WINDSHIELD ELECTRIC SOLAR SHADE BEEPS BUT DOESN'T ROLL UP OR DOWN

[eric@babin.com]

2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD (Winnebago Tour)

I have the double electric shade (solar and night) for the windshield.

When I tried to operate the solar shade it would just have short beeps, about 1 per second, but wouldn't go up or down.

I contacted MCD Tech Support in McKinney TX at 972-548-1850 (MCD is owned by Airxcel so you can find the products at AirXcel.com, click the "RV Group" tab at the top then select MCD.  Or, just go to MCDInnovations.com) 

I spoke with Samantha Green email sgreen@airxcel.com.

She explained that the motor will require replacing. 

Motor part number: 50.338   $155

She also said I would need the "updated" bracket kit since I have the "old style" motor. 

Bracket kit part number: tech-abk1  $29.99  (I got the updated bracket kit but did NOT need it)

The reason for the bracket kit is the new motor (white) has very small tabs on the end. These tabs I'm told won't fit into the bracket of the old style. It did fit fine into the bracket. The other option, if it didn't fit is you could grind the tabs down.... it would be very easy to do this if you had to.   However, for me, the tabs fit into the bracket I already had. 

Total cost of parts: 155+30+$15shiipping+tax brining it to just over $200.  

I installed myself, description and pictures below, in about 2.5 hours.  You will need a second person to drop the rollers and replace the rollers since they are about 6' long, and awkward pulling out and putting back in.

Step 1: First thing you need to do is clean out the cabinets above the windshield and remove the felt panels. This allows you to see the top rail of the blinds' rollers and the clips that it's clipped into. These panels may be screwed or stapled in.  I had one that was screwed, the other 3 were stapled.  They are pretty tight so I used a paint can opener to hook behind them to be able to then get my fingers in there to pull them out.

Step 2: Remove the plastic shade guides on each side of the windshield. This is the piece of plastic the shade bars fit into to guide the bottom of the shade as it goes up and down. Each plastic guide has 4 self tapping metal screws you'll need to remove.

Step 3: Have a second person on one side preventing the rollers from slamming down on that side as you unclip the top railing (silver aluminum at the top of the rollers.) ) I also put down pillows just in case the rollers fell to prevent windshield breakage.)  Once you unclip one side have the other person unclip their side. There are a total of 6 clips.  2 near each end, then 2 spaced out towards the center. 

Step 4: You'll have to maneuver the shade rolls (by the way, I say "rolls" but both are attached to each other via an L bracket).... anyway, maneuver the rolls in such a way to bring one side down first, then pull to the right, out the open door in our case, to allow the other side to be able to be lowered. On the right side, passenger, you'll have to cut the wires.  It will be a total of 6 wires, 3 an each roller. In my case it was a double black wire (counting as 2) and a single brown.  Once the wires are cut you can now take the rollers to your workbench to replace the motor.

Step 5: Remove the 2 screws from the motor side (each roll only has a single motor, on the passenger side of the rollers). The other side of the rollers just fit into a round pulley tip of fitting. Once you've got the 2 screws that attach the motor to the bracket you should be able to push it over a little to access the motor. Pull the motor out of the shade roller and replace with new motor. In my case the old motor was red, new motor is white. (see pictures). You may have to mess around with the motor to get it to fit all the way in due to the slots required to keep it from slipping when operating. Once it's all the way into the roller with only the black plastic head out, attach back to the bracket using the 2 screws. I'm assuming if the tabs on the end of the motor don't fit onto your bracket this is where you'd replace the old bracket with the updated. This was not needed for me. My coach was built February 2014 so I guess they were using the new brackets at that time?

Step 6: Now it's time to put the entire roller assembly back up into it's holding bracket clips at top of windshield. This is NOT an easy task and requires 2 people. Be aware of where your wires need to be while putting it up into the clips. NOTE: These clips are not like the ones on your house blinds.... the clips have one side you must slide the rail into, then up to click into place. The forward (windshield side) of the clip is the "slide into" and the back of the clip is the " push up to click into".  We were able to get it to click into 5 of the 6 clips. One clip must have been damaged somehow when we pulled it down. No worries, I just zip tied that section to the cross bar. 

Step 7: Now it's time to connect the wires.  Since we cut 3 wires for each roller motor obviously you connect 3 per motor.  Since I marked the wires for which was solar and which was night it was easy with no guessing.... HOWEVER..... When attaching the double black wires (the new motor had black, red, and yellow wires, old motor had the double black and brown).... The yellow wire from motor goes to the brown wire on coach..... AND.... the black and red go to the double black.... You'll have to connect them and test.  If you get them backwards, the up button will send the shade down.... etc.... No way to know until you test it.  Once all six wires are connected organize and secure them up in the area above the rollers, and to the side of your cabinet space.  Be sure to test both rollers prior to organizing and putting the wire up into the blank area above rollers.

Step 8: Replace roller guides on sides of windshield and felt panels back in cabinets.

Step 9: Set "stop" guides for top and bottom/ Up-down limits.  (I'm holding off on doing this for now)

Step 10: Grab a cold beer and pat yourself on the back for saving about $300 by having someone else do the job. 

 

Picture descriptions:  MCD box - new motor box, Cabinets prior to pulling out panels, Paint can key used to pull felt panels out, cabinets with felt panels out, rollers after they were removed, red motor = old motor, wires on the motor side of rollers / passenger side of coach, felt panels and roller guides that had to be removed, white motor (new motor) in box.

 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by eric@babin.com

[five]

MCD shades might be different, but my coach has powered blinds and powered shades on virtually all windows.  The first thing to try when one doesn't work is to unplug and replug the telephone type connector.  So far that has fixed my powered window covers when they do not work when tried.

Edited July 10, 2022 by five

[eric@babin.com]

We just have electric on the windshield. All others are manual. No telephone type connector. We did try to shut everything down / batteries etc.  to reboot.... 

Didn't help.

 

[wayne77590]

Were you able to secure it to move or did you have to wait for the parts. If you had to secure it, how did you do it.

[eric@babin.com]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:24 PM, wayne77590 said:

Were you able to secure it to move or did you have to wait for the parts. If you had to secure it, how did you do it.

It was stuck in the down position.

I rolled it up like a poster then used 3 Irwin quick release hand clamps.

Would have been great if I could manually roll it back up on it's own roller but due to the position it's at it would be very difficult without taking it all the way down.