SportTractoF150

Does ANYONE know how to get the retractable running boards to extend if the motor is shot? I'm trying to take my running boards off to put a pair of AMP boards on, but there are 4 bolts sandwiched between the bottom of the body and the running board that I can't get to with it retracted. It's driving me nuts!

PLEASE HELP

jhelrey

Can you remove the motor assembly which is what is keeping it in the retracted position?

hallenfe

Open the motorized portion and lower them manually. Should be 3 screws and a plastic cover that's the shape of a pear.

M0RRIS

You can't just buy the motor to replace on the factory ones correct?

06F150CFCT

Nope. Something about 3rd party manufacturer and they won't sell parts to the public. Atleast that's what I found out for my 2012 ones. I ended up just needing to lube mine but at the time I thought the motor was gone on one of them.

M0RRIS

That sucks a big green donkey dong.

SportTractoF150

I should have updated this sooner. Right after I posted this thread, I got irritated with it again and went outside and climbed under the truck with a hammer. I started hitting the top of the hinges towards the ground and all of sudden, a bunch of dirt and grime fell out onto me. So I took both my hands and hung my weight on the hinges to see if they'd move. The front one wouldn't budge, but the back one had movement. Made me think the front hinge was just binding up. So I kept hitting both brackets until no more dirt and grime fell down. Then I opened the door and the step came down!

Afer that, I kept the door open and I took a bucket of water with a hard bristled brush and scrubbed every part I could touch on the hinges and brackets really well (I don't have a power washer). Then I used a pressurized air blower to spray out all the water. After that, I soaked it in WD-40 sprayed into all the parts that have friction in the movement. Waited for it to dry, and then sprayed in a good lubricant. Voila! I opened and closed the door a few times to get all the lubricant in there well and even timed how long it was taking to retract and extend in comparison to the passenger side (they're identical). That was about a week ago now and it's still working perfectly. For the time being, I saved myself a ton of money and effort.

BUILTTOLAST

Knew it!!

I was gunna chime in but turns out you figured it out.9 times out of 10 when people say theirs have failed,they haven't.They just get caked up and dry.
All the moving parts on these need to be clean and well lubricated at all times.

Glad everything's back to working as designed.

BMWBig6

What is the factory-recommended lubricant, or what does everybody like to use? Which components need regular attention?

06F150CFCT

I use this stuff: works fine for me. I know they recommended something with silicone in it so I found some at Advance Auto or Autozone (I forget which one). I spray every joint on the brackets and then open and close the door a bunch of times to let it work in. I do that step twice to make sure I got enough of the lube into the right spaces. If I notice any dirt or grime mixing in, I use a can of air and blow out the hinges as well.