Wooie Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi all, first time on this forum so be gentle with me. I`m having problems with the electric step on my motorhome. It is a Compass Castaway 500LL with a Omnistor single step, for a while now it`s been a little bit lazy in allowing us to use the step after turning off the ignition, but has always worked after 30 seconds or a minute. In the past i`ve taken the step off and cleaned and greased everything inside then everything seemed ok. Last year at the Western Show at Malvern the step refused to work when we arrived so we put up with using the plastic step that we always have on board. On the third day a the show the step all of a sudden decided to work again ( i accidentally touched the switch ) and" Hey Presto " the step came out. It`s been fine until the other day when it had decided again to stop working. I`ve taken off the covers in the wardrobe to get to the back of the switch and to see where the wiring goes. I have never seen such an " abortion " in my life as to the state of the wiring, i can only presume a " work experience person " did the wiring , it`s an absolute joke !!!! Any clues as to where to start would be gratefully appreciated. Many Thanks. Wooie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hello and welcome Wooie ! I had similar problems on my 'project 2000' electric step last year. Plus lots of others : http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=23252&posts=9 Do a 'search' in the 'welcome' box. good luck Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Have a look here :- http://www.motts.org/Omnistep.htm C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Thanks for the diagram Clive, it`s helped make sense of the shambles ( wiring ) i came across. Both the relay and the switch checked out ok so i took the step off and took it apart. The motor looks very unhealthy once i`d taken it out, i`m getting it checked out tomorrow. It looks like the double arm mechanism had come loose and it didn`t trip the switch when fully closed and has been powering the motor whilst we were driving and so obviously we couldn`t hear it. Once again Many Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 I`ve got the step sorted. I took the motor to an electrical repair company who said they needed to have a look at it first. They then quoted me £150+VAT-ish to refurbish the motor. After i picked myself up off the floor and had calmed down i politely said " i think that is a little expensive young man " and quickly left. I then telephoned a few companies for prices of new motors. The motor itself is £214 and the whole step assembly is £254 both plus postage. I decided to have a look at the motor myself and found that one of the brushes had obviously got a little hot and was stuck good and proper. I managed to free the bush very gently and with plenty of WD40 and some patience i have managed to get both brushes nice and free and smooth. I put it back together and it`s as good as the day we bought the van. So a very big Thank you to Clive for the diagram and it just goes to prove that it can be worth having a look at something yourself first before paying out the RIDICULOUS prices that are asked for parts just because they are for motorhomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Salisbury Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I too have been having a problem with my Thule step bot coming out/retracting. The motor as made by Bosch and is an electric window winder, I thought about giving them a ring to see which car manufacturer used them and to which model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Len, We have asked you on your main posting in 'Hints & Tips' to explain exactly what problem you are experiencing with your step. I think you have already determined that the motor works so please tell us exactly what your problem is. Adding to this thread will only confuse forum members trying to help you. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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