Power running board broken arm casting.

[Miekk]

For those that want to take the gearbox out, open it, clean, and repack with grease. Remember the wedge block is what ties the power board arm to the motor shaft. In order to get the motor out, after removing it's mounting bolts, the wedge block needs to be removed by backing the screw out about 1/8 - 1/4" and taping it in with a hammer, this dislodges the wedge block so it can be removed. After that the board should move freely up and down and the motor should rotate easily. The gearbox should work its way forward this way.
I had someone open the door and when the board was half way down, I unplugged it so everything was in the center of the stroke. It was much easier to work with that way. Same when putting it back together, have someone open or close the door and run the motor till the gearbox flat orientates where it's easiest to get the wedge block back in.
Remember not to hit on the end of the motor shaft or it will mushroom and when it goes through the arm, it will expand it and break it open as is what happened to me. Also, don't over tighten the wedge block or the same thing can happen. I think that's why the screw was designed so small as to prevent this.

Here's a pic for reference. Yours shouldn't look like this one, if it does, its been a bad day!

Anyway, good luck.

 

[NMExpy]

For future reference, did it break because it got stepped on before it was fully deployed?

 

[Miekk]

For future reference, did it break because it got stepped on before it was fully deployed?

No, it broke because someone beat on the end of the shaft and mushroomed it larger. When I tapped it out, that larger diameter expanded that thin aluminum casting and cracked it. When the wedge block was tightened later, it just broke the whole thing apart.

 

[NMExpy]

No, it broke because someone beat on the end of the shaft and mushroomed it larger. When I tapped it out, that larger diameter expanded that thin aluminum casting and cracked it. When the wedge block was tightened later, it just broke the whole thing apart.

Ok. I guess I misunderstood the original post. My bad.

 

[Miekk]

Ok. I guess I misunderstood the original post. My bad.

That is how it actually broke apart, but I did figure out later that it was already cracked because of the scenario I just described. I dont think stepping on it in other positions would break a good part, but I wouldn't want to try it either...

 

[dadfor4]

step on and break

I can tell you from recent experience that stepping on the power deploying running boards before they are all the way down will break them. My oldest son did this a couple of weeks ago and broke the same casting in exactly the same way.
I have been looking around on the internet to see if I could avoid the $1,700 Ford wants for the whole assembly (I have the EL and it has a long rod connecting the front and rear hinges). MIEKK, can you get me the info for the shop that made your part? Also any tips for the replacement process; what did you replace the hinge pin with, does the motor shaft just slide right out (mine looks like it has some kind of a circlip locked onto the end), etc. Also, my breakage occured on the passenger side. The machined part in the thumbnail you posted looks like it would be a "universal" part and work on both driver and passenger sides. Is that correct.
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Miekk]

The guy that made mine was a friend of mine that works at a shop. He made the replacement shaft from SS stock he had laying around. To get the arm off the lower, I used a thin sawzall blade and cut between the arm and the step bracket, you could never get the shaft out of the assembly while under there. It's nurled, loctited and pressed in.
Mine was on the passenger side as well.
I'd like to see a pic of yours to see how the rod connects the two together. I'll ask if my friend would like to make another one or get the program from him and get quotes from another shop.
If you take the part to a weld shop, it can be made out of about 4 pieces of 1/4 flat welded together also. That's what I was going to do myself if it came down to it. A good blacksmith will see the part made in their head as soon as he sees yours.

Oh, the things on the ends that look like clips are actually the ends of the brass bushings. They are in the step brackets.

To use everything while it's apart, just unplug the motor or remove it and find 1 maybe 2 C-clamps to clamp the parallel brackets tight with someone holding the board up into the stowed position.

***Safety note****
Put a zip-tie around the clamp so it doesn't unclamp itself and also back to something on the truck so if it did ever come off, it doesn't end up in someone elses grill or worse their windshield.

 

[shawnrod1]

Pro-E Model

Would you be willing to share the Pro-E Model of this part for all to enjoy. I have someone that will machine the part for me but if I can provide model that will speed things up quite a bit.

Thanks,

Shawn