I had the same issue after my stepson power washed the Coach and it’s roof in 2019. Early in 2020, after discovering the malady, I got into the project and by testing the electrics behind the over-door switch panel, I narrowed it down to the motor. I don’t remember about any holes in the top, but figured water must’ve been forced by some route into the motor area by the pressure washer, and shorted it or caused untenable corrosion.
But after determining which model I have, from Care(less)Free documents, and like you struggling to get at the unit’s mounting bolts, I finally determined that I’d have to slide the tubular motor out to the left, while it was on the coach, to service or replace it. That means removing the big awning because it’s arm is blocking the motor’s removal route! Getting the entire unit off the coach and on my workbench was no longer an option, given the mounts were blocked.
As to Fred’s comments, I could not see a way to disengage the tubular motor, and managed to extend the unit very little by “force” and certainly not enough to get at the mounting bolts. Just getting the left end cap off was a trip, without breaking it in the process, and I noticed a screw missing while in there… the missing part actually made removing the cap a tad easier.
At that point, after many hours of fruitless effort, I gave up, reassembled everything, and added the job to my next visit to Bend. It may behoove us to check into units with better design. Carefree is not known for super high quality or service, but perhaps their design engineering has improved. I notice from checking for documentation that there were multiple redesigns just in the era of our coaches. The older non-tubular motor might have been easier to get at than this one.
Joel
