Awning Retraction Problem

[bzumwalt]

The Dometic WeatherPro power awning on our 2006 Fleetwood Discovery motor home started acting up yesterday when we broke camp to head for home after a week in Asheville, NC. It grinds to a halt and won't budge after partially winding itself up. If you wait a minute or two and try again, it will finish the job. It's as though the motor gets tired and runs out of steam. I have been able to recreate the problem since we got home, but can't see anything obviously wrong. I did unplug the control box so it would reset, but that didn't help. Any suggestions on what is wrong or how to fix?

Bob Z
06 Fleetwood Discovery 39S / 08 Buick Enclave

[paz]

Something is binding, and there is thermal protection for the motor that shuts down for a minute or two to keep the motor from burning out.

As to what it is that's binding, I don't know. We had the same problem, and never did figure out what it was. We replaced the whole awning for reasons beyond the binding problem.

[Dutch Star Don]

Bob Z.....Check the external plug near the awning arm and under the awning. They can get corroded. Disconnect the plug and check the terminals.

[RickO]

I'll offer an alternate possibility. I believe that the motors in these awnings are infamously under powered. With mine, if my house batteries aren't new, fresh and full charged the awning will stall part way in and I reach up and give it a little help. Just a slight tug on the arm helps enough for it to fully retract. Currently, my batteries are none of those three things so I always have to help it in.

Just a thought.

Rick

[Beabop]

We had trouble with ours, it would go up 6 inches then cool off and go up some more. We had replaced the motor 2 times. The sensor worked about 6 months and was replaced and it worked about 6 months. Instead of another box, we had both awnings wired direct. Now both go in and out freely so whatever thermal switch was overheating had something to do with the box. 2 of our friends had their Weather Pros made into manual awnings. We are happy with ours now. I would never have another Dometic.

[bzumwalt]

Worked on the awning last week and got it to cycle a couple of times with no problem, though very slow on the roll-up. (1) sprayed silicone on all the joints, (2) pulled the fabric on the roller toward the rear of the coach in an attempt to remove any binding as it was a about an inch off-center, and (3) cleaned the power connector at the motor.

Found a copy of the WeatherPro Diagnostic Service Manual (attached) on the Discovery Owners Association site (DOAI). Wish I had seen it earlier --- good troubleshooting guide for awning problems.

If problem continues, will try adding a couple of turns to the spring.

Bob Z
06 Fleetwood Discovery / 08 Buick Enclave

[Ken C]

Originally Posted by bzumwalt

The Dometic WeatherPro power awning on our 2006 Fleetwood Discovery motor home started acting up yesterday when we broke camp to head for home after a week in Asheville, NC. It grinds to a halt and won't budge after partially winding itself up. If you wait a minute or two and try again, it will finish the job. It's as though the motor gets tired and runs out of steam. I have been able to recreate the problem since we got home, but can't see anything obviously wrong. I did unplug the control box so it would reset, but that didn't help. Any suggestions on what is wrong or how to fix?

Bob Z
06 Fleetwood Discovery 39S / 08 Buick Enclave

Bob,

We had the same issue with our WeatherPro. Dealer tried a new motor which didn't help. The solution was more tension on the spring. I don't know how much tension they added though.

[CCFROMFL]

My dealership (both service writer and tech) told me there was no emergency procedure. I had ask what steps I could take if awning would not retract before I called my Road Side Service.

Boy IRV2 is a wealth of information ..... Thanks

[peliaspastia]

Do you know who I might contact to find out how to get my awning converted into a manual one?

[GaryKD]

Hi CCFROMFL,
There is an emergency procedure if you have an A&E 9000 series power awning. At the top of the front awning arm, there is a large screw/bolt. Unscrew this screw/bolt. This detaches the motor from the awning rod. The awning will now roll closed with a push. Once closed, re-tighten the screw/bolt.

This is a temporary fix. The screw/bolt is to be screwed into a flat on the awning roller shaft. By following the above mentioned procedure, the screw/bolt may or may not be on the flat. Once the real problem is corrected, the screw/bolt needs to be fastened to the awning rod so it is on the flat. This keeps the awning and the motor mechanism connected. It has a lot to do with not allowing the awning to unroll when traveling.

[Pirate]

Yeah, how do you convert to manual? The electric awning left big holes in the side of my RV. Luckily, I was getting my decals painted on so I had the holes filled, then when done I installed a new manual awning.

[Mr_D]

When we ordered our 2002 DSDP I wanted the automatic awning. Newmar refused, saying they were having too much trouble with them. Went with the A&E 9000, and haven't had a bit of trouble with it.
Are most people satisfied with the automatic ones?

[jzick]

We have a Weather Pro awning on a 2007 motorhome. Since new we have had periodic issues like you are describing and all of the advice so far is good. So far we have had the spring tension adjusted (be careful the tech who did ours broke his hand while doing the job), had the fabric centered, found the awning would work very well with brand new house batteries, and constantly had to lubricate all the pressure points. The latest fix has been to replace the motor, and so far with limited use, the problem appears to be fixed for now. Dometic has advised that our problems indicated a bad motor or a bad board. Good luck with your issues.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by jzick

We have a Weather Pro awning on a 2007 motorhome. Since new we have had periodic issues like you are describing and all of the advice so far is good. So far we have had the spring tension adjusted (be careful the tech who did ours broke his hand while doing the job), had the fabric centered, found the awning would work very well with brand new house batteries, and constantly had to lubricate all the pressure points. The latest fix has been to replace the motor, and so far with limited use, the problem appears to be fixed for now. Dometic has advised that our problems indicated a bad motor or a bad board. Good luck with your issues.

We had all of the same experiences except we haven't replaced the motor yet. I can reach the awning arm while standing on my entry steps and have just gotten used to giving it a little tug to help it retract.

Rick