Awning Problems - Maybe Motor?

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Bill N

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Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Posts
2,551
Location
Ozark, Missouri
My coach has an A&E One Step 16 ft side awning.  The hardware is original to 2002 but I did have the cloth replaced last year.  I have had this problem for 2 years and not figured out an answer yet. 

At times, the awning will not deploy when the button is pushed - no sound at all.  At times, when it has deployed it will not retract - no sound at all.  At times when it does start to deploy or retract, if I release the button before it has completed its in or out movement, it will no longer reactivate.  On other days all is normal.  My only solution to temporarily fix the problem is to go to the One Step emergency procedure which involves hooking up a connection directly from the control box to the battery via a jumper.  This is a standard recovery procedure and One Step even has a jumper connection right outside the box which makes it easy to run a wire to the battery under the inside step.  This always works.

So my question is:  Do I have a bad motor or do I just have a low voltage problem?  It makes no difference if the engine is off/on or if I am on or off shore power.  One clue that I had at one time was an event where even the emergency procedure did not work and the awning was deployed.  In a fit of desperation I just grabbed the awning arm  with the motor and gave it a shake.  Then I pressed the retract button and it worked fine - whew.  Anybody else had these type problems?  I am thinking that a new awning motor may be in my future.
 
I would think you have a bad switch. If the motor works fine with 12 volts hooked directly to it, I wouldn't think its the motor being bad. Can you access the back of the switch and jumper across it where the wires connect to it? That would determine if it is the switch or something else.
 
Bill N said:
  In a fit of desperation I just grabbed the awning arm  with the motor and gave it a shake.  Then I pressed the retract button and it worked fine - whew.

Have you tried doing the same thing other times?
 
Does sound like the motor could have a dead spot.

Try this.. If you get out your step ladder or other way to lift over the awning arm, lying in the arm near the motor is a FLAT 2, wire connector (like the flat 4 trailer wire but only 2 wires)

Get a pair of those (They are sold in joined pairs)  Partially strip the wires that join them and attach a Volt meter or test light (use a small dash light , you can get a socket with leads (license plate type) at the same store you get the connectors and a small Dash or Indicator lamp to go in it)

"insert" these modified connectors in the power line

IF the motor is getting power,,,, but not working... the light... will light.
 
kdbgoat said:
I would think you have a bad switch. If the motor works fine with 12 volts hooked directly to it, I wouldn't think its the motor being bad. Can you access the back of the switch and jumper across it where the wires connect to it? That would determine if it is the switch or something else.
The actual control box for the awning is located in the bay just opposite the indoor Winnebago installed switch.  The control box also has and in/out switch and it does not work either when the Winnie switch does not work. There is a fuse in the control box and that never blows either.  What leads me to the low power angle is that the darn thing works when hooked directly to a battery.  I may try the suggestion that John from Detroit makes.  I do have a 12 volt test light that does not require the wire to be stripped.  It just squeezes a small metal point into the wire and either lights up or not to show if the system has power.

Bill
 
To thicken the plot just a bit I have just been reminded by my wife that sometimes when it fails to restart if I stop before full extend or retract it has operated after waiting about 15 minutes.  I discovered this the first time it happened because I was desperately reading the awning instructions to see what could be done.  On that occasion it did actually work after a several minute wait.  I thought that might indicate an overheat condition or some such.  What fun would we have with an RV if we couldn't keep trying to outwit it?

PS:  Gotta love this forum.  Lots of help in short order.  Keep those cards and letters coming folks.......lol

Bill
 
Bad switch or switch wire connections, low voltage, or a combination of those. The motor is small and marginally sized for the load, so it doesn't take much to stop it.  I had a similar problem with a Carefree electric and ultimately determined that the wire harness near the motor had poor quality connections. Voltage read fine with a meter at rest but dropped substantially under load.
 
Having seen this complaint numerous times on the forum, I suspect that the wiring is inadequate to carry the required current to operate the marginal motor.  Once or twice could be  bad connections or switch or sticking mechanicals, but I've seen this complaint at least 15 times. Aside from using larger wires, I expect you are going to have to live with the half assed solutions usually offered for the problems. If everything is perfect it will work, othrtwise we have to live with kluges!

Ernie
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Bad switch or switch wire connections, low voltage, or a combination of those. The motor is small and marginally sized for the load, so it doesn't take much to stop it.  I had a similar problem with a Carefree electric and ultimately determined that the wire harness near the motor had poor quality connections. Voltage read fine with a meter at rest but dropped substantially under load.

That will be my next step. There is a two wire connection very close to the motor.  It has a small sheet metal cover over it but I think I can get that off to access the connector and check connections and voltages. My only fear is getting stuck somewhere with the darn thing extended.  Thanks for the advice folks.

Bill
 
This is an old post so I want to add to it with the same problem.  The awning is now full out and the coach is parked in front of the house getting ready for a early July trip.  Of course it went out with no problem and it refused to come in.  BUT a half hour later I hit the switch again and it came in  - halfway and would not budge from there.  Got out the emergency jumpers (A&E ONE Step provides a plug to jumper directly to batteries) and hooked them up - no dice. About an hour later after bumping the arms (no luck), jumping to the battery (no luck) and hooking up a little 4 way jump start box I bought at Harbor Freight (initially no luck) I got it to go out to the full out position where it currently resides.  Tomorrow am I will start checking the 2 wire connection to the motor.  If that doesn't work, I am out of ideas short of unhooking the motor and winding it by hand and then trying to secure it until I can get a new motor (and that is just a guess).  At this time I am leaning toward bad connections.  With the current high temps and humidity I hate to leave on a trip with no awning.

Bill
 

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