Door awning stuck

[mystere900]

I have a Dometic A & E Oasis Elite Door Awning that wont come out. When the extend or retract button is pushed I hear what sounds like a relay clicking in the control panel box. I did shove some straight pins into the motor leads and got about a negative 34.5 mvdc on extend and positive 34.5 mvdc on retract. (I think the mvdc stands for millivolts) Next step is to apply 12 vdc directly to the motor as soon as I can figure out how to disconnect it from the control panel. This same problem was posted back in July of 08, but thought I'd see if anyone had new info.

Thanks

(also posted in Fleetwood Products Owner's Forum)

[wagonmaster2]

And has anyone ever posted a picture of where the hole should be drilled (and what size hole) in the bottom of the motor case in order to drain out moisture? Both my door awning and the patio awning will hesitate going out or in either way while pressing the in/out switch. Getting to where I'm afraid to use them while on the road.

Wagonmaster2

[wa8yxm]

I have never even heard of drilling a hole to let out moisture,,, Which is only to say I've never heard of it.. before. (You can ignore this paragraph)

As to the motor... Sounds like you have a control module issue, but it could be elsewhere... Now, what to do about it.

If you can access the wires to the motor, near the awning roller, you should see a "Flat 2" connector, this is like a flat 4 but only two wires

In your owner's manual bag should be a long set of leads with a matching connector on it.

Pull the one on the awning apart and hook the motor end to the one from the bag (If you did not get your override cable see your dealer, or any dealer, they don't cost much)

Use either jumper cables or a jump-start battery You may need to reverse the connection as one hookup is IN and the other is OUT

If this works,, then you have eliminated the motor and brake as the problem... Now, personally I"ve not (yet) had a problem but a few visits to where I'm parked ago a poor man 2 sites over with a brand new (Less than 90 days) old rig did.. The motor failed, completly.

I had to do the level 2 manual override (Remove screws) to get his awning retracted for the coming storm and call Rachel (Who is a professional) to get it fixed.. Which reminds me I need to call her myself on a minor matter.

You don't want to know how much the motor cost

By the way, you are correct on the meaning of MV (1/1000 volts)

The reading you got indicates way too low a voltage to the motor

This can be caused by a faulty relay in the control unit, or by a bad connection in the wires leading to the control unit, or by a bad connection in the wires between the control unit and the motor, or by a very very very bad connection between the meter and the wires.

[wagonmaster2]

Back in the aforementioned July 2008 posting there were several suggestions about drilling a hole in the motor casing to allow moisture to run out. Haven't looked at my motors yet to see how accessible they are for a drilling if necessary (or advisable).

And I don't have the cables you mentioned so guess I'd better start trying to find a set. Might of known anything that cost extra would be eliminated by the manufacturer.

Can you describe where the screws are to be removed so the awning can be manually rolled up?

Wagonmaster2

[mystere900]

Thanks everybody, thought I found the problem when I took the motor apart and found rust and corrosion inside. Cleaned it up and lubed the lower bearing, put it back together and still no extension. Cut the motor leads where Fleetwood used crimp connectors to splice the motor to the control panel. Applied 12 VDC directly to the motor in both directions with no success. Looks like I've got a bad motor. Removed the awning from the coach so I could remove the motor. Guess I'l be finding out what that motor does cost.

[mystere900]

Additional note, per the diagnostics manual I connected a voltmeter to the motor leads coming from the control box and got positive 13,4 vdc on extend and negative 13.4 on retract, which is what I should be getting. When I tested before, the motor was connected causing the 34.5 mvdc. Also, the thing I failed to say in the previous post was the voltmeter started at a much higher value and took a few seconds to arrive at 34.5 mvdc. Don't know if that value is correct with the motor in the circuit, but guess it doesn't mater if it's not working.

[mystere900]

$475.00 for a motor!!!! I don't think so. Got an idea to convert the awning to manual operation. Going to try to find a pulley to attach to the roller where the motor would normally go then wrap a cord around the pulley. Being that the awning is spring loaded to the extended position, I would pull the cord to retract and tie off the cord somewhere. Don't know if it will work because it's all in the mental planning stage for now. Off to the hardware store to find supplies, will post progress later. (Rube Goldberg strikes again)

Any ideas are welcome.

Roger

[mystere900]

Took the motor to an automotive electrical repair shop. The kind that does starter motors and generators. He repositioned the brushes, reset the bushing at the bottom of the motor and reassembled it. The motor now worked but when installed it would extend but not retract the awning. This is because the awning is spring loaded to the extend position and not forced out by the motor. On retraction the motor is pulling against the force of the spring load. Found the flat in the aluminum die cast end of the roller tube that mates with the motor shaft had sheered. The motor was turning but not the roller. (cost per Dometic to replace end piece $86) So, I drilled a 1/8 inch hole through both parts then inserted a roll pin to connect the two parts. Viola, works fine.

Total cost of repair: $18.25

Electrical shop $10 (He wanted $5, but I was so happy gave him $10)
1/8 by 3/4 in. roll pin $.25
Pin punch $8
One week of my time, priceless.