The Saga of the Stairs

April 12, 2015, 01:05:26 pm

This is a long story. About 7 months long. So I will try and keep it short. It is a good story in the way of movies. That is it has a hero, villains, gross incompetence, etc.

It starts in Chaco Canyon New Mexico. Sandy and I have been touring the Ancient Pueblo People ruins. We have been doing it for months, our trip getting hijacked when we saw our first ruin. We were just captivated and kept exploring until the white stuff (snow) starting showing up. Then we hightailed it back to Texas.

Well, we had been having some intermittent on our stairs during the trip, but it came and went so I did not worry about it too much. But after 27 miles of washboard dirt road into Chaco Canyon the stairs went out, but did not come back in... Don't get me wrong - I would do it again. This was very primitive and we were hiking daily, so being able to go back to the campground and shower was a real blessing.

When the equinox nuts started to show up, we beat a hasty retreat to Durango for clean up and refit. Somehow I got the stairs back in before the return shake and bake.

We stayed a week in Durango, cleaning everything up, fixing everything that got loose, giving the rig a bath. And committing mistake number 1, I assumed the stairs were beyond my ability and I called a recommended fix it guy who came out to the rig. He dropped the stair motor, and left us to test the motor and return in the morning. This was Jim - who would later be called in Sandy and My conversations - "Jim the Idiot". Jim returned in the morning with the news "Motor Broken". He returned the Motor in a plastic bag, a bill for services rendered and disappears being kidnapped by aliens. To get a replacement motor would take several weeks....

Well, we have better things to do than to hang around Durango, Leaves had changed, Snow was predicted and we are headed to visit friends in Tulsa. Albuquerque Camping World cannot get the part in time for our transit, so we call ahead to Camping World in Oklahoma City - and order up the new motor. We pass through OKC on our way to Tulsa - no Motor. But we are returning this way so, a pleasant visit to Tulsa, and we pick up the motor at Camping World in OKC - Service Dept. is booked - so I climb under to put the motor back, and all the hardware is missing. No screw, bolts, or most important - SPACERS. OMG. I call Jim - no answer. [Over the next few months I keep calling Jim on the parts issue, but no calls are returned, and there is no answer to the self addressed stamped envelope for the spacers.]

So lets look at this diagram -

Everything here you could get at home desperate. But those spacers (Part 7) are machined to fit the motor and to get it with some precision to fit the gears. So I need those to put the new motor on.

I get home and my new Koni's are in and Camping World in San Antonio is going to put them on. So I call ahead, describe my stair problem, and they say sure they will help me.

Camping world has my unit through November. In two days they have the Koni's on, and I am doing check up calls. After a month they admit they have not ordered the needed stair parts, and a hail storm is on the way. They also want me to get a Stair refurbish kit - 300$ for the parts alone, and another new motor... Sigh. So I call it quits with Camping World and get my RV under covered parking to avoid the hail and try for plan C -

Parts Try 1: - I contact Kwikee, get the drawing number, pull the part numbers and head down to Crestview RV to order the parts. It is now December. (Kwikee (Now owned by Power Gear) will not sell to me but require me to go through a distributor.)

Christmas and new years pass, and most of January, and I get the call - the parts are in. I drive to Crestview RV, look at the bag of delivered parts - No Spacers. Sigh.
Parts Try 2:, Exploded diagram, spreadsheet of parts, order numbers back to the distributor. It is now February.

Meanwhile we are still out and about. My friends are Bungee cords to keep the stairs in as we travel. I also have a wood beam that I use to wedge the stairs open while we are in camp.

I return from Permian Basin in March, Good news the parts are in! I go to Crestview and they have two spacers (I need three)! Greg - the Crestview RV parts guy - is trying his hardest, but this is not working. Sigh.

Parts Try 3: Greg goes back to get the third spacer, but the distributor has been purchased by another company - has changed their computer system, and has all new part numbers. They have been doing so well we punt and go with another distributor.

It is now April and I get the call, my parts are in!

Here is a picture of everything together. I craw under the unit and ... THESE ARE NOT THE RIGHT SCREWS - I kid you not - they are supposed to be three inches, and they are 2.75. So I go to Home Desperate and get Three stainless steel screws of the correct length, some lock washers because they are not hex head, and install the new motor.

The stairs move, but are going in the wrong direction. I find a junction cable that reverses the polarity, but the stairs are not reliable. Maybe Camping world was correct and I did need the "Refurbish" package with a new controller? Hmmmm.

But no time at the present, we are off to Houston to help Sandy's Dad. But what is this, the disconnect switch is not working. Another interesting thing is that the LP gas alarm is beeping once in a while. Double Hmmmmm.

Maybe something else is up. I am in my favorite spot under the stairs. I am spending a lot of time down here. Very peaceful. ;-) Soooo I am looking around and I spy a ground connector that does not look quite right. The screw is at an angle, and does not appear to be putting any pressure on the wires it contains, INCLUDING THE STAIR MOTOR GROUND. Honestly I am not sure how this ever worked - -

Failed Ground Lug Terminal

The only reason this ever worked is that they had jammed so many wires in. With corrosion, age, and vibration; this was no longer a ground.

After striking out at some auto parts stores I found an old fashioned hardware store and picked up these lug terminals.

New Ground Lug Terminals - I like this style better

I added a second ground lug as a special just for the stairs.

I trimmed all the ground connectors:

Trimmed Ground wires

And reconnected them up.

New Ground Lug in action

Well, disconnect switch is working again...

Better yet, I take the stair ground wire, connect it up to my new Ground Lug Terminal and I now have working stairs.

My sense of accomplishment diminished by the fact that it took 7 months to get the stairs working again.

In the end - it was the ground wire that was causing all the problem, all along. The intermittent behavior due to the failed ground lug and the variability of the ground connection.

A sadder and wiser Kevin doing the happy dance in Montgomery TX.

Kevin (Real) McCoy [@KF5FUZ]
("Roscoe Ventura" Jayco Seneca HD SS 34 Diesel 2006;
"Toad" Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007)

Re: The Saga of the Stairs

Reply #1 – April 12, 2015, 03:47:35 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 14417

Just loved your story... now you can come help me figure out my two main slides on my 2005 Jayco Seneca HD 35GS - the two main slides (street and curb in the livingroom) quit working intermitantly. But, three years ago they (always both) would quit working when the coach would get above about 90*F and start working again when temps fell below the 90* mark. Over time that problem continued, but with decreesing temps. Now the slides quite working in the low 70's. Never any problem with the bedroom slide.

Re: The Saga of the Stairs

Reply #2 – April 12, 2015, 03:57:16 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 14418

Have you checked the plug on the controllers (in the bottom of the wardrobe).

Dave

Re: The Saga of the Stairs

Reply #3 – April 12, 2015, 05:53:25 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 14419

Have you checked the plug on the controllers (in the bottom of the wardrobe).

Dave

Yes, even replaced the street side slides controller because I accidently burned it up getting that slide in by jumping the motor.

Billy

Re: The Saga of the Stairs

Reply #4 – April 12, 2016, 02:33:08 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 15110

Thank you for posting this! I had an issue last fall and could not get the stairs back in before a long trip. I went under the stairs and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I tried everything. I finally wiggled wires around and things worked. So your posts explains a lot. I am going under again to look at those grounds as I am just waiting for that to happen again!

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