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Power awning will not retrack flush against the RV due to bowed support arms.
Here is the problem I had, and the solution. I attempted to find the solution on IRV2 before I attempted fix it, therefore this post. My power awning would not retract flush to the motor home. You can see the attached picture but the power awning will reel out and in with no apparent problem until I retract the awning all the way up to and against the RV. It must be flush with the RV to travel on the highway to prevent the potential of wind causing it to "sail' out and be torn off the RV. The arms that support the awning now appear to be bowed or curved such that they cannot fit into the track arms that attach to the RV. I am not aware that anything has bumped into the awning that could cause the bowing of the arms. However, the wind had been blowing and that is a clue. Here is how you fix it.
The problem is that the awning material shifted down the roller tube (due to the wind direction). If the awning arm is bowed to the rear of the motor home then the material has shifted to the rear and you need to pull the awning material toward the front. Of course if the arm is bowed to the front of the motor home then you to pull the material to the rear. Here is how you shift the material. Let the awning out and then get a ladder. You get up on the ladder where you can put the end of the roller tube against your chest and pull the material in the direction it needs to go. Pulling against your chest gives you the leverage you need to pull the material down the tube. Lift the awning up by the tube. This will remove the pressure from the awning so you can pull it down the slot toward you. Now put the tube against your chest and kind-of bounce the awning tube and pull on the material. It should shift toward you. If it does not, you might need to have someone on the other end lift up on the tube to take pressure off the other end. Also, there is a "rope" of plastic like material that the awning material is attached to and that fits in the slot that holds the awning in place. This rope can be caught in the slot and might prevent the material from moving.
This shifting of the awning material might only be a couple of inches or less. Shift it some and then roll the awning back in. If the awning does not seat correctly yet, repeat shifting it more. If you over correct and the awning starts to bow the other way, move your ladder down to the other end and put your chest against the tube and pull it back down a little. Be careful not to over heat the roller motor by using it too often.
When you think you have it right, watch the track against the motor home where the awning fits into and see if it is truly centered and fits tightly against the RV. You might have to shift the awning material as little as a quarter of an inch to get it just right. Once you are satisfied with the location, row the awning out and then take a black marker and mark on the tube where the material needs to be for the awning to seat into the track correctly. This way, when this happens again you will know right where you need to move the material to. Now, this fixed my problem. A friend with a Journey like mine had what appeared to be the same problem. However, his fix was different. Here is what he did. He crawled up on the roof and had a closer look and came to the conclusion that the awning material had shrunk. It was anchored on the rear end of the channel with a a screw and when loosening the screw the material just slid into the correct spot. Drill a new hole in the channel and put the screw back in (remember, you are up on the roof and not working with the roller tube). It might work well if the screw was placed in the center of the track so that if it shrinks again it will pull both sides in and will not cause the support arms to bow and not fit into the track against the RV.
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