A & E awing won't go up.

I put down my awing a few days ago to air it out and dry it out some.

It's going to rain in a little while and went out to roll it up.
I can hear the relays click but noting moves in either direction.
I checked the fuse and it appears to be OK after I pulled it out to check it and reinstalled it.

I searched and didn't find anything.

Anyone have and ideas?

You might want to take a look at the motor. It's not terribly unusual for them to go out. You can test it by using the emergency retract feature, which is nothing more than hooking up a 12 volt source to the contacts on the motor to see if it works. If it does, the problem lies elsewhere.

Kev

RedandSilver said:

I put down my awing a few days ago to air it out and dry it out some.

It's going to rain in a little while and went out to roll it up.
I can hear the relays click but noting moves in either direction.
I checked the fuse and it appears to be OK after I pulled it out to check it and reinstalled it.

I searched and didn't find anything.

Anyone have and ideas?

Click to expand...

I am currently having the same problem and have had it for a couple of years.  I am now of the opinion that it is a combination of a worn motor and weak voltage meaning a new motor would operate normally with the voltage present.  I have happened upon something that may be a temporary fix in the past couple of days.  After trying everything under the sun to get it to retract including cleaning the two wire connection just outside the motor I hooked it up direct to a battery and it went in - well almost in - well halfway in and from there no tricks worked until I read the little instructions that came with the motor.  They said the awning will never go out when the coach engine is running to avoid extensions on the road while traveling but that it would always retract with the engine running.  Hmmmm so I started the engine and lo and behold it rolled right in.  But the next day I noticed that I had stopped it a few inches shy of being fully closed.  So I hit the in switch again - nothing.  I started the engine and it rolled right in the last few inches.

Now we are leaving for a local camping trip and with the intense heat I will extend the awning at the campground and hope that I can figure a way to get it back in.  But you can bet that I will be using the start engine method for sure.

Bill

Kevin Means said:

You might want to take a look at the motor. It's not terribly unusual for them to go out. You can test it by using the emergency retract feature, which is nothing more than hooking up a 12 volt source to the contacts on the motor to see if it works. If it does, the problem lies elsewhere.

Kev

Click to expand...

Right Kevin and my A&E even has a little extra two pin plug to be used for the emergency hookup but while that works sometime it has failed me recently.  I gave another answer later in this thread.

Bill

Very short story. Back when my Rig was new a fellow Camper who also had a New RV with the same awning came over and ask for HELP!

Symptoms identical to yours.

I got my manual cable out and we went battery direct. Still no motor action. Turns out the motor was toast (Burned out) the CLICK you hear is the breake release magnet by the way, not a relay.

Well we went the route of last resourt (removed screws and rolled it up manually) and put in a call to Rachel. the RVGIRL (Her licene plate)  She did all the same things I did, and determined the burned out motor. Which she replaced under warranty..... Twice.

Seems the switch was sticking and burned the motor hout.. The controller is not supposed to allow that. but it did

My motor is definitely NOT burned out.  Arrived at campground. Temp was 97 degrees.  Leveled and put out slides and next was the awning and it went out without a hitch.  The real test will be getting it back in.  Stand by...........lol  Not going to try to roll it up until we are close to leaving.  This is not to say the OP's motor is not burned out.

Bill

Well I guess the next thing for me to try is starting the engine.
Don't know if it will make any difference as I plugged it in last night for a few hours to make sure the
batteries were charged up - no go when I tried it again.

Not wild about starting a diesel up - just to try the awning but hopefully that will tell me something one way or another.

Only other thing is - I have a battery tender that has the same kind of end on it as the end at both the motor and controller box,
so I may try that just before starting the engine up.

IF it is a dead motor is there a good source to get a replacement?  Any idea on what they cost?
And is it just unbolting the old and re-bolting the new one in or is there more to it than that?

I checked the voltage on the wire to the motor and it was 11.88 which seems a little bit low since the house batteries are fully charged.  Hooking the battery tender up did nothing.
By the way the motor is a OneStep1.
Has anyone ever changed one out?

I could use some help, please.

I am watching this thread pretty close myself.  Currently camped and my A&E One Step awning is out.  I do not intend to try and roll it up until tonight for leaving tomorrow.  Hopefully it will not be a chore but I do have the number of a mobile RV tech handy.  As I understand it from a bit of reading you should install your black ribbon type retrieving cord into the awning slot if not already there so that you can control the awning by hand if you remove the motor. Other than that I have read that there are 3 screws to remove to allow the awning to be hand rolled.  I have the number of a mobile RV tech at home who says he handles Dometic awnings so when I get back home I will have him check this whole setup out.  Seems like with Class A's it is always something especially when they are 16 years old.  New tires, new tranny, new automotive AC compressor, etc, etc, etc makes Jack an expensive boy.

