Power running board is shot

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Bernard

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That is the problem, there are no aftermarket power boards for an Expedition EL.

I think that it is the same power boards, factory and aftermarket. The only deferent is the installation points, the length of the boards and the open/close points - and it’s all tunable.
In the worst case, use just the motors or even better, buy just the motor from an aftermarket dealer, as a spare part..
 

Andy

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Have new motor

ALL SOLD ~ Thank you for your interest!
 

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Bernard

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I'm now getting really frustrated with this part. The cheapest board I cam find is $850. I am having a hard time believing the motor is bad because the board comes down just fine. It just won't go up. With just a tiny bit of a push from my foot underneath the board, then it will retract when I close the door. If it doesn't retract then I can actually hear the motor trying to pull the board up when I am driving. I have looked for any type Of obstruction to the board and can't see anything. I have tried greasing and lubricating the door switch/jam and that hasnt worked either. Does anyone have any other recommendations or websites I can look at to try and find the part cheaper ?

Well… have you solved it?
I have exactly the same problem – to the letter… :-(
 

iic1tls

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2010 Expedition Power Running Board Failure

I too had the power running board fail on the driver side of my 2010 Expedition - the board would extend, but would not retract.

I removed the running board from the vehicle and took a closer look. Found that the motor was making a noise like it was trying to actuate, but nothing was happening.

Finally disassembled the trapeeze and removed the motor/gearing. An autopsy revealed that the motor was fine - it was the gearing at the head of the motor that failed - a worm gear type configuration with a round driven gear.

The driven gear had failed - stripped out.

***

I searched around for a replacement part, and was driven back to fordparts.com. My cost was $1800 for the replacement trapeeze. Very painful.
 

Bernard

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Well…
As I said, my driver’s side would retract but wouldn’t fold back. It looked like something isn’t moving smoothly - as if something is stuck. The motor start to move and timidity go into reveres…

Any way.
I didn’t want to spend $1000+ so I took it (the all step + the motor) off the EXPY, clean everything and reinstalled it – got the same results..:emotions122::emotions122:

Then, as a last try, I spray about ½ a can of WD40 into each joint (not even in the motor) and run the step back and forth and… it was back and running again… just as new… :)
 

lpharts

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Same issue with 2010 Expedition EL...problem started in 2013. Vehicle is driven in north east Ohio but parked in a heated garage. I cleaned the driver side running board off after every trip for 1 month. Didn't help a bit. Thanks for the research done to date on this forum. My wife thought this feature was cool when we purchased the vehicle...I told her it's the feature that looks to be a nightmare...she has confessed that I was right.
 
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Air00Max

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I replaced the driver's side motor last year when I started this thread. Thanks to member Andy for hooking me up with the part. After a bit of research I realized my vehicle still qualified for the Ford Extended Service Plan. I bought that and am now fully covered for 3 years / 36,000 miles. The cost of the warranty was less than what a new running board and motor (just 1) would cost through Ford.
I'm glad I picked this up, because my passenger side running board motor went out about 2 months after I got the warranty. $100 deductible later, and it's all fixed and new!
 

spotdog14

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I have a failing drivers side board on my 2008 as well. What I do is just turn them off in the winter since the noise it makes trying to close and then opening all the time annoys me. Ill turn them back on in the spring when there isn't a lot of snow around.

Anyways what I have found to work really well (except in the winter) is to power wash the joints to get all the road grim out of the joint then either pack the joints with some lithium grease or other silicon lubricant. Works great until it rains or I was the truck again.
 

RedExpy

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question about the gears in the system.. .are they plastic? Could they be replaced with...aluminum gears.... or some other hardier material that would last?? curious...
 

JollyRoger

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If the board is trying to retract, and actually does when you help it with your foot, then take some time to clean and lube the pivot points. This happens to me monthly during the winter. There are 4 pivot points on each running board. Use a can of WD40 and blast them liberally. A new, full can with the straw attached has good 'blasting' effect. Cycle the boards up and down a few times (may still need help retracting) then do it again. It's tough to get WD40 into the pin/sleeve but eventually it will work it's way in there. There's no easy way to lube these, and I would have liked to see grease zerts installed on these...bad design.

After you get them working again by using the WD40, I've tried various things like spray garage door lube, marine grease, and anything else I can find that's waterproof. Nothing lasts any longer than anything else because they just get blasted with road junk. Just using the WD40 every 30-60 days has made mine work great and reliably again, and it only takes a couple of minutes.

I would try this before buying anything new. Hope that helps.
 
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