AMP Research PowerStep Plug-n-Play running boards are for the 2009-2014 F-150 owner that's
looking for a strong and wide running board but doesn't like the look of an overly large,
attention-grabbing side step.
When retracted, the AMP Research PowerStep will blend in for a clean look with your truck's
lines, and with an open of your door it'll deploy instantly ready to be used.
Running boards make climbing into your truck easier and safer with a texturized pattern
along the length of the bar so you and your passengers will have peace of mind in all
weather conditions.
With a bolt-on plug-n-play design I'll be giving this install one out of three wrenches
on our difficulty meter, and expect it to take about three hours to complete.
This board features a very wide and flat stepping area to make stepping onto the board that
much easier and safer.
AMP Research placed a texturized black powder coat coating on the boards for added grip
to whoever is stepping into your truck, especially helpful for those lifted the trucks out there.
The bar itself is made from a high strength aluminium alloy that's rated for 600 pound
holding weight.
Even with that higher than average weight rating, the step themselves weigh about 10%-20%
less than the average OE and aftermarket steel steps.
The lightweight and aerodynamic design is made to maximize your F-150's fuel economy
by not adding any unnecessary weight to your truck.
The motors that move the step are sourced from an OE quality manufacturer for a very
long life.
Just south of 1,500 bucks is gonna be one of the most expensive options available for
running boards.
But you'll be getting your money's worth with the convenience and look that almost no other
traditional non-powered running boards can provide.
And with everything included in the box for an easy plug-n-play install, you can see why
there's a lot of value to go with the high price.
Now, if you're using these with a bigger lifted truck, AMP Research offers an extra large
version that'll deploy an extra three inches lower for easier access, that'll run you a
few hundred bucks more.
Switching gears to the install.
This is a bolt-on design with no permanent modification to your truck needed, so I'll
be giving this one out of three wrenches on our difficulty meter, and expect an install
time of about three hours.
Now, let's head over to the shop so I can walk you through the install.
Our first step on AMP Research's PowerStep is gonna be to set up the motor.
So first you're gonna take your electric motor and your gear cover, I'm just gonna place
this on, and then you're just gonna have to match up the teeth on the gear for the motor
on here.
You may need to move this back and forth to get it to line up.
With the motor in place we're gonna use the supplied bolts and washers...and then tying
it up with your Allen key.
Now that our motor assembly is ready we're gonna take some J clips so that we can bolt
up 4, 13 millimeter bolts, 2 at the top, 2 at the bottom right underneath.
So we're just gonna put some J clips right in these mounting points.
With our clips installed, you're gonna want to hand-tighten two bolts.
We wanna leave enough room because we have our openings at the top, so we're just gonna
use that, slide that right in so it's mounted and then we're gonna just tighten up the top
ones.
Again, this is gonna be a 13 millimeter socket.
Now that we have the top two bolts snugged in, we're gonna use the little bit shorter
lower bolts.
As for our front bracket we're gonna install it the same way, the two longer bolts for
the top and then we're gonna install the lower bolts after we install the bracket.
Now, with our brackets in place we're gonna start to run the wire harness, we're gonna
put it through on the passenger side near the battery.
The longer of the two sides is gonna be for the driver side, and we'll run that underneath
the truck.
The shorter is for the passenger side.
So in our wire harness underneath the cap is a 30 amp fuse, we're just gonna need to
remove this before we hook up anything.
Now that we have our wires right where we need them, we're gonna connect the controller.
The only thing to make sure of is when you're connecting it make sure that the clips do
click so that you know you have a good seal.
Now, with everything hooked up to the controller, we're gonna use two zip ties and we're just
gonna mount it right about here.
So now with our controller hooked up and mounted, we're gonna hook up our power.
For our truck we're using an 8 millimeter ratchet and socket.
Now, with our controller mounted and plugged in, we're gonna put in our ground and power.
Start with ground just for safety.
We're gonna need to remove our door seal, our kick panel, and we roll back our carpet
to gain access to the OBD-II port.
So now that we have access to pulling back the carpet, we have access to the hole, so you
just need to pull this tape out and this is how we're gonna route the wiring to the OBD-II
sensor.
So now that we have our shorter wires in, we're just gonna do a little bit of wire
stripping and then use the included butt connectors to connect it to the OBD-II sensor.
With our butt connectors connected, also make sure you do purple-to-black to purple-to-black
and purple-to-purple, and then your OBD-II port is located right under your steering
column.
So with the wire harness now connected, we're gonna just test to make sure everything is
working, so plug this into the back of the motor, and with that snap you know it's in.
So then replace your fuse.
So now our bracket is retracted, so when I open the door you'll see it fall down.
Now that we know our step is working, I'm just gonna clean up our wires by just, we're
gonna zip tie them up around the brake lines.
You can put them wherever you like and then we're just gonna use the included zip ties.
With all of our wires cleaned up it's time to put the step on.
All you have to do is just line up this T nut into the slot in the step and then we're
gonna screw in the nut.
It is movable, so just move it wherever you need to place it.
And then when lining up the step, use the front door as your starting point.
So line up with the gap in the door and then the rest will line up.
Just using two included nuts for each step.
Now it's time to install our LED step markers.
The power and ground is ready, here and here, we just need to strip the wires, connect them
with a butt connector and then we'll put them right up here on your truck.
So now with our step fully functional it's time for the LED lights.
You're supplied butt connectors, so basically you just have to put them on and then we're
gonna use our heat gun, and just secure your connectors.
So now with the light connected, you're just gonna peel back the red 3M tape release liner
and then place it where you want on your step.
It's also a good idea to clean up the metal so that it gets a good adhesion.
And then we're gonna do the same steps for the other side.
And again, pull off the 3M release liner and then place wherever you want.
With our lights on and wired up our install is complete.
To activate your step, open your door, the step will deploy, the lights will light up.
To retract, just close your door, a two second delay.
That wraps up my review on AMP Research's PowerStep running boards.
You can check these out and more at americantrucks.com.