2008 Expedition retracting running boards

[Gary Waugh]

well I guess it was going to happen, having stated my car is 10 years old and I have never had an issue with the retracting running boards, the drivers side just started misbehaving!! I did a quick search and didn't find anything on this site (not too sure what keywords to search for, door step, running board, etc), when the step tries to retract, it comes up in a very jerky fashion and stops before reaching the top. I will remove the step and try to find what is worn and why it is not moving smoothly, but wondered if anyone else has looked inside the mechanism and has any suggestions on what wears, or what to replace? Does ford sell parts for the step, or do I need to replace the entire unit (second hand from a breaker)?

Gary

 

[Gary Waugh]

Well I found a brand new motor unit for the step on eBay for $70, so I ordered it and it should arrive next week, plan on swapping the units over, greasing all pivot points and see if that fixes the issue. If it does I will then take the old unit apart and see what has worn, but I doubt ford sell parts for it!!

Gary

 

[08navigator]

$70 isn't too bad. Let us know if it fixed the issue!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Keep us posted on how you make out with the motor. The generics from China are very poorly rated on Amazon with many reviewers claiming failures in weeks to months.

 

[Gary Waugh]

Well I have to say, it's bloody awkward to change the electric motor, you have to completely remove the step (Only 8 bolts) and disconnect 1 electrical plug. I then had to remove the 3 bolts that secure the motor to the step mechanism and it looks like the motor and gearbox should just pull off, but I could NOT get it to release (yes I removed the wedge that locks the output shaft to the step mechanism, but try as I might the motor would not come out. Ended up having to cut the output shaft from the motor unit with an angle grinder, then with the motor off, I could tap the remains of the output shaft out in the opposite direction to what FORD intended!! The new unit was greased up and mounted very easily, and I then bolted it all back to the car, that's when I discovered the wire leads are about an inch shorter than the leads on the original unit, this means the plug on the end of the wires would not meet the clip on the chassis to secure the plug from vibration!! I connected the plug and then secured it with cable ties, not as tidy as the original ford clip but just fine!! The motor unit seems a little less solid than the ford unit (just a feeling!!) but works perfectly, is nice and smooth and much quieter than the old unit!! For me it was a complete success and took about 1.5 hours due to all the issues of getting the old motor unit drive shaft to come out!! I will open the old unit up and see what has worn, but for $70 this seems a good compromise, the proof will be in how long it works for!! More than 6 years and I will be very happy.

Gary

 

[Habbibie]

Nice write up Gary, should've snapped a few pics along the way but it's all understandable anyways, I got a question though, in the following phrase I quoted from your previous post

but I could NOT get it to release (yes I removed the wedge that locks the output shaft to the step mechanism,

Where is the other parenthesis that closes that sentence?

 

[Plati]

Retracting running boards, another feature I'll never own!
If I had a vehicle with that, I'd lock it down & unplug it.

 

[Gary Waugh]

I really like the retracting running boards and as I said, in 10 years and 140,000 miles never had an issue.. Happy that it only cost $70 to fix!! I opened up the failed motor unit and discovered that one of the permanent magnets had broken and the large chunk that broke off fell down inside and jammed the motor. I removed the broken part and put it back together and it now works!! Still like how much quieter the new unit is compared to the old unit. Don't know what caused the magnet to break, can only think a rock must have hit the unit when I was driving and the shock broke the magnet. Will keep the old unit for spare parts!! Seriously thinking of now changing the passenger side motor unit (just because the new units are so much quieter!!) but the passenger side has seen far less use than the driver side and still works perfectly, so hate to spend money replacing something that works fine!!

Gary

 

[CharlieBgotAnExpy]

So Gary, In hindsight is there anything you could have done to maintain it better or protect it from harm. I have an 08 Expy and I would rather not go through what you did.

Charlie

 

[Gary Waugh]

Really there isn't, there are no grease points on the step mechanism, the pins that are used as pivots in the step are stainless steel and showed no signs of wear or corrosion on mine, also you cant really grease the pins, that only leaves the actual motor and reduction gearbox. There are brushes in the motor that will wear but mine still had plenty of life in them, the reduction gearbox is sealed and lubricated with grease. You could add some grease, but I could not see any signs of wear in the reduction gearbox, I would also be concerned that you might put the output shaft back in the wrong position (which would mess up the operation of the step). My unit really showed no significant wear even after 10 years of use, the issue was the broken permanent magnet and there is nothing I can do about that.. the car has lived most of its life in Texas, so the more northern states might see an issue with corrosion if salt is used on the roads in winter, but most of the step mechanism cannot be dismantled so there really isn't anything that can be done.

Gary

 

[John Christopher]

So Gary, In hindsight is there anything you could have done to maintain it better or protect it from harm. I have an 08 Expy and I would rather not go through what you did.

Charlie

Charlie, I have a 13 Navigator and every few months I spray all the hinge points with WD40. It make a difference. They are quieter after spraying

 

[CharlieBgotAnExpy]

Thanks John, I was thinking that I should lube them somehow. I'm not a big fan of WD40 for outside duty though. Any thoughts on a more robust lubricant like the white lithium grease spray?

 

[Adieu]

Thanks John, I was thinking that I should lube them somehow. I'm not a big fan of WD40 for outside duty though. Any thoughts on a more robust lubricant like the white lithium grease spray?

White lithium makes for a nasty looking mess though

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

OP, please give us an update in 6 months and let us know how they're holding up. I had both assemblies replaced in their entirety in 2015 (At the time, Ford was supposedly only selling the entire assemblies and it was under warranty, so I didn't argue it.). Despite babying the heck out of them, a few months ago the driver side started acting up again. When it got to the point of sticking regularly, I just pulled the plug. I was contemplating those generic motors, but the review are pretty awful in terms of reliability so I'm hesitant.