Photo log of T-max winch service
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Photo log of T-max winch service
I serviced a T-max 9500 winch yesterday and took some photo's and a couple of video clips of the process.
lets start....
Part 1
This is the winch. Its a T-max 9500. I have the 8500 on my vehicle and I've literally used it hundreds of times with no issues.
I disassembled it and it appears that it has hardly been used.
First things first. Check to see that the motor works by applying power
good, it works in one direction, now lets see if it works in the other
Great. The motor works fine.
The gearbox appears to have its original grease still in it in perfect condition.
The motor wasn't in the same condition and its clear that water stood in the winch for some time. The negative terminal connects at the bottom of the motor and was probably the point where the water escaped. It was badly rusted though. both the bolt and the hole in the housing. The bolt had to be replaced with a new one.
There is clear evidence of the corrosion from standing water inside the motor.
the brushes are in excellent condition. a sure sign that this winch has not been used much.
here's some of that corrosion
the commutator and armature look almost new but while its out I gave the commutator a light sand with a fine sandpaper
Because the earth cable bolt and hole were so corroded I re tapped the thread which will allow for a better electrical connection and will make it easier getting the new bolt in
Part 2 to follow
lets start....
Part 1
This is the winch. Its a T-max 9500. I have the 8500 on my vehicle and I've literally used it hundreds of times with no issues.
I disassembled it and it appears that it has hardly been used.
First things first. Check to see that the motor works by applying power
good, it works in one direction, now lets see if it works in the other
Great. The motor works fine.
The gearbox appears to have its original grease still in it in perfect condition.
The motor wasn't in the same condition and its clear that water stood in the winch for some time. The negative terminal connects at the bottom of the motor and was probably the point where the water escaped. It was badly rusted though. both the bolt and the hole in the housing. The bolt had to be replaced with a new one.
There is clear evidence of the corrosion from standing water inside the motor.
the brushes are in excellent condition. a sure sign that this winch has not been used much.
here's some of that corrosion
the commutator and armature look almost new but while its out I gave the commutator a light sand with a fine sandpaper
Because the earth cable bolt and hole were so corroded I re tapped the thread which will allow for a better electrical connection and will make it easier getting the new bolt in
Part 2 to follow
Last edited by Anthony Forgey on 23 Jun 2018 13:21, edited 1 time in total.
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Part 2
I cleaned up the inside of the housing and removed the corrosion
A little trick I use to prevent the brushes from being pushed in. I spread them with nylon hose connector. It saves pain and suffering when you reassemble.
Sprayed the cleaned internals with some water displacement spray
So the inside is sorted. Now to make the outside look good. I sanded off the loose flaking paint areas and give the outsinde a good clean with methylated spirits. My meths ran out while i was doing this winch so I used Turpentine for the rest.
I tape off the terminals and clutch handle and spray.
Nice and neat with new nuts and star washers
As I mentioned, the gearbox looks almost unused. I took out the planetary gear sets and everything was perfect inside.
I cleaned up where there was some dirty grease around the bushing which connects to the cable drum and prepared the housing for painting. Again, sanding off all loose and flaking material and cleaning up with Meths/Turps.
Sprayed and looking good again
I cleaned and sanded the cable drum and gave it a coat of paint too
The clutch lever was starting to rust through the chrome so I used some metal polish to clean it up as best as I can
It did help it to look a lot better
Part 3 next....
I cleaned up the inside of the housing and removed the corrosion
A little trick I use to prevent the brushes from being pushed in. I spread them with nylon hose connector. It saves pain and suffering when you reassemble.
Sprayed the cleaned internals with some water displacement spray
So the inside is sorted. Now to make the outside look good. I sanded off the loose flaking paint areas and give the outsinde a good clean with methylated spirits. My meths ran out while i was doing this winch so I used Turpentine for the rest.
I tape off the terminals and clutch handle and spray.
Nice and neat with new nuts and star washers
As I mentioned, the gearbox looks almost unused. I took out the planetary gear sets and everything was perfect inside.
I cleaned up where there was some dirty grease around the bushing which connects to the cable drum and prepared the housing for painting. Again, sanding off all loose and flaking material and cleaning up with Meths/Turps.
Sprayed and looking good again
I cleaned and sanded the cable drum and gave it a coat of paint too
The clutch lever was starting to rust through the chrome so I used some metal polish to clean it up as best as I can
It did help it to look a lot better
Part 3 next....
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Part 3
Good, now to turn attention to the Solenoid. The terminals are oxidised and dirty
Inside is dirty but in pretty good condition. No corrosion
The winch controller plug, however is not good at all. in fact while cleaning away some of the scale and corrosion, one of the pins crumbled. I'll show the fix for that in part 4.
I cleaned up and wire brushed the posts and gave the inside of the solenoid pack a spray with water displacing spray
A big issue with winches is that there needs to be good electrical contact, free of corrosion. The cables between the solenoid and the winch needed some attention here.
Here is the before and after. I filed the lugs to give a clean, flat contact surface.
