Running Board Motor - replacing

[pat kmae]

Hi All,

One of my running board motors stopped working well a few weeks back. It just moans and sounds like it is stripped out or something.

I took it to the deal (who has been jacking prices recently) and they told me it would be $2100@ to replace... just the motor! hahaha, these guys have gone crazy with their prices.

Anyway, I took the running board off and pulled the motor in 15 minutes yesterday.

I wouldn't mind spending money on a new motor if there is one available somewhere.

Does anyone know if the replacement motors on amazon for $110 are any good?

Thanks

 

[Gary Waugh]

I bought one of eBay for about $80 and it has worked great so far, but I have only had it for 4 months!!

Gary

 

[Muddy Bean]

Pat, there are a few threads on here detailing power board r and r...you’ve already done the hardest part in getting the motor removed. Curious how hard it was? Can you detail your removal?


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[Jamo]

As for those of us who have them still working, what's the recommended PM to keep them working?
Lube the joints with a good lithium grease like spray? My wrench nephew said WD40 makes some kind of HD spray for stuff like that??

 

[jeff kushner]

I have been using motorcycle chain lube....the spray type. The carrier fluid carries the lube into all the spots before evaporation.

I wash the truck, let dry then apply. Bought new 11/16 and still working flawlessly

jeff

 

[dmont]

My neighbor has this same issue with his Expo. I'd love to help him replace the motor. Looks like Amazon sells these:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HB88K7...&pd_rd_r=791498e6-1d9b-11e9-836b-afabdeb59979

I didn't find any good writeups after a quick search of the forum. Is there a good writeup somewhere that explains how to do this?

 

[boomhowie]

Does anyone know if you can use the same motor for an normal Expedition as the EL. They have two different part numbers. But I was wondering if I got the motor and bracket together, If the parts for the normal length Expy would work on the EL. The one for the EL is not as available. I hate to pay that much for a motor. All the ones on Amazon and Ebay are not for the EL. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[pat kmae]

HI all,

I just finished the repair and it was pretty easy to re-install.

I bought this motor off of amazon and it appears to be of equal or better build quality than the fomoco one. The metal is about about the same thickness.
Description of the motor i bought was "GELUOXI Right Power Running Board Motor for Lincoln Navigator Ford Expedition 2007-2014 9L7Z-16A506-A 9L7Z16A506A 747-900 FSM1P6"
Link as of today: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07447BDQP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Disclaimer: I'm not any sort of actual mechanic, so take this info as merely what worked for me. It might not work for you.
To Recap:


The symptom:
The motor went bad (started making a whale sound and wouldn't raise lower fully. It might have been a gear problem, because there are two screw gears inside the motor housing. Not sure what stripped or what because I couldn't fully dissasemble the old part and didnt'really care that much.


Uninstall:
Put the running board into the down position if you can somehow. Place a sleeping bag or backpack under the running board towards the back wheel, so it can be supported when the bolts come off. Un-clip the power connection to the motor. Remove the entire running board including its hinges and the motor. There are 4 bolts near each hinge that mount it to the frame of the car. 2 up underneath the edge and 2 down low that can be accessed with the running board in down position. I used a ratchet with metric, forget the mm.

Once off, remove the 2 bolt / studs that connect the motor to the hinges. You need a screw driver for one side and alan wrench for the other. Then, remove the hex-head screw that you see on the hinge, it holds a wedge shaped bolt to the inside of the hinge near the motors axle that is not visible when put together. I just jiggled the running board a bit after taking out the screw and the wedge bolt fell out. Then the axle was free and I was able to pull the motor off off the hinge and detach it.

Installation:
Installation was pretty much the reverse of removal, but it was sort of hard to get that wedge bolt in and start the screw for it. Remember that you want the motor turned so that the running board is in the "extended" down position again. One video I watched suggested removing the motor shield cover and that allows you to manually rotate the motor axle by spinning the motor. It is slow, but worked. Recognize that there is a little washer that must go down into the end of the cap and lie flat. Don't lose it or let it float around inside the motor loose. Once I did all that and then got the wedge bolt on and screw to hold it tight, I put on all the other alan bolts and screws to mount the motor back to the hinge frame of the running board.


