[Newellin Thunder]

I've got a power awning that worked great up until about a yesterday. It started having trouble retracting when we were boondocked, so I assumed that it was caused by low voltage. Fired up the generator and it retracted. Now it won't retract even when hooked up to shore power, so I know its not low batteries.

It extends fully without any trouble. When I hit the retract button the motor runs (can hear it) and the awning starts to move, but doesn't seem to have enough power to start retracting. It will start to roll up about an inch, then drop back down, then repeat. I can get it to retract by grabbing the center of the awning and hand-twisting it for the first couple of rotations, then it continues very slowly on its own. Once fully retracted, it continues trying to roll up, again moving about an inch, then slipping, then moving again. I have to turn off the power to the awning to get the motor to stop.

Anybody have this happen to them? Could it be a bad (weak) motor? Not enough tension in the roller arm? Would appreciate any input from the forum members before I have to call an awning repairman.