Thule Electric Step problems

[wildebus]

My step was setup to retract and come out automatically on locking/unlocking the van and that has been pretty well spot on for the 6 months had the motorhome with just two occasions it didn't go out or come in properly.
But on Thursday after arriving at the Green Frog in Moffat it was not playing the game Kind of jamming half way in or out.
Now I think the journey might be relevant here as the road to Moffat via St Marys Loch and the Grey Mare's Tail is a mucky old road and I am wondering if a lot of dirt got kicked up into the mechanism gumming up the works (the fresh water drain that is behind the step and rear wheel was covered in muck for example and that usually stays pretty clean)

Is there a common area on these steps worth looking at when investigating this further to try and get sorted out to make it 100%? I changed the setup before leaving the Green Frog so that the step is now only deployed via the switch rather than the central locking to cut down on the amount of action it is doing.

 

[Scotia]

If the step is working ok by the push button but not by the central locking i doubt it will be a mechanical problem.

 

[wildebus]

If the step is working ok by the push button but not by the central locking i doubt it will be a mechanical problem.

It works on both. The issue is that it is sometimes jamming part way due to some mechanical reason. I changed the setup to operate on the push button only is to reduce the times it operates.

 

[Scotia]

The casing cracked on my drive causing the gears x2 not to mesh properly the drive spindle was twisted out of alignment. May be the cause of your problem. This was rectified by tapping the outer casing and using a 6mm bolt through the metal bracket passing through the inner casing fixed to the outer holding the unit tightly together. Another symptom was a droopy step but after securing the casing this stiffened the step up as well.

 

[andromeda]

Mine started doing exactly the same. At the time the leisure batteries needed replacing so I thought it was that. However when the step was off it was full of grit which had jammed into the mechanism.

 

[wildebus]

Mine started doing exactly the same. At the time the leisure batteries needed replacing so I thought it was that. However when the step was off it was full of grit which had jammed into the mechanism.

The fact it really started playing up after this particular drive made me think it could be something like this. (To give an idea of what the road is like, the last time I went to the Green Frog in Moffat for a Motorhomer meet in my Campervan I was asked if I had been driving behind a muck spreader it ended up being so filthy )

 

[Kell]

Mine was stuck in when I got the van. Upon inspection and taking the whole thing apart I found that the gears had actually broken up with very few teeth left. My options were try to find identical gears, buy a new step or find a way for it to work without the motor. We now have a manual step which looks a bit like an electric step.

 

[wingedone]

My step was setup to retract and come out automatically on locking/unlocking the van and that has been pretty well spot on for the 6 months had the motorhome with just two occasions it didn't go out or come in properly.
But on Thursday after arriving at the Green Frog in Moffat it was not playing the game Kind of jamming half way in or out.
Now I think the journey might be relevant here as the road to Moffat via St Marys Loch and the Grey Mare's Tail is a mucky old road and I am wondering if a lot of dirt got kicked up into the mechanism gumming up the works (the fresh water drain that is behind the step and rear wheel was covered in muck for example and that usually stays pretty clean)

Is there a common area on these steps worth looking at when investigating this further to try and get sorted out to make it 100%? I changed the setup before leaving the Green Frog so that the step is now only deployed via the switch rather than the central locking to cut down on the amount of action it is doing.

Hi, I had a similar problem. Took van back to where I had it fitted for them to look at it. They told me that Thule had made a batch of faulty ones and were replacing them free of charge. Garage also fitted free of charge. This was about 18 months ago.

 

[nabsim]

You haven’t got a small control box like the one in mine have you David?

 

[wildebus]

You haven’t got a small control box like the one in mine have you David?

Mine is controlled by a Sargent EM50 unit. But electrically there is no problem - it is a physical thing and I am sure it is due to 'drittage' (Dirt and Grit )

Don't think I can explore the Warranty aspect given it is 13 years old!

 

[Wrighpm]

Mine behaved similarly It was because it was jamming on the rubber step seal intermittently. I removed the seal. This did let more moisture in..... particularly when washing the vehicle. Subsequently ir failed again due to a corroded connector. Once connections re-made I sprayed the whole innards with a silicone spray. No issues since.

 

[RichardP]

I've had similar joys and even had to drive with the wretched thing sticking out like a scythe. In my case it was the constant automatic in-out every time you locked or unlocked coupled with an ageing leisure battery. Sargent jumpers now changed to switch operation only and a new leisure battery, since when no problems. Though I m still tempted to go for a manual step .

 

[wildebus]

I've had similar joys and even had to drive with the wretched thing sticking out like a scythe. In my case it was the constant automatic in-out every time you locked or unlocked coupled with an ageing leisure battery. Sargent jumpers now changed to switch operation only and a new leisure battery, since when no problems. Though I m still tempted to go for a manual step .

mine was set to automatic and while it is nice and handy, it must cause wear (and mine is a 2008 so assuming step mechanism is 13 years old).
changed to manual button in/out - still plays up but not yet checked it out for packed in dirt.
Batteries not gone below 12.8V in last week so that aspect is not an issue. Hoping a good clean should make it all good again fingers crossed