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I don't know about Swift vans but usually it will not retract due to the micro switch underneath the van being covered in road debris.
Give a good wash underneath and lubricate with wd then give it a try.
Hope this helps
I have been looking for a thread like this for some time.
The retracting step on my Swift Sundance 600FB packed in last winter. It was then just over 3 years old. I thought it was a fuse or maybe even the relay and did a bit of exploratory work.
I found what I think is the relay behind the cooker - you can only get to it by unscrewing the cooker and sliding it carefully forwards about 8". However, further testing with a voltmeter showed that the problem was not electrical but maybe mechanical. I investigated further at the step itself and the motor that winds it in and out. Where the problem lay was with the short shaft that connects the motor assembly to the steps themselves. The outer end has snapped. I guess it might be my fault as I can only presume the steps had seized and the motor had sufficient powers via its gearing to do that kind of damage. I should have maybe paid more attention to lubrication.
I searched a few websites and could not find one that sold the part separately - only the whole motor. Realising that this was going to be expensive I resorted to doing the pushing and pulling of the steps by human power rather that electrical power.
Two things ......
Don't presume it is an electrical problem, and
Does anyone know where I could buy this short shaft and help me become idle again?
There are a number of threads about this sort of problem on here. (sorry can't do links).
I think that Nauplia has hit it on the head. My step (all be it on a '53 Sundance) has locked a number of times. The cause has never been a fuse or relay, mostly it has been the linkage locking as the motor winds it down, in which case a 'little wiggle' to it down has done the trick. Another time it was the operating switch used to lower / raise it, a bit of WD40 on the switch connections sorted it out.
I have a new Sundance 590 (2 months old) and the step was not working properly when we bought it but the dealer did managed to get it working when we picked it up. However over the christmas holiday it decided not to work. On inspection I found the wiring harness was trapped in the step mechanism and each time the step retracted it "crushed" the wiring. On inspection the wiring was still intact but would eventually have been cut through. The step will only open or retract a few inches, and the micro switch is working OK. This problem did coincide with fitting an upgraded control panel but that might be just a coincidence. I am now waiting to take the van back to the dealer to fix all the problems it was delivered with so they will hopefully sort it out.
It can be a disaster if the step fails to retract as you could not safely drive it in that state, and there is no way that you can wind it back in manually. You could end up calling the AA to rescue you !!!
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