Bill

It is not as simple as just removing the motor.

First the motor is also the winding shaft on usually the front end
Second if you were to replace the motor with a new shaft and spring.. you would need a locking device (Which is standard on manual awnings) or some way to make sure the awning does not unfurel.

on the one I had to manually wind up

I removed two screws.. Wround it up (Breaking a wire in the process) and then put one of the screws back in (There is a locking device (Brake) on the motor)  The RV tech fixed the wire. then ran all the same tests I ran. and prounced the motor toast  $400 she tole me for the motor, this was some years ago. thankfully the unit was still under warranty cause she did the job twice.

I like my Rv Tech. she and I think alike on many thigns.

John your mention of a locking device reminds me that I just bought one to add on and avoid unfurling on the road.  But I have not yet installed it because of the motor problem.  Installation of the lock requires out and retraction of the awning a couple of times and mine is just not yet reliable enough to trust it will do that well enough without a lot of extra work.

Bill

Returned from our camping trip today and, as expected, the awning was a pack of problems.  I extended it when we arrived because it was 97 degrees and that side of the coach caught full sun.  I wondered often for 4 days if it would retract.  By the end of the 3rd day I could wait no longer and pushed the retract button.  It promptly started retracting but stopped cold at halfway and refused to budge any more.  Knowing that we had to vacate the site the next day by noon I spent practically the whole night mapping out a plan if I failed to get it fully retracted.  The site we were on was booked for the next day so we had to vacate but with the awing half rolled there was a possibility that I could have eased if off the site to a fairly open area nearby without hitting any of the many trees.  But my main plan was the same one I used to get it retracted at the house the day before we left when it has also stopped at the halfway point.  So at 7 am I decided to bite the bullet and started the engine on the motorhome (despite the fact that both the chassis and house batteries were reading slightly over 13 volts) and with a quick prayer to the big guy upstairs pressed the retract button.  IT WORKED AND RETRACTED FULLY.  Who says there is no power to prayer?  Anyway, I have vowed to never extend it again until in the presence of a repairman capable of fixing the problem be it a motor or wiring.  That darned awning has been stressing me for over 3 years according to old posts I have read tonight.

PS:  I need to add that when  it sticks halfway closed, immediately starting the engine has no effect on getting it to finish retracting.  Only waiting overnight seems to resolve the problem but you still have to start the engine to get it to move.

Bill

Time for an update.

I think I know why they don't make these units any more.
There is a number of steps that have to be done in a certain order before you can get to the motor.
Removing the screws will not release the motor.  You have to DRILL OUT the rivets and then remove the entire
unit which includes the 2 foot long spring which will unwind 7 or 8 times after it's pulled out of the tube a few inches.
Who would have thought that the rivets had to be drilled out to remove the motor unit.  There is a cover over the gears
and when that was removed it exposed 2 of the 4 screws holding the motor in place - the other 2 screws are not visible until
the whole unit is disassembled.  IMO they could have drilled clearance holes and then plugged them so that the motor could have
been removed without removing the entire unit - which therefore required a ladder (or something else) to hold up the awning
on the end the motor was removed.  Maybe that is one reason they don't make this One Step system any more?

I got all the numbers off the motor and brake and started making some calls.
Dometic was little help.  They did say that I could put voltage to the motor and if it didn't move I would need another awning.
They said I could use a drill battery to test the motor even though it is 19.2 volts. 
So using the drill battery the motor did run.

I lubed up the reduction gears and blew out the brake assembly.

Put everything back together and reinstalled the motor - hit the switch and nothing.  NO FUN for sure.

Removed the unit again and did some more testing.
I also called the brake manufacturer and they said the brakes are still made but that they are only sold to Dometic.
Funny the motors are not made now but the brakes are still made.  Got me thinking maybe the brakes go bad more than the motors.
I took the brake off the motor and it ran with about 14V dc of power.  I installed the brake and the motor would not turn.  Removed the
brake again and the motor spun up no problem.  I then removed most of the lube that I added to the reduction gears thinking it was
a Heavy Duty type and that might make the motor work harder.

I reinstalled everything again - minus the brake.  Being that there are reduction gears it would take many revolutions of the motor to
turn the gears so not sure what the brake does except maybe keeps it from unfurling going down the road.

With everything reinstalled I hit the button and it moved about 2-3 inches.  In the manual it states "Important: When power has been interrupted, wait approximately 15 seconds before depressing button again."  So I waited 20-30 seconds before trying it again.
It moved about 2-4 inches per button push - taking about 20 minutes to close the awning which stopped about 2 inches from being fully closed.

