Dometic Awning Heip Needed

travlinman · July 02, 2011, 06:52:10 AM

Hey Guys,

We have an older Dometic/A&E Awning. it worked fine a few weeks ago, rolled down and up with no problems. Well today it will not release, the roll up/ roll down lever is stuck in the roll up position. Any ideas??

TM

MEverard · July 02, 2011, 07:36:59 AM

Like most everything on the bus. Get a bigger hammer.

Mike

robertglines1 · July 02, 2011, 09:21:56 AM

lubricate wd 40 or simular and get it freed up happens all the time just work it a little. the awning guys get big bucks for a little spray.

travlinman · July 02, 2011, 11:22:33 AM

Well, if ever fix on this old girl was that easy I would have nothing to do! Awning is out for what looks like the first real day of summer. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

TM

JohnEd · July 02, 2011, 05:53:23 PM

The first time mine jammed I took it off the coach and took it apart. The spring in there will remove you fingers faster than you can say @#&*^%. In the roll up posit the spring is the least wound up but still!!!!!

Well, after the hour and a half and the help of a couple friends and all the beer they could drink, I had the rivets drilled out and pulled the end cap. I stood there in shock and disbelief. There was a eccentric cam lobe attached to that little lever that sticks out the end. Nothing else! No clips, springs, spacers, bolts,catches nor anything else that could fail jam or get lodged croocked. JUST THAT STUPID CAM LOBE! WD 40 can't do squat to teeth on a cam lobe wedged into a shaft. If that worked then urine would work even better.

So three hours later I had it all back together and used vice grips and a crescent wrench to wind up the end piece and slipped it into the main arm. Three hours and all I had to show for it was a few moments of complete surprise. Shocked, I say! That and an empty cooler...and i can't drink beer for med reasons. Might have been better to be hammered.

So here is the bottom line(s): If the awning is all the way up then follow MEverards advice and beat it or use pliers to force it in the release direction. If you bear down on a cam to release it there is only one way it can go and that is to release. Maybe grudgingly, but nonetheless.

If it is already down then to stop the awning from rolling the toothed cam becomes wedged against the shaft. To assist it in becoming disengaged you simply grip the awning and rotate it in the direction of reeling out and the cam releases almost by itself. Simple HUH? Not if you have never seen one of the darn things or have a clue what kind of mechanism might be lurking inside that big tube. Think how much smarter I would have been and all the beer I could have conserved had I just spent the $50 for the RV service call. Just think....then figure the odds of that ever happening to a man.....help! I have the satisfaction of knowing that I was in complete charge at every moment of that (mis)adventure.

John

robertglines1 · July 02, 2011, 06:00:28 PM

Have just found out if the ratchet mech gets a little dry a little lube and working it lets it release. Have seem several rv tech charge big bucks for it and done it myself for free. If it works why question why.

JohnEd · July 02, 2011, 06:23:13 PM

What Bob said...nothing succeeds like success.

Dreamscape · July 02, 2011, 08:31:56 PM

Lubricate it with Silicone Spray, much better and longer lasting than WD-40. We spray all of the aluminum rods and anything that moves on our Zip Dee and it works great.

Like JohnEd said, be careful if you take it apart. That spring is wound up pretty tight and will do some damage.

robertglines1 · July 03, 2011, 11:13:02 AM

Yes I agree wd40 is not perfect but is what I had at time. I use pb blaster or silicon bike chain lube most of time. Watched Awning guys at FMCA get together charge $100 a pop for spraying a gray colored can of magic spray on mechanism. Something with Graphite that would not collect dirt would prob be perfect but in reality we only operate these things very rarely. Amazing what magic oil cost.

Enjoy the Day Bob