Awning problem

Sounds like the spring broke. There are videos on YouTube showing the steps to repair if you are handy.

the bear II wrote:
Sounds like the spring broke. There are videos on YouTube showing the steps to repair if you are handy.

Any tips or pointers how to retension mine with just basic tools? I know it needs 8 revolutions and needs to be pinned in place before reinstalling the bracket into the rear arm. Question is how to get the spring retensioned with the non factory tool? Takes some serious leverage

I helped a neighbor replace the spring in a manually operated Carefree of Colorado awning. Different from a Dometic, but what we did to wind it was use half of the rafter as a lever. Since it was already attached to the roller bracket, all we had to do was wind it up, the specified number of turns. Then we slid the rafter back together. EASY!!!

You may be able to Un-Wind the same way. If not, a pair of 10" ViseGrips is enough. But wear gloves and goggles and be ready to bail out if it slips. If it gets away, you won't be wanting to try and stop it.

That Motor Assembly is VERY expensive, $300+ if you're lucky. So take it apart and see if you can replace less than the full kit. You may get lucky and find a sheared drive pin or the like.

When I had to re-tension mine I used a pair of vice grips to do the job.
And a fairly good amount of muscle.

Is the spring only on the motor end or are there 2 springs?

Gasman wrote:
Is the spring only on the motor end or are there 2 springs?

Spring is on the non motor end.

wa8yxm wrote:
When I had to re-tension mine I used a pair of vice grips to do the job.
And a fairly good amount of muscle.

What did you use to pin it in place once fully wound up with 8 revolutions, so you could remove the vice grips and then install the wound up bracket in the arm and pull the pin on the spring tension?

I think you'll find two springs. The manual awnings use two. My guess is that springs handle most of the weight and the motor "assists" the open/close cycles.

When we repaired an older A&E (now Dometic) manual awning, I pinned the ends with small nails. Cotter pins'd look nicer, but I don't think nails will fall out under all that torsion pressure. I remember one hole in the shaft and two grooves that the pin could pass through.

j-d wrote:
I think you'll find two springs. The manual awnings use two. My guess is that springs handle most of the weight and the motor "assists" the open/close cycles.

When we repaired an older A&E (now Dometic) manual awning, I pinned the ends with small nails. Cotter pins'd look nicer, but I don't think nails will fall out under all that torsion pressure. I remember one hole in the shaft and two grooves that the pin could pass through.

So you are saying you jammed 2 nails into the end? One on each side 180 degrees apart, through the center axle? 8d, 16d framing nails?

One nail at each end cap of the awning. There was one hole straight through the shaft. Then two slots in the small (about 1" diameter) end of the cap. Slots were at 90*. Small nail, 6d maybe 8d, might have used drywall nails, through slot and hole, one at each end. Because the slots are at 90*, you only have to turn the thing a little ways to catch alignment of the hole with one of the slots. Then you can put the nail, cotter pin, etc. through from either end. I went out and looked at a box of 4d "box nails" and they didn't look as big as what I remember using, but I think they would have worked.
EDIT: You're taking me back a long time, but as I recall the shaft is only about 3/8", making the hole through the shaft less than 1/8". So the pin can't be near 16d.