Electric Awing won't close

[Texas_Bohunk]

I have a 2014 Forest River V-Cross VTSB365 my problem is the awning will open up with no problems. When I got to close it, it stops intermittently. If I wait a second and hit the close button it starts again but stops within a few seconds. Is there any adjustments for the closing torque or springs that I can adjust to correct this problem?


Thanks in advance.

[MPI_Mallard]

Mine did the same thing and of course I assumed it was either the switch or the motor itself. I checked the switch with a meter to find it was working properly then I bought a matching plug from an local auto parts store and hooked the motor directly to a 12v battery and found the motor was working fine, after some head-scratching my buddy suggested we should check the wiring from the switch to the motor and there was the problem. When the dealer installed the awning (I won't mention his name and I wouldn't buy a doghouse from this goof!) their installation was "shoe-maker quality" at best, they ran the power wire from the forward base of the awning arm using two "crimp connectors" without either taping or heat-shrinking the connection so I re-did it properly but that shoddy workmanship still wasn't the issue, I followed the chord up the awning arm under the plastic cover to where there the hinged part was and there I saw that the chord had shorted out after being bent over a period of time and it would make a contact intermittently so I went to my local Handy Andy and bought a better quality chord and where the extreme bend was I added three layers of heat-shrink tubing to reduce abrasion and it's been good ever since, I hope this helps!

Red Green: Nothing bugs a handyman more than a stripper that works too slow.

[mr__ed]

Veebyes wrote:
Ha! mine sometimes closes all by itself in the middle of the calmest of nights.

Wish I still had a manual one.

X2. I always had manual awnings. I didn't mind needing to crank it out manually and securing it to stakes driven in the ground and adding deflappers. The most annoying thing about any awning is the noise it could make on a breezy evening when sleeping. There were times when the wind was excessive and necessitated my getting out of bed and rolling the awning up.

[mr__ed]

Any switching device, be it a relay or switch, is prone to dirtying up the contacts over time when switching DC current.

[texasjayco]

laknox wrote:

Texas Bohunk wrote:
Texas Jayco: Thanks I'll put the switch and check it. Maybe even buy a new marine grade switch to replace it.

That's what I was thinking. Why mess around with the old, defective, switch several times a year, when replacing it with a better one would likely solve the problem? :h

Lyle

It wasn't defective, just needed to be cleaned and literally took 30 seconds to do it. Probably should have replaced it, but no biggie to clean it a COUPLE times a year.

Mark

[laknox]

Veebyes wrote:
Ha! mine sometimes closes all by itself in the middle of the calmest of nights.

Wish I still had a manual one.

YES!!!!!! Better yet, an electric one that's as robust as a manual!

Lyle

[fj12ryder]

Yeah, the manual ones are much less trouble in my experience. And more robust too. Ours power awning flops around in the mildest of breezes.

[Veebyes]

Ha! mine sometimes closes all by itself in the middle of the calmest of nights.

Wish I still had a manual one.

[laknox]

Texas Bohunk wrote:
Texas Jayco: Thanks I'll put the switch and check it. Maybe even buy a new marine grade switch to replace it.

That's what I was thinking. Why mess around with the old, defective, switch several times a year, when replacing it with a better one would likely solve the problem? :h

Lyle

[Texas_Bohunk]

Texas Jayco: Thanks I'll put the switch and check it. Maybe even buy a new marine grade switch to replace it.

[texasjayco]

I had the same prob with the FR I just traded in. I took the switch apart and could easily see that it was just the design of the switch. I cleaned the contacts on a regular basis (3-4 times per yr) and that solved my problem.

Had the same issue with the slide switch too.

Hopefully yours is that simple.

Mark

[fj12ryder]

IB853347201 wrote:
Sounds like you have a voltage problem to me. Your TT's battery is at least 4+ years old, when did you last check the after levels? Is it toast?

It may be a voltage problem, but he said it has been doing this since it was new.

[IB853347201]

Sounds like you have a voltage problem to me. Your TT's battery is at least 4+ years old, when did you last check the after levels? Is it toast?

[edatlanta]

It could be a bad auto resetting breaker. I had that problem a few years back. Replaced it and no issues since. Mine is an automotive type and I got it at NAPA.

[fj12ryder]

If you have access to a load meter, you might check the load the motor is pulling when retracting. Could be something else binding.