Electric Awning - Montana Owners Club

TMerrell · 08-02-2009, 02:16 PM

We have a 2008 2955RL with the electric awning...we use it frequently. I noticed the awning seems to take longer to retract now than before. Extension is still normal; but, during retraction the motor seems to be laboring. The awning never stops moving during retraction, it just seems that a couple of spots are a steeper uphill grade for the motor. I searched the MOC and saw several members have opted to go back to a manual awning. Personally, I like the electric awning and would like to keep it...as long as it is going to work correctly.

Anyone else seen this problem or have any ideas on a fix / troubleshooting the problem? For those of you who have had electric awning problems, is this the first indication of impending motor problems?

I haven't tried any of my usual "fixes", yet...WD-40, duct tape, bailing wire, etc... Thought I'd give the collective knowledge of MOC a shot first.

Thanks in advance,

akf15e · 08-02-2009, 04:12 PM

TMerrell,

That is one of the many issues I've had of late. It has gotten progressively worse. When I had the rig at the dealer last week, they tried troubleshooting it and couldn't find the problem. They have a new motor on order. If that does not fix it, I think I will push for it to be replaced with a manual awning. My Mountaineer's manual worked fine for 6+ years. This electric one didn't make it through 6 USES!

I'll let you know how it turns out with a new motor, though I'm not taking it back in for a while.

rames14 · 08-02-2009, 05:04 PM

It sounds like something binding somewhere. I'd look at all of the joints and break out some silicon spray. Can't hurt.

grampachet · 08-02-2009, 07:29 PM

I will check ours and keep a closer eye on it. I had thought maybe it was but figured it was my imagination. Thanks for the heads up.

Jolu · 08-03-2009, 04:29 AM

My electric awing on our 2955RL also has slowed some over the past two years. It appears there are no binding points. It still works and we use it I would say about average as anyone else would use theirs.
My thought is the motor is getting weaker. As long as it keeps working I am not going to kick a sleeping dog.

cmawendy · 08-04-2009, 03:08 AM

Ours has slowed too and we have not used ours very much.

stiles watson · 08-04-2009, 06:47 AM

We use ours almost daily. Early in the game, we had some damage on one end (tree didn't move), and a screw works loose and constantly needs to be tightened. but other than the wobbly shaft on one end, it has worked fine.

If it were mine, I would consider removing the cowling on the ends and lubricating the cogs in the head, both on the drive end and the idler end. It is not hard to do, just two or three screws on each end. I had to replace a broken cowling.

Additionally, you can call CareFree of Colorado for tech support. Their web site is also informative.

TMerrell · 08-07-2009, 05:02 PM

Now I'm really confused. Two days ago I got out and checked all the joints and the tensioners and put WD-40 on most of the moving parts. I was hooked up to a 15 AMP extension cord. No improvement on the awning retraction.

Today we left home and pulled into a campground in Talladega, AL. Hooked up to 50 AMP service, put the awning out and it went out at the same speed it did at home when hooked up to 15 AMPs. Brought the awning in tonight and it came in normally! No slow downs, pauses, waiting...

My dad was an electrician but I am not. Could the slow awning retraction be related to the AC AMP service you are using? I know some of the appliances are...A/C, coffee maker, hair dryer, etc. But, the awning is DC...it works on battery power alone. This is pure speculation on my part, but could it be that my battery is going bad and when I'm on 15 AMP AC power the converter can't keep up, but when I'm on 50 AMP, the converter can keep up with the DC draw to retract the awning?

Thanks,

gitrdun · 08-13-2009, 10:15 AM

I installed a carefree of colorado electric awning instead of the a&e that keystone installs. Had mine for 4 years and no problems.

greener · 08-13-2009, 10:34 AM

Ours hasn`t slowed down retracting but it is noisy. Info from the company (Carefree) says not to use any lubricant, just keep the track clean. I too really like the ease of using the awning. One thing I want to share is that we have wasps entering the slots in the end of the arms so beware.

gitrdun · 08-14-2009, 07:28 AM

Good info,thanks.

RADHAZJOE · 08-14-2009, 08:58 AM

Yes, a better AC power source could improve DC to the motor, especially if the battery is weak. Take the battery to a Batteries plus or a Pep Boys and have it checked. Replace if necessary.

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