Patio Awning (Dometic) extends but only partially retracts

[techminer]

07 Fleetwood Discovery 39S - The Dometic power patio awning extends ok but the motor strains when retracting. It seems slow and sometimes it stops about 2/3 closed. After waiting 5 - 10 minutes and then trying again, it will close. I am now hesitant about extending the awning for fear that it won't fully retract. The condition is the same using either the box control or the remote. The entrance door power awning seems ok. Anyone have thoughts on this?

[garykd]

Hi tech miner,

Welcome to the FMCA forum. Power awning motors will not win any strong man contests. They overheat quickly and thermo couple out of order for a few minutes. If there is no bind, the joints are lubricated and there are no obstructions there is not much hope.

To ease your fears about deploying the awning, when convenient get up on a ladder so you can see the top of the front arm (where the motor is located). Do you see a screw in the top of the arm? If so, removing this screw will allow you to close the awning manually. Remember to reinstall the screw when the awning is completely closed. This screw is the only thing that keeps the awning from unrolling when the coach is moving down the road. The awning can open and the arms can remain in a closed position!