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Zip Dee Awning Motor Replacement
The motor in my 2003 vintage Zip Dee awning failed as an open circuit requiring replacement. After calling Zip Dee who were very nice to talk to, I got the news that the motor assembly was no longer in production but they had found some vintage motors and would have new-old stock motors in a few weeks/months.
In the interim, I removed the motor assembly anyway to see if I could disassemble the motor to attempt a repair. Removal of the motor is an experience by itself, especially if you use the factory motor replacement procedure considering the motor is inoperative. My truncated procedure is a subject for another post. I found that the motor was flooded and beyond repair.
The posts on POG and the rest of the RV owners forums indicated there were limited options with most posts indicating that you should consider another awning. Not wanting to go down that route, the motor I removed still had OEM part numbers legible so I found the storm shutter motor with the same part number as the 2003 OEM vintage motor in the Zip Dee assembly. It unfortunately is mechanically different. The motor manufacturer makes numerous Crowns and Drives that fit a multitude of shutter tube sizes and extrusion shapes. None were adequate for the Zip Dee awning assembly since the Zip Dee design uses the motor housing to restrain the large spring loaded arms that offload the winding spring and the weight of the awning fabric.
Using the old motor crown and drive components as a template for new ones, I fired up the CAD tools. A local machine shop milled the new components. The picture below shows the old motor in gold and the new motor in silver.
The new motor is mass produced for use in the shutter market. So in the event that it fails, the cost to replace is minimal when compared to the cost to replace the awning.
