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Access to step cover piston

May 22, 2014, 12:43:02 pm

Any ideas on accessing the step cover air piston?  Darned if I can figure it out.
Thanks, Mike

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #1 – May 22, 2014, 12:48:12 pm

MOT replaced my cylinder, he worked up under between generator box area, glad I paid for it, not enough joints in my arms to get it.

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #2 – May 22, 2014, 01:53:07 pm

Step cover

This is what I did to fix a leaky cylinder and it works great. No loss of air and do not need to remove cylinder. They cannot be repaired anyway and I was told by FOT that a new one is $250. I took it out then put it back but you really need a pit to do it easily.
JohnH

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #3 – May 22, 2014, 03:48:56 pm

Yes, I thought I may have to move the genet foreword to get at it.  I just want to disconnect it completely, and use a manual slide when I want to use the step cover.  I am getting a major air lose, and feel it is at this step cover assembly.  Any ideas on how to just cap off the air lines going to the control switch at that valve you show in your photos?
Mike

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #4 – May 22, 2014, 04:35:45 pm

The air lines to control the step cover are easily accessible. Raise the front of the coach, place your safety stands, then slide under the passenger side just in front of the wheel. In that area, you should find two air regulators and two electrically controlled air valves. One set of regulator/valve/air lines is for the step well cover and the other is for the outside step. It is relatively common for those regulators and valves to leak. They are fairly easy to replace. You could put a manual shut off valve in the air line to a leaky part in order to temporarily stop the leak.

The piston for the step well cover is not so easy to find. We had success fixing the leaks by replacing the regulators and valves. We did not do anything with the piston assembly that moves the step well cover.

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #5 – May 22, 2014, 04:44:50 pm

 JD is correcr but it is easy to add that valve and total cost for valve ($28) and switch etc ($10).
You can disconect the step from cylinder by pulling the step cover out(no air in tank) and looking under it and pull pin after taking off the retaining clip. Push the cylinder shaft in and now you can do it by hand. That cylinder IS  the cause of major air losses along with the cylinders to activate the drop down step. They can be fixed once taken out and that job is easy.
JohnH

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #6 – May 22, 2014, 09:34:02 pm

We recently put a 3-way solenoid on the air line to the step slide with a small switch near the door inside the coach. We now leave the air turned off to step slide to help prevent cylinder leaks caused by a constant air pressure inside the cylinder.

When it is time to open or close the step slide, we turn on switch for a moment to fill the air cylinder, then change slide position, then turn off solenoid.

If the solenoid was just 2-way open/close, when it was turned off the cylinder would continue to hold its air pressure for a while, which is counter-intuitive to minimizing cylinder seal pressurization.

We found that if the cylinder is not filled before changing position, it will slam open or closed, because it is the slow release of existing cylinder air that slows down the movement.

We did this to extend the life of the step slide cylinder and to continue to use cylinder if it starts to leak.

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #7 – May 22, 2014, 11:10:30 pm

 Do not have that problem at all, still slides as usual without the loss of air in tank when parked. This fix and the check valves at tanks along with fixing the wrong install by FOT of Air Dryer check valve has meant the air in tanks now lasts about a week. Before all gone overnight.
JohnH

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #8 – May 24, 2014, 08:34:45 am

Hi John,

I'm wondering what was the change you made in the air dryer check valve?

Jim
2002 U320

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #9 – May 24, 2014, 10:57:42 am

what a great thread.....thanks all

I developed a serious need to replace the step cover cylinder, had MOT do it as Dave, and glad I did.  Watched them do part of that work, rather a job I say.

What I wish I had done was fit it with the solenoids/valves that John and Barry have done....need to read this further, see if can be easily added.  Sounds good.  I cannot just do away with the cover operating, Jackie would not be comfortable in spite of nice passenger chair.  Thanks again,

mike

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Re: Access to step cover piston

Reply #10 – May 24, 2014, 11:10:35 am

 Jim, the main air pipe going to tank from Dryer has a check valve right at the Dryer (on mine) and when I took this apart I found the spring and diaphragm were installed in reverse so the air pressure from tank was able to leak back thru Dryer and out of system. Simple thing but should not have happened.The check valves on each tank and this one, along with the "fix" for step cover made the difference between all air lost in 10 hrs to lasting over a week. Simple fixes with big results.
Mike, this is another easy job and even though I could do that cylinder replacement myself (and easier than MOT can do it- unless they have a pit too) I decided against throwing that cost away and doing what I did instead. I would love to know what it cost them to replace for you.?
JohnH

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