Removal honestly takes 15 minutes
Install took about an hour because of that wedge bolt deal, but that really is the only reason.


The motor I bought of amazon is very quiet running and appears to be solid construction.

Good Luck and thanks to the forum.

I

 

[Muddy Bean]

I have been using motorcycle chain lube....the spray type. The carrier fluid carries the lube into all the spots before evaporation.

I wash the truck, let dry then apply. Bought new 11/16 and still working flawlessly

jeff

My truck is a ‘15 with 117,000 miles on it and my boards still work. Honestly Jeff, you and I will both find our boards dead sometime in the somewhat near future.


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[Adieu]

Does anyone know if you can use the same motor for an normal Expedition as the EL. They have two different part numbers. But I was wondering if I got the motor and bracket together, If the parts for the normal length Expy would work on the EL. The one for the EL is not as available. I hate to pay that much for a motor. All the ones on Amazon and Ebay are not for the EL. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

Amazon returns are usually quite painless

 

[Adieu]

My truck is a ‘15 with 117,000 miles on it and my boards still work. Honestly Jeff, you and I will both find our boards dead sometime in the somewhat near future.


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My '12 Gator L with 136k mi has boards that work, but one opens with a bit of a bang and shuts just short of complete.... like 1/2" gap maybe....

Turned em off and kicked it shut, the damn thing deploying annoys me

Any ideas on how to make it run smooth?

 

[pat kmae]

Can you tell if anything is binding? Maybe just needs some grease or lube on the hinges which have axles.
It would be work, but if you take off the motor, it would be easy to test if the structure of your board is OK. Hopefully it isn't tweaked.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Some people have kept their boards lubed well and still had failures. I have lubed mine extensively and often and my drivers board motor is sounding sad and probably about to fail. It’s just a design flaw. If it fails after my warranty expires (3,000 miles from now) I’ll replace the motor.


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[David1]

One member posted moisture gets into the motor grease over time and deteriorates it. They rebuilt with marine grade grease. Sounds about right since mine work fine above 40 degrees

 

[Muddy Bean]

One member posted moisture gets into the motor grease over time and deteriorates it. They rebuilt with marine grade grease. Sounds about right since mine work fine above 40 degrees

Interesting insight...good to know.


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[oldpaddy]

I can't add anything to the conversation about replacing the motor, but mine sticks occasionally. Sometimes bad. I live on a dirt road and suspect that has a lot to do with it. I use lithium grease and put globs of it on the hinges and use my foot to put the running board up when I close the door. Usually after a few times of doing that the board works fine. I have to do it every few months.

 

[TobyU]

Along the chain lube line, my favorite lubricant for the past three years has been Lucas chain lube. The stuff is awesome. It is much better than any chain lube I've ever use. It is awesome for things like pivot points or bearings, slides etc.

 

[jruppert]

I have a 2010 Navigator with these running boards. Bought some motors off ebay and attempting to replace. The driver side has been removed but it appears as if someone prior to me attempted to replace. It was missing the bolt for the aluminum keyway that fits against the cutaway area of shaft. When I go to attach the motor, the notched portion of shaft is approximately 180 degrees from the side where the key should be fitting. I read what was said earlier in this thread about removing cover and manually turning the shaft. Am I interpreting this correctly?

 

[Jamo]

Thank you for this thread...

My left side has been trouble, right side works great. I have to assume its all the sand and salt that the left gets more of.
Anyway, I have been keeping mine clean and lubed with that WD spray lithium. Last week it sounded like it was full of sand, all gritty and grinding. It quit working, I cleaned and greased, worked for a day or two and now stuck in the up position. Makes no noise at all, no movement.

Now that I know more of what I'm dealing with, I'll pull it and do an exploratory.

Great board here...

Jamo

 

[Brian1980]

I have a 2012 Limited with about 100,000 miles. Driver side just started to give me issues. Driver side running board deploys fine, seems to come up fine, but hits the top and redeploys and stays out. I've looked for blockage, did not see anything. Took a pressure washer to it to make sure there was no debris. Still has the issue. Any ideas on what could be causing the bounce back?