Entry step motor test.

[kenandjoanne2002]

I am helping a friend with his 2007 Dip with entry door step that quit.  We have the motor on the work bench.  There are two wires in a plug in connector. Using a 12v battery which is grounded to the motor and touching a hot lead to either wire in the connector there is NO movement of the motor.  Should the motor activate?  

[DavidL]

Depends on the motor for sure, but typically the ground goes to one pin, and the hot goes to the other.  Not typical for the case to be the ground though it might also be grounded.

If the case is grounded to one of the wires, then you would get a big short spark by connecting it the way you did.

I assume the motor is reversing...changing the polarity typically changes the motor direction.  Usually done by two relays on the control side.

 

But if no Move with Power, likely Dead Motor.

Just for kicks, bang the motor to see if that improves the situation...If it does, then the brushes are bad but at least you know you are testing it correctly.

Edited November 19, 2022 by DavidL

[MyronTruex]

We have a 2008 Endeavor. The slide cover is mechanical. 

The motor is not grounded to its frame. That would create a real issue for it when trying to reverse it.

So you need to connect to each wire. Either direction is fine. 

Here is a video I made a few years ago. Hope it helps.

Edited November 19, 2022 by myrontruex
Adding video

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, kenandjoanne2002 said:

I am helping a friend with his 2007 Dip with entry door step that quit.  We have the motor on the work bench.  There are two wires in a plug in connector. Using a 12v battery which is grounded to the motor and touching a hot lead to either wire in the connector there is NO movement of the motor.  Should the motor activate?  

Need to clarify your post and problem.  Are you talking about the entry door step motor that extends and retracts the EXTERIOR step or are you talking about the INTERIOR step well cover that extend and retracts to cover the interior steps in front of the co-pilot’s seat.

The two responses that you received are for the Step Well cover.  

If your issue is the Exterior Step motor (typically a Power Window motor) then the answer is that the Motor Frame is electrically isolated or insulated.  There is a Step Controller above the motor over the step housing,  There is a Green ground wire from the controller.  The controller has relays that reverse the polarity of the leads to the motor and that is how it reverses direction….or that is my understanding.  From the Lippert Manual.

If the step moves freely, unplug the module from the motor assembly at the two pin connector. Connect 12VDC from the battery to the yellow wire going to the motor and ground the red wire. The gear should rotate in the deployment direction until it goes over center and comes to rest against the stop.

If you read the above, then the controller is doing the voltage polarity reversing….so you just reverse the polarity and the motor should run in opposite directions.

You need the “OLD” manual.  Here it is.  We have it in the files

This is very clear…..the motors die because of the magnets getting loose or the internal gears are plastic and strip out,  if you continue to search here, there are many topics or threads and you can find the motors also listed in the Parts List.

BUT, if you are talking about the Step Well cover, then the first two posts are correct.  If you look at the “recent activity, there is an ongoing topic about issues….so look there.

[MyronTruex]

Here are some files on the outside steps. Sorry if I missed the mark. 

 

Entry step controller replacement part.pdf Kwikee step motor from Autozone.pdf Kwikee step motor replacement.pdf Step controller replacement schematic.pdf Step door switch.pdf Step motor part numbers.pdf Step schematic.pdf Step tester.pdf Step, electric powered.pdf Steps schematic with NOTES.pdf Steps wiring schematic.pdf Steps, Electric.pdf Steps.pdf

[kenandjoanne2002]

Well I went back to my friends shop.  First tested the battery we were using to make sure it was charged up well.  Then attached a positive and negative onto the wire harness = nothing..  One of you said to tap the motor which I did and WOW it started.  We reversed it and WOW again.  Reinstalled it and it WORKS!!  Does anyone know why taping the motor gets it going again?  This happened on my 02 Dip 15 years ago, then 5 years ago to another friends 07 Allegro Bus.  BUT being old I forgot the motor tap "repair" which I had done twice before.  Getting old and forgot.  Thanks much all is well in Arizona..  Ken Parsons 

[Ivan K]

Sometimes brushes get stuck in their guide and as they wear out lose contact with the collector rings. It may or may not be just a temporary solution.

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, kenandjoanne2002 said:

Well I went back to my friends shop.  First tested the battery we were using to make sure it was charged up well.  Then attached a positive and negative onto the wire harness = nothing..  One of you said to tap the motor which I did and WOW it started.  We reversed it and WOW again.  Reinstalled it and it WORKS!!  Does anyone know why taping the motor gets it going again?  This happened on my 02 Dip 15 years ago, then 5 years ago to another friends 07 Allegro Bus.  BUT being old I forgot the motor tap "repair" which I had done twice before.  Getting old and forgot.  Thanks much all is well in Arizona..  Ken Parsons 

Words from an experienced tech when mine started acting funky.  Beat on it was his advice.  He said that the magnets in the motor were “glued in” and they came out.  They, he said, eventually will pop out and then it is terminal.  OK…in all fairness and truth, mine was a loose connection in the pigtail.  I cleaned it and used dielectric grease.  That was in 2014 and the tech had just put in a new controller.  In 2021, the motor stripped its gears. So, I got 7 more years.  

Personally, if you have the OEM 2002 motor, you have obtained full value.  I admit that my unit was a PITA and the “guaranteed” fit eBay motor did not line up with the screw holes.  I chose to buy a motor from CW at a discount and negotiated a lower install.  So, I know a little and my admiration for folks that change the motor without drilling out the mounting holes.

That motor might last for a long time.  But I can tell you that once it stops or doesn’t engage….as in the step retracts but doesn’t lock in, you or a family member can fall aa the step will retract and you lose your balance.  I disconnected mine and then fixed it because it was unsafe.

FOR the record, I am a retired safety director and unreliable equipment that can cause injury was something that I had fixed and “tagged them out” so no one used them and make sure no one got hurt.

Good luck, you are on the right track….