At the control box (which I almost bought one thinking it might be the problem) there is a plugged connection for the wire going to the motor.
I made up a cable to attach to it so I could test it with the drill battery. 
Using the drill battery I can put the awning in or out and it will close fully like before any of this problem happened.
Also removing power the awning, it will stop in any position and not move - even without the brake attached.

I talked to the motor manufacturer and I'm concerned that using the higher voltage on the motor will in time, burn it out.
I have a 120V to DC converter which is about 13.8 to 14.2 volt dc - so that is my next thing to try.  However that would require
an AC source to operate it - whereas a battery you just have to touch the contacts.

I've attached a few photos in case anyone else has a One Step setup and someday needs some help.
I may not be an expert but I know a lot more that I did a week or so ago.  IF anyone needs help, I'll try to help them - if they contact me.

Red and Silver.  Thanks so much for all your efforts, the description and the photos.  I have other threads on my awning problems but they are very similar to yours but I am glad I did not undertake that motor replacement job.  By the way, Dometic quoted me a new motor as part #3310423.137b, Price $416.24 plus $25 shipping.  Markarios RV quoted me $399.88 for a replacement motor.

I am really becoming one confused camper with this whole awning thing.  But since I have started posting about it and talking to others I am convinced it was a dud from the word go.

Here is what I have done and undone:  My RV Tech with years of experience convinced me the problem was a logic board but he said that they were discontinued so he could not fix it.  I located (with help of a fellow forum member) a brand new control box at a RV Surplus and bought it for $358 regretting almost immediately doing that.  It arrived Friday and while Dometic has told me it will work with my awning (One Step made in 2002) it arrived with a control box totally different inside but with the same wires to match up with the awning through the Winnebago 15 pin connector.  After checking ebay more closely I found two other boxes including one from Colaw Salvage which is only 68 miles from me.

So I decided to call Colaw and the guy says they guarantee it to work and it can be returned within 60 days for a refund if not.  Cost was $125.  I notified eBay I was returning the $358 control box and then drove to Colaw RV salvage this morning and bought the $125 one which looks like new but is used.  While shopping in the store I found yet another one but could not convince the guy to sell it to me cheaper.....lol.

So now I am in the process of wiring the new one into the Winnebago harness (A&E provided the Winnebago 15 pin wiring diagram in the original paperwork with the motorhome.  I have read a post for another Forum member that said he put a new control box on his and it is still intermittent on retraction.

Anyway, this darn awning is about to drive me nuts.  After I have this control box installed I plan on doing what another recommended - cleaning all the moving parts of the awning roller tube and using silicone or another type lubricant to ease the drag on the motor.  Several posts have suggested that the problem may be related to a thermal resistance causing the motor to stop to cool down.  Biggest problem is my cool down periods have now extended to hours - overnight on the last trip......lol  Wish me luck and I will do the same for you.

NO spring on the ones I"ve seen dissassembled (it is in the other end of the tube) motor replaces spring.

But yes.  It's a job getting them out and in.

Just another thought on the problem.  The only times I have had success recently in getting the awning to retract is with the motorhome engine running and, even then, it only retracted half way the first try.  Then after waiting (but not trying) for several hours I started the engine again and it fully retracted.

So I am wondering if the extra power of the alternator pumping juice to the batteries (non-expert talk here) provides enough extra voltage to run the damn thing in.  In any case, I am tired of wasting big bucks for this problem.  It is obvious that I am not the only person having it so maybe I will just let it sit after putting in the new used control box I bought and see if that has any effect.  Based on others posts I am not expecting miracles.

Bill

Bill N said:

Red and Silver.  Thanks so much for all your efforts, the description and the photos.  I have other threads on my awning problems but they are very similar to yours but I am glad I did not undertake that motor replacement job.  By the way, Dometic quoted me a new motor as part #3310423.137b, Price $416.24 plus $25 shipping.  Markarios RV quoted me $399.88 for a replacement motor.

So I decided to call Colaw and the guy says they guarantee it to work and it can be returned within 60 days for a refund if not.  Cost was $125.  I notified eBay I was returning the $358 control box and then drove to Colaw RV salvage this morning and bought the $125 one which looks like new but is used.  While shopping in the store I found yet another one but could not convince the guy to sell it to me cheaper.....lol.

So now I am in the process of wiring the new one into the Winnebago harness (A&E provided the Winnebago 15 pin wiring diagram in the original paperwork with the motorhome.  I have read a post for another Forum member that said he put a new control box on his and it is still intermittent on retraction.

Anyway, this darn awning is about to drive me nuts.  After I have this control box installed I plan on doing what another recommended - cleaning all the moving parts of the awning roller tube and using silicone or another type lubricant to ease the drag on the motor.  Several posts have suggested that the problem may be related to a thermal resistance causing the motor to stop to cool down.  Biggest problem is my cool down periods have now extended to hours - overnight on the last trip......lol  Wish me luck and I will do the same for you.

