Community Forums

capdata · 03-05-2017, 08:47 AM

My new to me 2009 Phaeton 40QDH in July 2016 is a great mh, I am very pleased. Things happen, you take care of it and move on.

The awning has performed flawlessly until now, closing with wind sensor etc. The last time it did close was with the wind sensor.

It appears there is power at the switch as the red light is present when turned on. When I press the extend button nothing happens. I can hear a faint click.

Thanks in advance for any light you may be able to shed on my problem.

BFlinn181 · 03-05-2017, 09:26 AM

Here's a link to Carefree (ironic name?) manuals. You can take the front cover over the motor off and use a 12v power source to jumper the motor to test it. You might have a relay that's bad, you can explore the manuals for wiring diagrams.

capdata · 03-05-2017, 12:12 PM

Thanks Bob for the info. I had been to Carefree's web site and kinda looks at the manuals, but I'm not real good at some of these things, like electronic etc.
So I thought I might see if I could just get lucky and someone say Oh Yeah, that's just a tweak here or there to something.
Anyway, beyond my level of expertise so I may just have to wait until in Denver later on this summer, or look for a repair person here in south Texas that knows something about these things.
Thanks again for your time and input.

BFlinn181 · 03-05-2017, 01:02 PM

Reading through the Service manual, there is a 15 amp fuse in the control box. I'd check that first.

Next step would be to "Test motor function" (pg. 16) If the motor works, then you could follow the steps for testing switches and other subsystems or leave it to service people. The motor has a thermal switch, if you repeatedly hit 'close' when it was closed, the motor might have overheated. It's supposed to reset after 15 minutes. The motor isn't hard to replace if it's the issue.

Bill2 · 03-06-2017, 07:39 AM

If you call carefree they'll tell you who can work on it where you're located they have people that will come to you I suspect the brain has gone out on it

TS192 · 04-10-2017, 07:46 PM

I had a Carefree awning on a coach once and I really love that they chose that name. When my DW and I would be out and getting ready to retract the awning I would literally pray as I pressed the retract button every single time and about half to most of the time my prayers were NOT answered. Carefree??? Hardly, but great name. Irony , aint it a ironic???

flywithcoop · 04-11-2017, 07:01 AM

While at the Tiffin service center I learned a little about the wind sensor on awnings.
The sensor actually does not measure wind speed it senses a change in temperature. When the air temp changes 10 degrees it causes the awning to retract. The only way to test the wind sensor is with a hair dryer blowing on the wind sensor. Try warming up the sensor and then see if the awning works.

My 36LA does not have a wind sensor. My awning gets it's power from a yellow wire that is connected to the positive battery terminal. check to see if you have any corrosion anywhere in the power wiring. Only hearing a click may mean you are not receiving enough current to activate the motor.

capdata · 04-11-2017, 08:23 AM

Well as it turns out, after checking with and messing with fuses and a relay in the front DS bay, the awning is now working again!!
As with most on a MH there are a number of things that cause failures, I got lucky on this one - For now.
Thanks to all who replyed, the knowledge base here is awesome!!

flywithcoop · 04-12-2017, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capdata

Well as it turns out, after checking with and messing with fuses and a relay in the front DS bay, the awning is now working again!!
As with most on a MH there are a number of things that cause failures, I got lucky on this one - For now.
Thanks to all who replyed, the knowledge base here is awesome!!

Great to hear you found the problem was in the front DS bay. Here is some more Red Bay info: While there my "neighbor" had trouble with the electrical panels in the front drivers side bay. Turns out water was getting into the bay when he was driving in the rain. As you can imagine this caused him a lot of problems. Recommend you check the door seals and seal any holes in the compartment to prevent any future problems. Hope to see you somewhere out on the road. Happy trails.