Tips For Troubleshooting Your Van's Wheelchair Lift That Refuses To Raise Up
If you have a van with a wheelchair lift so you can transport your loved one, you may have found that it will not raise up after loading them onto the platform. If so, use the following tips to troubleshoot the stuck lift to see if there is a simple solution to the problem.
Restart Your Van
The first thing you should try when the lift refuses to raise up is restarting your van. If your van has been running for a while, the battery may have lower voltage than it did when you first turned on the vehicle.
Since the wheelchair lift is sensitive to the amount of electricity it is receiving, it may refuse to go up in case the battery dies and leaves it stuck in mid-lift. If you restart your vehicle, the charge on the battery should be higher than it is while running may be enough to kick start the lift.
Make Sure the Safety Belt and Chair Straps Are Locked
If restarting your van does not help make the lift move, the next thing you should do is make sure the safety belt and wheelchair straps are locked. Most lifts have a safety mechanism that keeps the lift from moving if the sensors indicate that the belt and straps are not secure.
To check them, unlock and relock each belt and strap one at a time. Once you have relocked everything, try the lift again. If it still refuses to raise up, the problem could lie with the wiring system.
Check the Wire Harness
If you suspect that the issue with the lift is the wiring system, check the wire harness that connects the van's battery with the chair. When doing so, there are two things for which you need to look.
First, check the connections for the wires to see if they have become dislodged. Even if you do not see a visible disconnect, push the ends together to ensure the electrodes are secure.
Second, look at the wires themselves, especially those that are closest to the lift. If the lift struck the wires while it was in motion, it may have severed them. If this is the case, the wire harness will need to be replaced.
After using the above troubleshooting tips, you may still not be able to get your van's wheelchair lift to raise up. If so, take the vehicle to a wheelchair van repair service so they can find the problem with the lift and make the necessary repairs.