Awning won't unlock

[Samflhomes]

I have a dometic A&E Systems fabric roller tube assembly that is 5 years old 8500 & 9000 FRTA

When I unlocked the lever to pull the awning down with the strap only about a foot of the left side came loose the right side remained locked in place and the left side won't return and is just dangling loosely

The unlock lever attaches to a narrow hollow metal tube which is split apart on the end. I pulled off the lever and tried to turn the metal tube with pliers with no luck
I don't know if this metal tube is even supposed to rotate and maybe the lever is supposed to rotate something within the narrow tube to unlock the awning

Any help appreciated

Sam
2004 8321lx seabreeze

[MSHappyCampers]

Sam, sometimes if the alignment is a little off the support arm gets hung on the part that is attached to the side of the RV. You might use a stepladder and get up there so you can pull out on the top of the arm while someone else tries to pull the strap. I have had mine do that many times.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Waiter21]

The front catch on mine hangs up. On couple occasions I had to do what Joe said, get my ladder and climb up and move the front bar by hand to get it to release.

When I roll it up I'm extra careful to keep the front and back even, this seems to mitigate the problem.

[Samflhomes]

Thanks for the advice

On my frustration I think I broke off the locking lever but if I can free the arm on the right side I might be able to use pliers in the future to un lock

[Samflhomes]

Too late I now learn their is a simple adjustment to line up your awning arms

The arm that comes down with the awning attached was stuck hard to the supporting arm that stays attached to the wall of the RV

To those that go on a ladder that is why. Mine was jammed hard while others must be just a little jammed mine was metal to metal and had to hit with rubber hammer to break it apart

The simple fix is an adjustment to the awning arm when the awning is fully extended. Simply push the arm in the direction needed to line up with the arm on the wall. When you push on the arm the tube slides under the material

See this video and you won't have to climb a ladder again

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f74VgHEPYZg

In my frustration with a stuck arm I broke the unlock lever off the locking wire that extends out from the awning tube

I can use pliers to unlock but it won't be long before I'll break this wire and have a awning locked in the extended position and no way to unlock and retract the awning

I need to locate someone that knows how to remove awning and replace the cap that contains the locking mechanism

I am set up at a rural western Pa location so may be difficult to get help

[MSHappyCampers]

Thanks for the video Sam! Unfortunately, some of them don't slide that easily!

[Waiter21]

Thanks Sam, I didn't think of that. I was watching the seams as it was rolling up to make sure it didn't start walking toward the front as it was rolling. Thats when mine seems to stick.

I'll see if I can get it centered a little better before rolling it up.

[Clay L]

I used a black marker to put a small line on the center of the bottom awning tube and fabric. I make sure the strap is on that line before I start letting it roll up. That lets both arms line up without binding.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

Thanks Sam, I didn't think of that. I was watching the seams as it was rolling up to make sure it didn't start walking toward the front as it was rolling. Thats when mine seems to stick.

I'll see if I can get it centered a little better before rolling it up.

Once you get it centered so it rolls up correctly, you could put a small flat-head sheet metal screw into the slot right outside (not through) each end of the fabric to keep it from sliding.