Rufus Repairs

On the very first day of Road Trip 2019, June 9th, the door popped open as we were leaving Walmart, in Ridgecrest.  As I pulled over to allow Fran to close the door, I banged the steps into a curb.  That was reported in the blog HERE.  Since then they have failed to fully extend.

Since that whack, we’ve had difficulty closing the door.  Actually having to slam it shut to get it to latch.  I tried, without success, to realign the latch. We are  now out of the rain spending a few weeks in the backyard of Fran’s childhood home.

Fran’s father built this house, which we were able to purchase several years ago, thus providing the opportunity for the house to remain in the family and a place for us to stay when in the area.

 I was able to do an evaluation of the door, the steps and the now loose window in the door. The problem began when a wind gust caught the door and pushed it too far forward, causing the hinges to be sprung.

Since it took the force of nature to warp the hinge, I felt justified in using force to straighten it.

The door now will open and close easily with just some pressure from my little finger. I removed the window as it had begun to rattle.  The glass had come loose from the frame, of course from all the door slamming. 

It was originally held in place with Butyl tape.  The tape is now dry and brittle, and many of the alignment pins are now broken off.

I removed the brittle tape and cleaned the frame and then reseated the glass with a high-bond silicone adhesive.

I then reinstalled the window, using Butyl tape as the sealant.

Last it was time to tackle the steps.  Inspection of the steps revealed the linkage arm is bent.  This looks like an easy fix, remove the motor and replace the linkage ... right? WRONG!

It’s not that easy!  The entire assembly has to be removed to replace the linkage arm.  UGH!, so I ordered a new linkage assembly from Amazon, rather than do a rebuild. It’s just 4 nuts and washers, how hard can that be?

The procedure looks pretty obvious, but it’s also easy to miss something.

Here are steps I followed and what I missed:

1.  disconnect the power connector at the motor.

2. using a 10mm socket remove the motor.

3.  the steps will move freely with the motor removed.  The cotter pin can now be removed and the steps separated from the linkage arm.  Small pieces that need to be reused!

4. the linkage assembly is held in with 4 CARRIAGE bolts with 12mm nuts and lock washers.  I emphasize these bolts are NOT secured and it’s really easy to lose one.  If I’d known this, I could have used a bit of JB Weld to secure them before I took things all the way apart.  In doing so I lost one of the bolts Into the recess above.  I retrieved the bolt with a magnet, but there’s just no way to put it back in.

Check out the linkage arm of the new assembly compared to the damaged one.

The new assembly came with new washers for spacing the drive gear.  I did not use them. 

5.  since the new linkage assembly  needs to be installed with the open side down, I transferred the drive gear to the motor for fear it might fall out during installation.  I’m sure I could have just used the old drive gear with no problem.

6.  with the steps held in the fully extended position with my Lego blocks, I positioned the linkage to the fully retracted position before installing the motor.   I think this is important, as the motor does not know where the steps are, thus giving the motor it’s full range of motion.

7.  with Fran’s help, the screen door was cycled a few times as I watched to be sure the linkage arm could be reconnected. TaDa!  It looks great, and no more tripping on the steps nor window rattle.

It’ll be a lot quieter on the trip home. It's always good to learn a bit more about the RV and what can be a DIY project. 

Certainly No Bad Days mooch-docking in the backyard of Fran’s ancestral home.
Next up Rufus needs a bath!, but I’d like to relax a bit.

Today’s Ohio Fun Fact:
In 1814 the ‘Y’ bridge in Zanesville, OH was built to span the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers.  “It is the only bridge in the world you can cross and still be on the same side of the river.” ~Ripley’s Believe It or Not.