# Yet another electric step problem



## TandH (Jul 6, 2008)

I have a 2010 Mondial panel van which has had various small niggling problems since I bought it back in March. The current problem is with the electric step. It works fine ie goes in and out ok but the step alarm keeps going off while driving along. After a couple of hours you will appreciate there is a sense of humour failure by the driver!
It goes off especially when going down hill ( no matter how steep), when going round right hand bends (especially if going down hill!), it rarely if ever happens when going up hill or round left hand bends! This would point to something loose? It really is maddening, the alarm goes off for different lengths of time ie a couple of seconds or longer. I have had it into the dealer and they lubricated and cleaned the step but that lasted till I left their car park. They then replaced the microswitch and that lasted for less than a mile!
The dealer is 130+ miles from my home so it will be a while till I have the time to take it back to them. Anybody any ideas?
Thanks, Tom


----------



## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

We had a similar problem and I disconnected the buzzer. I then found out that the buzzer was also used as an outside door alarm for the garage doors. Make sure yours is not used by something else.


----------



## midlifecrisismil (Sep 27, 2009)

Which side of the van is your door on?

I dont know why I am answering this topic because I have absolutely no idea about technical thingies but it sounds as if the step is perhaps not retracting fully and when you are going round right hands bends or down hill it is moving slightly causing the buzzer to go off.

I am probably talking complete twaddle here and will now go away and answer some banal topics instead :roll: :roll: :roll: 

Milly


----------



## TandH (Jul 6, 2008)

midlifecrisismil said:


> Which side of the van is your door on?
> 
> I dont know why I am answering this topic because I have absolutely no idea about technical thingies but it sounds as if the step is perhaps not retracting fully and when you are going round right hands bends or down hill it is moving slightly causing the buzzer to go off.
> 
> ...


Thanks Milly, The door is on the left side and that's what I thought but the dealer had the step in bits to clean and lubricate and checked it was seated properly. It first started in September when I was on the way to France and I tried wedging the step fully closed but it made no difference. Half way through france it stopped alarming and didn't start again till a couple of weeks ago....

Tom


----------



## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

I did not realise the Mondial step had an alarm because when you switch the ignition on the step retracts. You may wish to post your querie on the Swift motorhome technical forum website which is monitored by several Swift staff continuously and you will almost certainly receive a response the same day. Their website is here:

http://www.swift-talk.co.uk/forum


----------



## TandH (Jul 6, 2008)

gelathae said:


> I did not realise the Mondial step had an alarm because when you switch the ignition on the step retracts. You may wish to post your querie on the Swift motorhome technical forum website which is monitored by several Swift staff continuously and you will almost certainly receive a response the same day. Their website is here:
> 
> http://www.swift-talk.co.uk/forum


Hi, if you start the engine with the step out, the step retracts and the alarm sounds for approx 10 seconds. I talked to Sargeant Electrics when I first had the problem as I was half way down the A1 en route France. They confirmed that the habitation control panel alarm will only sound for 2 reasons with the engine running:- 1) if the 240V hook-up cable is live and connected and 2) if the step is out.
There is no way it could be because of 1) as I was tavelling at about 50mph down the A1 when it first happened so that only leaves 2) the step.
Cheers, Tom


----------



## softwizz (Jul 5, 2010)

*possible answer*

Just a thought, based on the fact that I've owned a couple of cars that had intermittent electrics over the years. This sounds like a wiring loom fault.

I am imagining that where the wiring runs through a metal panel at some point, it has become chafed (possibly a grommet is missing?) and when the g-forces of cornering are in the 'wrong' direction, or the attitude of the van changes from horizontal in the 'wrong' direction, bare wires are making contact with the panel.

This may be a complete red herring, and I hope it is - loom problems are the trickiest to pin down :-(


----------

