Last year I purchased a 2003 Winnebago Minnie 329B from my sister. She owned it for four years but I am
not sure how many owners came before her.
Shortly after I purchased it I noticed the awning rail was separating from the RV. It doesn?t look like the rail
has ever been caulked. The driver?s side has been caulked a few times and it isn?t looking to good. Every year
she had an authorized Winnebago service center go over it. They charged a lot of money but I can?t tell what
they did. I repaired a few systems in this RV and all of them except the front brakes were regular
maintenance repairs. Who knows how long the awning has been loose.
Anyway, I researched the separation problem and read about the screws breaking which is my problem. I couldn?t
find anyone who repaired it themselves and showed how they did it. I decided to repair it myself and document
with pictures how hard or easy it is.
This may not be much of an issue anymore since I haven?t read anything in the last couple years were someone had
this problem. Since my RV is a 2003 there may be a couple people that still have this problem. Hopefully there is
still some interest in this repair.
First step was to remove the awning which works out well since it was in incredibly bad shape. I already purchased
a replacement so that will be installed when the time comes. The rail comes in two pieces. The front piece is 16? long
and the rear one is 8? long. The back 3? of the rear rail has separated. The back 3? and the front 6? of the front rail
also separated. That left 7? holding the railing on which holds the awning on.
?cbeierl? included a picture back in 2011 showing the roof lifted without cutting it. I will attempt that by using a
tool I modified that was used to remove siding on a house to hook underneath the fiberglass roof and lift it up.
I tried it a few feet from the front of the RV and it came up pretty easy. Kind of amazing this thing never flew
off since there was no caulking.
Since I will be repairing this outside I am hoping to repair it in one day but I have a backup plan just in case.
I plan to get started in the next couple weeks as the weather warms up and we have more days in a row of nice
weather.
Winnebago tells me the screws are stainless steel and ?? long. Some others have said they are 1.5? long. Can anyone
tell me their actual length and size so I can purchase them ahead of time.
If anyone has any suggestions or advice let me know. Even if you want to talk me out of it. ;D
Thanks,
Brian
edit by staff - changed message icon to topic solved
not sure how many owners came before her.
Shortly after I purchased it I noticed the awning rail was separating from the RV. It doesn?t look like the rail
has ever been caulked. The driver?s side has been caulked a few times and it isn?t looking to good. Every year
she had an authorized Winnebago service center go over it. They charged a lot of money but I can?t tell what
they did. I repaired a few systems in this RV and all of them except the front brakes were regular
maintenance repairs. Who knows how long the awning has been loose.
Anyway, I researched the separation problem and read about the screws breaking which is my problem. I couldn?t
find anyone who repaired it themselves and showed how they did it. I decided to repair it myself and document
with pictures how hard or easy it is.
This may not be much of an issue anymore since I haven?t read anything in the last couple years were someone had
this problem. Since my RV is a 2003 there may be a couple people that still have this problem. Hopefully there is
still some interest in this repair.
First step was to remove the awning which works out well since it was in incredibly bad shape. I already purchased
a replacement so that will be installed when the time comes. The rail comes in two pieces. The front piece is 16? long
and the rear one is 8? long. The back 3? of the rear rail has separated. The back 3? and the front 6? of the front rail
also separated. That left 7? holding the railing on which holds the awning on.
?cbeierl? included a picture back in 2011 showing the roof lifted without cutting it. I will attempt that by using a
tool I modified that was used to remove siding on a house to hook underneath the fiberglass roof and lift it up.
I tried it a few feet from the front of the RV and it came up pretty easy. Kind of amazing this thing never flew
off since there was no caulking.
Since I will be repairing this outside I am hoping to repair it in one day but I have a backup plan just in case.
I plan to get started in the next couple weeks as the weather warms up and we have more days in a row of nice
weather.
Winnebago tells me the screws are stainless steel and ?? long. Some others have said they are 1.5? long. Can anyone
tell me their actual length and size so I can purchase them ahead of time.
If anyone has any suggestions or advice let me know. Even if you want to talk me out of it. ;D
Thanks,
Brian
edit by staff - changed message icon to topic solved