PLEASURE-WAY ASCENT – Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement

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Awning Mechanism Repair and Fabric Replacement for PLEASURE-WAY ASCENT

The Pleasure-Way Ascent ships with a Fiamma F45s 250 powered awning factory-mounted to the driver’s side upper body rail of the Ford Transit 148″ EL using M6 bolts that thread into the Transit’s structural aluminum extrusion — not into sheet metal, so torque matters. This is a premium unit, but the F45s has well-documented failure points: the motor brushes wear, the lead rail weatherstrip tears, and UV exposure degrades the Fiamma-branded acrylic fabric long before the aluminum housing gives up. The good news is that Fiamma designed the F45s for owner-serviceable fabric and motor swaps, and most Ascent owners can complete a full fabric replacement in an afternoon with basic hand tools. Work through this guide in order — skipping the electrical lockout step has sent more than one awning crashing down unexpectedly.

Required Parts

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Establish a Safe Work Zone and Secure the Van

Park the Ascent on level pavement in full shade if possible — a hot aluminum awning housing will burn bare hands and cause thermal expansion that makes disassembly harder. Chock all four wheels. Before touching anything electrical, open the rear passenger compartment access panel on the driver’s side interior wall to reach the Victron MultiPlus-II. Switch the Victron unit to ‘Charger Only’ mode using the front panel rocker, then locate the dedicated awning fuse in the 12V distribution block (typically a 15A blade fuse labeled ‘AWNING’ or ‘SLIDE’) and pull it. Tape over the empty fuse slot with a piece of masking tape and write ‘DO NOT REINSERT’ on it — this prevents a helper from restoring power mid-job. Because you’ll be working at Transit roof height (approximately 9 feet at the awning bracket), clip a safety fall-protection strap to a solid anchor point before stepping onto any ladder. Do not lean a ladder against the awning housing itself; the F45s housing is cosmetic-grade aluminum that dents easily and any deformation will prevent smooth roller operation after reassembly.

Step 2: Extend and Support the Awning for Disassembly

With power locked out, you need to manually extend the F45s. On the Fiamma F45s, locate the manual override slot on the right-side end cap (standing outside facing the van, this is the rearmost end cap). Insert a 5mm hex key into the override port and rotate counterclockwise — you’ll feel the spring tension release in roughly a quarter turn. Have a second person support the lead rail as it drops; on a 250cm unit the lead rail weighs about 4 lbs but swings fast when the spring lets go. Extend the telescoping awning legs fully and pin them using the factory spring clips. Use your telescoping awning rod to hook the pull strap and guide the lead rail down safely without standing directly underneath. Once extended, run a ratchet strap from each awning leg foot to a wheel well or door jamb anchor — this prevents the awning from collapsing if the spring tension is inconsistent during roller removal. Now perform a full visual inspection: check the lead rail weatherstrip for tearing, inspect the fabric for UV crazing, delamination, or mold, and test the motor by gently hand-rotating the roller tube to feel for binding.

Step 3: Remove the Awning Roller Tube and Extract the Old Fabric

The Fiamma F45s roller tube is retained by the left and right end caps, each secured with two M5 Phillips screws on the face of the aluminum housing. Remove these screws and set them in a labeled container — they are metric and non-interchangeable with Transit hardware nearby. Slide the right end cap off first; this releases the motor connector (a two-wire JST-style plug — photograph it before disconnecting so polarity is obvious at reinstall). The roller tube on the F45s 250 is approximately 250cm of powder-coated aluminum with a rectangular extrusion channel running its full length — this channel is where the fabric’s sewn hem rail slots in. With the tube on sawhorses at waist height, locate the hem rail at one end of the old fabric and slide it out of the channel. The fabric should pull free without tools, but UV-degraded fabric often shreds at the hem — use a flathead screwdriver to clear any remaining hem material from the channel groove before installing new fabric. Clean the channel with a dry rag; any grit here will cause the new fabric to bind. Measure your roller tube length now and confirm it matches the replacement fabric width you ordered.

