Rusty Warn winch rebuild

Mrgreg66

Mrgreg66

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
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Hayden, Idaho
I have been looking for a good deal on a used Warn winch and have seen a few that look pretty rusty and beat up. I have a bit of experience rebuilding electric motors and I don't mind disassembling and refinishing housings, replacing cables etc. but don't know much about the internal workings of a winch. Any advice on knowing whether a used winch that is not currently on a vehicle is worth restoring or not? any specifics I should look for? Any way to test it?
 
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Look for busted housings and if you can run listen for damaged gears if the winch runs. If not at least spin the drum feeling for crunchy bits.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
 
Lots of people rebuild the Warn 8274 and there are a lot of resources online on how to do it. This is the one I followed.

https://imgur.com/a/xPxrX52

If I was buying a used on depending on the price I would ask to crack the case and confirm no water had made it inside and the gears were in good shape.
 
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LJGreg said:
Lots of people rebuild the Warn 8274 and there are a lot of resources online on how to do it. This is the one I followed.

https://imgur.com/a/xPxrX52

If I was buying a used on depending on the price I would ask to crack the case and confirm no water had made it inside and the gears were in good shape.
Click to expand...
[Off topic]
That is a really cool embedded picture set... How did you do that?
[/Off topic]
 
Mrgreg66 said:
I have been looking for a good deal on a used Warn winch and have seen a few that look pretty rusty and beat up. I have a bit of experience rebuilding electric motors and I don't mind disassembling and refinishing housings, replacing cables etc. but don't know much about the internal workings of a winch. Any advice on knowing whether a used winch that is not currently on a vehicle is worth restoring or not? any specifics I should look for? Any way to test it?
Click to expand...
You should be just fine with a used Warn winch. Warn is pretty good with providing all the parts you'd need. Most winches are put out of service have only minor issues. If the winch is just a little rusty and dusty I wouldn't worry, if it is twisted or visibly bent in any way I would pass. I don't think you can test, if it works it is sold as working and expensive. If it has major or minor problems it is sold as not working and cheap, you roll the dice.
 
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