Awning in the way of vista view repair

[Hillbilly75]

I have been working on stripping the old caulk and gasket material off of my leaky windows yesterday evening. For some reason the Zip Dee doesn't roll as tightly as I think it should, extending it was little help, and today the plan is to try to slide it toward the rear in order to access the front vista view and the range vent, as it is leaking also. What is the preferred method here? Taking the roller off the arms doesn't seem safe, because of the spring action. What about taking the arms loose from the camper? Would that be a problem to reinstall and reveal later? I haven't found any other questions about the awning being an issue for the vista view repair, so maybe I just need help getting it to roll correctly? It doesn't roll tightly enough to use the clamp wheels to fasten it closed.

[Hillbilly75]

The answer came this time from the teenaged son (see picture). First we set up the awning normally, then re rolled it without completely retracting (shortening) the arms. This left the awning standing "at attention" and up out of the way. PO or PPO had attempted to seal the window with silicone, and without being able to access the top of the window. Worked for 2+ hours just on cleaning this one window with Krud Kutter. Similar previous repair attempt found on the range vent. Instead of removing the cover and sealing above/around the flange, they tried caulking above the cover, which moves. The result was a wide bead of caulk adhered to the flange, but not the wall, funneling water right under the vent. Also removed the light over the door and caulked there as well.

[BigAl]

Good solution.
Young minds at work!
Al

[eljay]

Brilliant idea! I have a Carefree and hope to do something similar. Thanks for sharing the pic.

[Hillbilly75]

[johnwal0123]

We removed silicone caulk from the PO that was smeard about an inch up on the shell above all the windows and doors on the curb side of our 84 Sovereign. it was over 3/8 thick in spots. LOTs of work, but silicone remover made things easier. Couldn't imagine doing it without for this job. Vintage sells it, among others, but it sure helps clean the aluminum bare. Takes a couple applications for extra thick, and overnight also helps instead of the 2 hours the tube recommends. thanks to these forums for making recommendations. GREAT idea on the awning by the way!

[Hillbilly75]

We also had some silicone remover made by Krud Kutter. Found it at the local doit center. We also used something called deglosser, I think, to clean the surfaces before re caulking. It really helps the new caulk stick.