Step 4: Inspect and Service the F45s Motor

With the roller tube off, the Fiamma motor cartridge slides out from the right end of the tube — it’s a cylinder approximately 60mm in diameter retained by a single M6 set screw on the underside of the tube. Loosen this set screw with a 4mm hex key and slide the motor out. Inspect the motor brushes through the brush access port on the motor endplate; brushes under 4mm length indicate replacement is due. If the motor hums but doesn’t turn, or turns only in one direction, the brushes are almost certainly the culprit before condemning the motor entirely. If you’re replacing the motor, the universal replacement motor compatible with Solera and Dometic systems will physically fit the F45s tube if you verify the shaft diameter (typically 18mm hex) matches — dry-fit before committing. The motor’s two-wire JST connector feeds back through a grommet in the right end cap to the 12V awning circuit. Check this grommet for cracking; the Transit’s body rail runs warm in summer and the grommet dries out. A cracked grommet allows water intrusion directly into the motor housing. Replace it with a same-diameter silicone grommet available at any auto parts store.

Step 5: Install the Replacement Fabric onto the Roller Tube

Lay the new replacement awning fabric (confirm the width matches your tube measurement — the Ascent’s F45s 250 uses a 250cm fabric) flat on a clean surface. The sewn hem rail — a rigid plastic or aluminum rod sewn into the leading edge — inserts into the roller tube’s rectangular channel. Start at one end of the tube and feed the hem rail into the channel at a shallow angle, then walk it along the tube length while a helper keeps the fabric from twisting. Do not force it; if it binds, check for debris in the channel. Once the hem rail is fully seated, the trailing edge of the fabric features a second hem pocket that will attach to the lead rail in a later step — keep it clean and dry. With the fabric on the tube, loosely reinstall the motor cartridge and tighten the M6 set screw to 6 Nm — snug but not gorilla-tight, as over-torquing cracks the tube extrusion. Reconnect the motor’s JST plug, matching the photograph you took during disassembly. Reinstall the right end cap and its M5 screws. Before reinstalling the left end cap, pre-tension the roller spring by rotating the tube three full turns clockwise (facing the left end) using a strap wrench on the tube body — this gives the awning enough return tension to retract fully.

Step 6: Reinstall the Roller Tube and Attach the Lead Rail

Slide the reassembled roller tube back into the F45s housing, engaging both end cap tabs into the housing slots simultaneously — misaligning one side will cause the tube to rotate off-center and the fabric to track crooked. Reinstall the left end cap M5 screws first, then right. Now reattach the fabric’s trailing hem pocket to the lead rail: the F45s lead rail has a matching rectangular channel on its upper face. Thread the hem pocket into the channel starting from one end and sliding it across — it should seat with light thumb pressure. Secure the lead rail end caps with their factory M4 Phillips screws. Install the new UV-resistant pull strap by feeding it through the existing grommet hole in the lead rail center section and tying a stopper knot on the interior side — the 27″ length works correctly for Transit-height deployment without dragging on the ground. If you removed the lead rail weatherstrip during inspection, press the new strip into the channel groove on the underside of the lead rail before reattaching to the awning legs. Reinstall the awning legs onto the lead rail mounting sockets and verify the spring clips fully engage — you should hear and feel a definite click on both sides.

Step 7: Test Operation, Adjust Tension, and Install Wind Stabilizers

Return to the interior access panel and reinstall the 15A awning fuse. Restore the Victron MultiPlus-II to normal operation. From outside, press and hold the Fiamma F45s wall switch or remote for two seconds to initiate an extension test cycle — the motor should pull the awning out smoothly with no grinding or hesitation. Watch the fabric tracking: it should deploy centered on the roller with equal tension across the width. If the fabric tracks toward one end, the roller tube is slightly skewed in the housing — loosen the end cap screws on the high side by a half turn to allow self-alignment, then re-tighten. Retract fully and re-extend twice to confirm consistent behavior. Install the Camco awning de-flappers at the lead rail — these clip onto the lead rail and tether to the van’s lower body using the supplied buckle straps, reducing flap noise and protecting the new fabric in light wind. For stability in moderate breezes, use the telescoping awning rod hooked through the pull strap loop to angle the lead rail downward slightly, shedding water and reducing wind load. Inspect all six M6 mounting bolts into the Transit upper body rail annually and apply anti-seize to prevent galvanic corrosion between the Fiamma bracket and the Transit’s galvanized steel roof rail.

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