Before
After
Then I cleaned all the cables and boots
Time to reassemble the winch
Connect the solenoid cables to the winch using new star washers for a good positive contact with no movement once tight
All connected
The winch cable was in very poor condition. you can see it in the first pics in part 1
I rolled it up and put it in a bucket and drenched it in oil overnight
Part 4 to come...
Good, now to turn attention to the Solenoid. The terminals are oxidised and dirty
Inside is dirty but in pretty good condition. No corrosion
The winch controller plug, however is not good at all. in fact while cleaning away some of the scale and corrosion, one of the pins crumbled. I'll show the fix for that in part 4.
I cleaned up and wire brushed the posts and gave the inside of the solenoid pack a spray with water displacing spray
A big issue with winches is that there needs to be good electrical contact, free of corrosion. The cables between the solenoid and the winch needed some attention here.
Here is the before and after. I filed the lugs to give a clean, flat contact surface.
Before
After
Then I cleaned all the cables and boots
Time to reassemble the winch
Connect the solenoid cables to the winch using new star washers for a good positive contact with no movement once tight
All connected
The winch cable was in very poor condition. you can see it in the first pics in part 1
I rolled it up and put it in a bucket and drenched it in oil overnight
Part 4 to come...
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Part 4
Now I have to sort out that broken pin for the winch controller plug at the solenoid
The controller only needs 3 connections and there are 5 pins so I just use one of the unused pins and move the wires on the controller box as well as the corresponding cable in the winch controller plug
Here's the pin I'll use
Re-soldered to spare pin
Insulate with heat shrink
Now the plug on the controller side. minute screws removed and cable exposed
Found a pre-existing problem. One of the cables is loose. It happens to be the one I need to move anyway
Wire soldered on donor pin
I put it all back together and tested
Good. Everything is working. The winch and cable are ready to go back to the client
Some comments:
This winch is a good example of a case which is probably quite common: the winch is fitted but almost never used. When I received it it wasn't working. These things need to be used as part of their maintenance. It moves the grease around. It dissipates moisture. And, if you do use the winch frequently you'll know whether it's working or not.
There's loads of winch brand bashing and those who say only brand "X" is good enough. I wont argue the fact that some winches are better than others, but I'd rather have serviceable "lesser" brand than a broken brand "X" when I need to pull myself out of a difficult situation while offroading.
so,
Use your winch
or service it every so often. Probably once a year is fine for the average offroader.
Now I have to sort out that broken pin for the winch controller plug at the solenoid
The controller only needs 3 connections and there are 5 pins so I just use one of the unused pins and move the wires on the controller box as well as the corresponding cable in the winch controller plug
Here's the pin I'll use
Re-soldered to spare pin
Insulate with heat shrink
Now the plug on the controller side. minute screws removed and cable exposed
Found a pre-existing problem. One of the cables is loose. It happens to be the one I need to move anyway
Wire soldered on donor pin
I put it all back together and tested
Good. Everything is working. The winch and cable are ready to go back to the client
Some comments:
This winch is a good example of a case which is probably quite common: the winch is fitted but almost never used. When I received it it wasn't working. These things need to be used as part of their maintenance. It moves the grease around. It dissipates moisture. And, if you do use the winch frequently you'll know whether it's working or not.
There's loads of winch brand bashing and those who say only brand "X" is good enough. I wont argue the fact that some winches are better than others, but I'd rather have serviceable "lesser" brand than a broken brand "X" when I need to pull myself out of a difficult situation while offroading.
so,
Use your winch
or service it every so often. Probably once a year is fine for the average offroader.
Last edited by Anthony Forgey on 23 Jun 2018 13:16, edited 1 time in total.
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- hugejp
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Impressive!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You CAN with a NISSAN!
Jy KAN met 'n DATSUN!
You CAN with a NISSAN!
Jy KAN met 'n DATSUN!
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Part 4 is now posted
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Awesome post, thanks Anthony. I also do my own winch servicing, but just a single note applicable for Warn M - series winches.
Very similar to the auto locking hubs, the winch clutch mechanism (ie: where you engage or disengage the winch) is very sensitive to the lubricant you use. The Warn service manual mentions to use grease on the planetary gears and similar. But to use machine oil on the clutch. Otherwise it might battle to engage or disengage.
Very similar to the auto locking hubs, the winch clutch mechanism (ie: where you engage or disengage the winch) is very sensitive to the lubricant you use. The Warn service manual mentions to use grease on the planetary gears and similar. But to use machine oil on the clutch. Otherwise it might battle to engage or disengage.
Ian de Villiers
Patrol 4.5 GRX
Jurgens XT65 2x0 with Super Select Zero
ORRA: H80
Patrol 4.5 GRX
Jurgens XT65 2x0 with Super Select Zero
ORRA: H80
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Re: Photo log of T-max winch service
Thank you Ianiandvl wrote: ↑24 Jun 2018 14:11 Awesome post, thanks Anthony. I also do my own winch servicing, but just a single note applicable for Warn M - series winches.
Very similar to the auto locking hubs, the winch clutch mechanism (ie: where you engage or disengage the winch) is very sensitive to the lubricant you use. The Warn service manual mentions to use grease on the planetary gears and similar. But to use machine oil on the clutch. Otherwise it might battle to engage or disengage.
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