Camper won't stay up

[bearsden]

Help Daughter is home trying to set up camper.  It is not working. There is tension when you crank as normal but... no clicking sound..... camper won't stay up.  comes down as soon as you let go of handle.  Any idea what we are doing wrong??  or what could be wrong.  
 
2000 Colman Mesa.

[sewserious]

You need to overcrank it when puttin it up to reset the pawl and DO NOT overcrank when lowering as that is what causes the problem.

[wavery]

sewserious is probably correct.

On some campers, there is a "pawl" that ratchets on teeth on a wheel as you crank up. This allows you to stop cranking at any time and the crank mechanism will be stopped, from going backward, by the pawl. It acts as a "brake" (if you will).

Now that your pawl may be tripped backward, you will need to crank the top all the way up without letting go of the crank handle. It's best to do this with 2 people, just in case one person tires. It is important not to let go of the handle until the top is all the way up. At that time, the pawl should reset itself but the person turning the crank should be prepared in case it doesn't.

[dcampbell1969]

"Ditto"

Speaking of dittos, remember smelling the ink from fresh dittos?

[AustinBoston]

I agree with the previous two people.  We have had this happen a few times, and it comes from trying to get the roof to close by over-cranking.

In any case, don't let go of the crank!  The roof will come down fast, and the crank will spin fast, and it will hit you hard, if given a chance!

Austin

[6Quigs]

This happened to us with our 2001 Coleman Niagara, and the above answers are correct.
You need to crank the roof all the way up, and it will engage itself.
Like Wavery said, not something you should do by yourself, as you do not get a chance to take a rest until you have raised the roof fully.

Your owners manual should have some more information on this issue.

[AustinBoston]

"Ditto"

Speaking of dittos, remember smelling the ink from fresh dittos?

Yes, I do!  I think they were also called mimeo's or mimeographs.  That may have been a brand name.

The purple ones smelled the best.

When I was in school, you knew instantly if you got a photocopy, it was from the principal's office or the superintendent's office.  All the teachers and department heads had to use mimeos.

Austin

[austinado16]

The other thing she should probably due is get under there and spray the winch mechanicals with some spray lube.  The paul could be hanging up due to lack of lubrication.  There's actaully a section in my Starcraft's owner's manual that talks about this happening and that it needs lubrication.

[brainpause]

"Ditto"

Speaking of dittos, remember smelling the ink from fresh dittos?

Yep...I was always fascinated with how it worked.

Larry

PS: Austin is right...the purple ones smelled the best.

[tlhdoc]

The other thing she should probably due is get under there and spray the winch mechanicals with some spray lube. The paul could be hanging up due to lack of lubrication. There's actaully a section in my Starcraft's owner's manual that talks about this happening and that it needs lubrication.

You can not get to the winch mechanicals unless you remove some parts.  It is very common on Coleman/Fleetwood PUs to over crank the top on the way down and by doing that the pawl disengages.  This information is in the Coleman/Fleetwood owners manual, but many owners miss this.  Just crank the top all the way up and then give a little shove.  You don't have to over crank it very much, but you will feel it when it goes.
 
As for the hijacked subject matter, yes the purple ones (the only color we ever had) had that special smell.  The fresher the print the stronger the purple smell.

[CC777]

This happened to us twice.  My hubby likes to be sure he's cranked it all the way down and apparently overdid it.  When I caught on and brought it to his attention the problem seems to have corrected itself.

Still,  is this something I should have the dealer look at?


CC

[busdriverwc75]

As for the hijacked subject matter, yes the purple ones (the only color we ever had) had that special smell.  The fresher the print the stronger the purple smell.

Purple was the best. Didn't you love it when the teacher passed out the papers, yours was still wet!