Step not fully retracting

[Taijisteve]

2018 thor freedom elite. Step only retracting half way, but fully extending

Tried with van running, plugged in and on rv batteries. Same only partial retracting.

[Bob Denman]

First: Welcome to the Forum!
While you've got it fully extended: can you give all the pivot point a good "Clean & Lube" job; and see if that helps?
Alternately: retract them to where they stop, and crawl up under them in order to see what might be blocking their movement.
Good luck!

[Taijisteve]

I will give it a try at daylight.
Thanks

[Bob Denman]

Make sure that your morning cup of "Brown Ambition"; has had a chance to kick in...

[MJC62]

The step MFGR recommends clean and lube the steps once a month or there about. We had a step on the last MH that just didn't have the giddy up left to fully retract on its own. It would stop about a third of the way from complete retract. We "helped" it up by sticking a foot under the bottom step and assisting it up. Those steps had seen 10 years of hard use as the location of the open door caused us to always have put our weight on one side of the step rather than in the middle, that basically "sprung" the steps after years of use. If we would have kept the rig I would have replaced the stairs. With yours being on a 2018 model try to clean and lube as Bob suggested first. If that doesn't do it I would disconnect the arm from the step and see if it fully retracts. Also check the steps after arm is disconnected for binding.

[Taijisteve]

Thanks for your help

[Lt Keefer]

A similar thing happened on my coach this past summer. Turns out a cotter pin came out of a clevis pin on linkage. The clevis backed out a bit and bent, preventing the steps from fully retracting. It was a simple fix that only took 15 or 20 minutes.

[Taijisteve]

Thanks, I'll try it

[Taijisteve]

Definitely

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by Taijisteve

Definitely

That means....?

[hikerjohn7]

Originally Posted by Taijisteve

2018 thor freedom elite. Step only retracting half way, but fully extending

Tried with van running, plugged in and on rv batteries. Same only partial retracting.

Self retracting steps fail a lot. I've had to replace them on two RVs.

That said, I think they are not hard to fix yourself since you can buy the parts online. Fortunately mine were replaced under warranty.

One thing that might reduce their life is to allow them to open into a curbing so that they are forced to stop short of full travel. Also, don't put your weight on them until they are fully extended.

[mjdougherty]

We had a problem like this last winter with our 2016 Thor Tuscany while driving to Florida from Chicago. Our steps worked fine as we loaded up the coach, but four hours later, halfway to our first night's stay, we discovered that the steps would not retract as we were leaving a rest area. Eventually, I found that they would go back in partially when I manually pushed them in. They would not, however, go back into a fully locked, retracted position. But they seemed to stay put, making it safe to drive.

At the second night's stay I was able to check the electrical connections and verify that voltage was present in the circuit. I couldn't find any problems with the wiring (loose wires, corrosion, etc), so I decided that it must have been a motor failure.

The next day we reached our destination near Pensacola, and I contacted a mobile mechanic that we saw listed on the RV park site map. He came out within a few hours and verified all the things that I had checked the day before. He then inspected the linkage underneath the steps and hit it a couple of times with a short piece of pipe. What do you know, the steps fully extended and then retracted when I closed the entry door (at his request).

He went about cleaning things up under there and spraying lube on all the moving parts. He told us that the mechanism had simply jammed, but that it should be OK from this point forward. He suggested that I inspect it and apply lubricant where needed every couple of months.

That was not the end of the story, however. A couple of months later, the steps locked up again. This time they did not respond to a good whacking, though. The mechanic we called in (we were at another location, further south in Florida) found that the motor was burned out, and had to be replaced. That solved our problem, and it has been working fine ever since.

I'd suggest that you check the wiring connections, after verifying that the fuse is OK. Thor technical support can provide you with information to troubleshoot the system (fuse location, test points for voltage, etc). Then, if you have not found any electrical problems, you might try the hammer solution. Make sure that the mechanism is clean, and that there is no mud buildup. Be careful to stay clear of the moving parts, so you don't lose any fingers.

If you don't feel confident doing the work yourself, I have found that mobile mechanics are knowledgeable and their services are fairly priced. Ask the office at your RV park for their recommendations. Good luck!

[Taijisteve]

Good advice, thanks

[mjdougherty]

Here is a link to a You Tube video that should be interesting for you to watch.

https://isolate.norton.com/?url=http...%3DV51muxg4vdM

There was another video that will also be of some use ... I had forgotten about the noise that the steps made ... good stuff here.

https://isolate.norton.com/?url=http...%3DjJ4Rt5wJahU

These steps are common to many motorhomes, so the problems encountered are also very much the same.

Good luck!