Awning not retracting after fabric replacement

[Gustafson]

We replaced the awning fabric on our automatic dometic awning. Put a pin on the left side to stabilize the spring with the arms retracted about a foot from the rv and removed the motor side to slip on the fabric. When we removed the bar the arms swung out with the hydraulic pressure. Th pin in the left side was stuck and when we removed it, without it being reattached to the bar, the spring loosened. We reattached the bar to the extended arms, but it would not retract without us pushing it in. When it extends, it now shoots out with full force.
I assume the issue is with the spring, but winding it up is a challenge and at what position - extended or retracted?
Any help at this point is very much appreciated!

[5picker]

Hi and welcome to the forum! I see it is your 1st post.

You likely released the tension on the awning spring (inside the tube when you did what you described and now the tension is loose when the awning is extended and tightens when retracted. That's just the opposite of what you want.

You'll need to rewind the awning's internal spring correctly.

Use caution and follow the directions in your awning manual.