points and jump too quick!
One thing that really gets me is the way our online info has cut back over the years and we no longer get the wire by wire schematics on the 12VDC side of things after the 2010 model year.
Combined with the "oddities" of the MB chassis, it really gets tough to figure when we get into this grey area on the line between what the step builder did and what MB does.

I don't follow the MG line at all and little on the steps. I do know that there are some of this group who know the steps and where/how to get better info on them but they are not one I know very well.
About my main thought on the steps is that they were much more involved than expected on the few times I have got into them.
Maybe if you can find some label/tag on the steps and then go in search of a manual for that series of step, it would be possible to find where the chassis power wiring goes into the step controls and then take a hard look at when or how it seems to suddenly get power?

Sounds like telling you where to fish without knowing if there are fish in that pond??

 

[Pointyears]

Googling "lippert quickee steps wiring diagram" has an awful lot of results.

 

[WinniMN]

Is this normal? I can't help wondering if the previous owner rewired the yellow control wire to something other than "ignition hot".

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks!

Everything you described is how our 2020 View behaves.
We have decided the steps are possessed. Occasionally they will decide to retract for no reason. We have stopped casually setting things on the steps like an insect spray can that can get caught.
Yes, open the Sprinter door and the steps retract.
I have not tried to figure this out.

Bruce

 

[roundtail]

Everything you described is how our 2020 View behaves.
We have decided the steps are possessed. Occasionally they will decide to retract for no reason. We have stopped casually setting things on the steps like an insect spray can that can get caught.
Yes, open the Sprinter door and the steps retract.
I have not tried to figure this out.

Bruce

Thanks for the reply. That really helps. From what you said, it may be the way they all are from the factory. If I uncover anything, I'll post it to this thread.

 

[roundtail]

Well, here's a new wrinkle. There's a 4-wire bundle dead-ended next to the steps. I haven't checked them for current yet, but they are labelled KE, LJ1, ZZJ, and FM1.

Any guesses what these are there for? Seems odd to waste time and material installing an unused harness.

Photos attached.