Click to expand...

The part number on my motor is 3109581.003  SO I'm not sure if the one you were quoted is the same as mine or the Dometic part number
is their setup and not just the motor - maybe the motor and the brake?

Did you get the control box installed and if so did it make any difference?

When I started my MH or ran the generator it did nothing to make the awning move.  But the drill battery or the 120v AC to DC converter
would move the awning.

I got mine recently closed but for about 1-2 inches from home position.  I straightened the arms on the awning making sure they were
lined up and then used the drill battery and it closed the last inch or two, and is tightly closed.  However I will still zip tie it up when I travel
for more then just a fuel pick me up.  ;D

Bill did you ever think about trying a drill battery (18 - 20vdc) direct to the motor?  When I do, it will run the awning fully in or out.
But like I posted I'm afraid that it will burn the motor out in time. Then again if I'm only putting it in or out no more than once a week
or longer it might last a long time, IDK.

I do not yet have the control box installed but getting close.  My original box had a 15 pin connector to the Winnie wiring so I was trying to find a match to install on the new box.  Did learn that Dometic made a model with the 15 pin connector and a model with several two and three pin connectors.  I got the latter one but the former would have been a much easier install since I am having trouble finding a new 15 pin connector.  Dometic tells me to go to an electronic store....lol

You cannot extend the awning with the engine started.  There is a specific isolation wire in the harness that prevents that but you can retract it with the engine running.  I think I will try that drill battery thing if this control box does not do any better (and I am beginning to suspect it won't).  But I will try to clean and lubricate all the moving parts. 

One disappointment is that the new box does not have an auxiliary hookup for a direct to the battery connection like the old box had but after looking at the wiring it will not make any difference anyway.  Starting the engine probably does as much as connecting to a fresh battery would. 

Today or tomorrow I hope to receive a new 15 pin connector I ordered (it only uses 8 but is built for two awnings).  Yesterday I did receive a pin extractor and managed to get all of the wires out of the old connector so I can use it now to hook up to the new box but I am trying to keep both boxes in usable condition as I have a 60 day warranty on the one I just bought and I want to be able to hook up the old one if I have to return the newer one.  Man this is getting to be rocket science but then I was in the Minuteman Missile field for 20 years.................lol

Bill

Bill, I have the control box with 2 and 3 wire connectors vs. the 15 pin connector you have.
The pink wire is the one that keeps it from extending when the ignition is turned on.

In my case starting the engine (or generator) did nothing to help it roll in.
Neither did hooking a battery tender to the power cord plug for when you lose power and need to close the awning.
My batteries are charged.

I think some of (if not all) of the issue is that (in my case) the voltage coming in to the control box is 12.5 volts. Coach batteries are 13.45.
The voltage at the switches is 12.2 volts and the voltage to the motor wire is 11.88 volts.  So that IMO shouldn't stop
the awning from moving - but if the motor is week (or got week from the low voltage over time) then that might be why
mine works with the higher voltage drill batteries.  But again I don't know if that will hurt the motor too over time.


I'll be curious if you can check the voltage going into the control box ( the big red and black wires inside the box) and then at the
switches and again the power going to the motor.  IF they are higher then mine quoted above then MAYBE the my control box is faulty.

Red and Silver.  Well I did finally get my newer box hooked up to the 15 pin connector but I had to cut and splice every wire in order to use the 15 pin connector because the part on the coach is so close to the wall that I could never get that end off and sorted to match a totally new connector.  Anyway, I have not tested it yet as the MH in in storage and I don't want to open it there and then find I cannot get it closed.  In reading the diagnostic manual I noted that the motor must get 12.5 volts but that is probably hard to do seeing as how the input to the control box is on a #12 wire and the output to the motor is on a #14 wire so if there is any drag at all I can see why the motor would quit.  It must have some sort of thermal resistor in it or in the control box but I can't find anything that resembles one.

You probably know this but I found in the manual that there is an emergency retract procedure.  You hook up a battery directly (with about a 10 foot wire) to the motor connection just outside the motor (2 pin plug).  I am making up a wire set for that use and will use #12 standed wire to get every possible volt to the motor.  You simply reverse the battery connections for extend and retract to make the motor operate in both directions. 

This week I hope to bring the coach home where I can test the new box.  The manual has a procedure to test the box for operation with a voltmeter and battery so I will do that first.  Also plan on lubricating all moving parts on the awning to perhaps ease the drag on the motor.  RV tech says he will put a new awning on for $3k.  Not on my 16 year old MH.  Good luck on yours.

Bill