Automatic steps

[blamkmantn]

2014 Palazzo. Drove through heave rain yesterday now steps will not operate. Can someone tell me where the fuse is to check? Is this a common problem? Only owned this a week so still learning. Thanks!

[TurnerFam]

as long as all your other Chassis and House 12v items are working, I would think that it's related to the step wiring itself.

FIRST, switch OFF your 12v power at the switch next to the entrance door, and then switch it back ON. This 'could' reset the power to it.

Otherwise, check under the step to find the wiring/motor... check for any 'wiggle' of connections... you may even find a wire has dislodged.

if everything there is good, then the fuse for the steps is probably located in the FRONT Driver side bay, where all the Chassis fuses are mounted on the wall. Since the steps are integrated with the Chassis IGNITION, this is where it is located... pulling the black panel cover off the front of the Fuse panel will reveal the fuses and the Fuse Panel location map. If not, it would be located at the breaker panel/fuse box, usually at the foot of the bed.

Sounds to me more like an issue with the wiring/motor itself since they 'worked' prior to the rain, but who knows.

If you can't extend your steps, you may have more work ahead of you to disengage the motor 'arm' to be able to pull them out of the way.

[blamkmantn]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

as long as all your other Chassis and House 12v items are working, I would think that it's related to the step wiring itself.

FIRST, switch OFF your 12v power at the switch next to the entrance door, and then switch it back ON. This 'could' reset the power to it.

Otherwise, check under the step to find the wiring/motor... check for any 'wiggle' of connections... you may even find a wire has dislodged.

if everything there is good, then the fuse for the steps is probably located in the FRONT Driver side bay, where all the Chassis fuses are mounted on the wall. Since the steps are integrated with the Chassis IGNITION, this is where it is located... pulling the black panel cover off the front of the Fuse panel will reveal the fuses and the Fuse Panel location map. If not, it would be located at the breaker panel/fuse box, usually at the foot of the bed.

Sounds to me more like an issue with the wiring/motor itself since they 'worked' prior to the rain, but who knows.

If you can't extend your steps, you may have more work ahead of you to disengage the motor 'arm' to be able to pull them out of the way.

Thank you. Im going to check for the fuse now since I have tried the switch inside several times and checked the magnet position. I called the dealer and they said the rain water may have dampened the wiring and it may take a day or so to dry out stating that this seems to be a common problem. Wish me luck....lol

[TurnerFam]

I would suggest that it's NOT a common problem, since that would be a big safety issue for the rv manufacturer AND the step manufacturer. These step wiring systems are designed to easily handle water from the roadway, not matter how much you throw at it.

We've been through a LOT of rain, snow, ice, gravel, and dirt(dusty!), and have never had this issue.

Now, having said that, what you may be experiencing is something to do with the 'trigger' of the steps, as you stated about the magnet, which is part of the screen door. These CAN be problematic for some RVs, as they either dislodge, move, or become too far from the 'metal' frame to magnetize the step trigger.

For a while, my step seemed to not retract as much as it should, but I also realize that on several occasions I have accidentally scrubbed/hit the frame of the steps on a rock or concrete outcropping, usually while parking at a campground or rv park, etc.
I've used several WD-40 type sprays, and a hammer to help relieve the stress and binding and let the step retract properly.
Someone flagged us down several months ago, while driving thru town, and said our steps were 'out'... yikes! They were right. But, fortunately, since the Palazzo sits on a low XCS chassis, there is only this single step, and it really doesn't extend that far out, especially as compared to rigs with two or even THREE steps... I have a story about that, too!

What model is your Palazzo?

[blamkmantn]

We have a 33.2 . 2014.5 with thank god the 3 track slide system. I checked fuses. Reset power to the coach and step switch. All seem good. Took magnet off screen door and placed direct and moved on and off switch and nothing happened. Like I said has been working fine until driving in that heavy rain yesterday....ugh

[TurnerFam]

It certainly sounds like your wiring/wiring harness below the step well.

Yes, we have the 2014 1/2 'late year model' 3-trax coach ... when we viewed these at MHSRV in Alvarado, there were 2014 and 2015 models all sitting next to each other. Some of the 2014's had two trax, I chose the 3-trax for the very reason of reading about the previous issue with the slide mechanism/systems.
While we've had our issues with them anyway, I'm not sure that having a third track really accomplishes what the manufacturers think they do. I think it's more about pleasing the potential customers, like us, who heard about the previous issues.
My assumption, through several motor replacements and a column/gear/shaft replacement, is that if the slide 'box' is not built exactly 'square', any RV with this system will have potential issues.
Since we had the last repair, column/gear/shaft replacement at the Thor Service Center in Wakarusa, we've had NO issues in over 50,000 miles since. But, I do have intimate knowledge of how it works, and how to replace motors...and I carry a spare : )

HOLD the extend/retract button for several seconds AFTER the slide has stopped, this lets the motors 'sync', you'll hear the 'whine', and you'll have relatively FEW problems.

Congrats : )

[blamkmantn]

I will make sure we hold that button for sure. We traded our 6 slide 2017 Alpine in on this and are just hoping we made the right decision.

I think we did and these are beautiful coaches for sure.

Just sucks having a step issue but its a house on wheels and it will require little things from time to time Im sure.

Guess ill look at the wiring this afternoon and try to dry everything out and see what happens...lol

Thank for your help!!

[blamkmantn]

Thanks for your help Turnerfam. Lifted rv this morning and found that wiring harness had pulled loose up beside the frame and you couldnt see the dang thing until you crawled under it. So relieved!!!