jdkilroy
New member
Hey Folks,
been absent for a while but I've been doing a little work on the Runner recently and thought I would pass on some info as a Public Service Announcement.
My winch stopped working a few months ago and I finally got a chance to pull it and investigate. I could hear the solenoids engaging but nothing happening with the winch motor.
The winch was purchased new in 2012 and installed in a Shrockworks bumper. That particular installation keeps the winch well protected from the elements with its only direct exposure being through the fairlead. It was mounted in a "foot forward" orientation as opposed to the "foot down" orientation that is intended when the winch ships from the factory.
Here's what I found when I pulled the motor:
So I called Warn with the intent of getting some sort of warranty service and instead learned that I was the one who caused the problem and how to avoid it in the future.
First off, I screwed up by not pulling that motor on a yearly basis to inspect and service it. It's a tool like any other; you can't install it and forget about it expecting it to work any time you decide to fire it up. I maintain all my other tools, sharpen my blades, my chisels, change my oil etc, etc. Why I was thinking that the winch was any different, I don't know.
Regular inspection/service would not have solved the problem but I would have discovered it sooner and possibly saved myself the cost of a new motor.
The problem is that I either never read the directions/manual thoroughly in the first place (entirely possible) or... I was too ignorant to ask the right questions.
I try never to forget that you don't know what you don't know.
So the deal is: IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOUNT THE WINCH IN A FOOT FORWARD POSITION, YOU NEED TO PULL THE MOTOR AND CHANGE THE DRAIN HOLES. The attached pdf file shows you what you need to do to change how the motor housing drains accumulated moisture. The photo below is my winch with both drain passages open. I'll seal the one that will be facing forward before installing the new motor.
To orient you; the photo is showing you the left end of the winch frame while looking down on the winch as it is installed. This is the end the motor is attached to. The right side of photo is up, the bottom of the photo is facing forward as the winch is installed.
View attachment 9.5XP Motor Drain Holes.pdf
The interesting thing is that Warn expects moisture to develop and make its way into the motor housing and it has designed the housing to rid itself of this moisture. The whole notion that moisture will never get into the housing is nonsense if you consider the intended conditions of use for this equipment. The critical thing is that the design provide a way for that moisture to escape and relies on the operator to OPERATE and maintain the equipment.
Operating the winch creates heat and drives out moisture; run that thing on a regular basis just like operating your lockers and 4WH/4WL engagement actuators ... use it or loose it.
This info may pertain to other (Warn) winch models or not.
I have the complete service manual, troubleshooting manual and parts list for the 9.5xp(s) if anyone wants it. Just PM me. Its too big to post here.
been absent for a while but I've been doing a little work on the Runner recently and thought I would pass on some info as a Public Service Announcement.
My winch stopped working a few months ago and I finally got a chance to pull it and investigate. I could hear the solenoids engaging but nothing happening with the winch motor.
The winch was purchased new in 2012 and installed in a Shrockworks bumper. That particular installation keeps the winch well protected from the elements with its only direct exposure being through the fairlead. It was mounted in a "foot forward" orientation as opposed to the "foot down" orientation that is intended when the winch ships from the factory.
Here's what I found when I pulled the motor:
So I called Warn with the intent of getting some sort of warranty service and instead learned that I was the one who caused the problem and how to avoid it in the future.
First off, I screwed up by not pulling that motor on a yearly basis to inspect and service it. It's a tool like any other; you can't install it and forget about it expecting it to work any time you decide to fire it up. I maintain all my other tools, sharpen my blades, my chisels, change my oil etc, etc. Why I was thinking that the winch was any different, I don't know.
Regular inspection/service would not have solved the problem but I would have discovered it sooner and possibly saved myself the cost of a new motor.
The problem is that I either never read the directions/manual thoroughly in the first place (entirely possible) or... I was too ignorant to ask the right questions.
I try never to forget that you don't know what you don't know.
So the deal is: IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOUNT THE WINCH IN A FOOT FORWARD POSITION, YOU NEED TO PULL THE MOTOR AND CHANGE THE DRAIN HOLES. The attached pdf file shows you what you need to do to change how the motor housing drains accumulated moisture. The photo below is my winch with both drain passages open. I'll seal the one that will be facing forward before installing the new motor.
To orient you; the photo is showing you the left end of the winch frame while looking down on the winch as it is installed. This is the end the motor is attached to. The right side of photo is up, the bottom of the photo is facing forward as the winch is installed.
View attachment 9.5XP Motor Drain Holes.pdf
The interesting thing is that Warn expects moisture to develop and make its way into the motor housing and it has designed the housing to rid itself of this moisture. The whole notion that moisture will never get into the housing is nonsense if you consider the intended conditions of use for this equipment. The critical thing is that the design provide a way for that moisture to escape and relies on the operator to OPERATE and maintain the equipment.
Operating the winch creates heat and drives out moisture; run that thing on a regular basis just like operating your lockers and 4WH/4WL engagement actuators ... use it or loose it.
This info may pertain to other (Warn) winch models or not.
I have the complete service manual, troubleshooting manual and parts list for the 9.5xp(s) if anyone wants it. Just PM me. Its too big to post here.
Attachments
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