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Bryan Irons
The first move, days ahead of time, is to hose down the entire winch with a penetrating lube. We like Prolong’s SPL100 and by the end or our rebuild, there was only one bolt that wouldn’t come out without some heat.
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Bryan Irons
The protruding motor is the easiest place to start the disassembly. Start by marking the wires coming out of the solenoid box so that they can be put back later. The corrosion on our end plate was pretty bad.
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Bryan Irons
Some gentle persuasion may be required to get the unit apart. There is no exacting disassembly procedure, but taking pics as you go along with your phone is a good idea. Warn has exploded diagrams of all their winch models, so don’t fear if you get a little lost.
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Bryan Irons
With the motor housing finally off, we could see that the unit was basically unused as the commutator and brushes in the motor were in excellent condition. The bearings, however, were shot and demanded replacement… or a new motor like we stepped up to.
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Bryan Irons
The unit was finally disassembled. We will warn you now, DON’T just place the pieces in a box on a shelf, keep the momentum and see the project through. The hard part is done. This is why we hesitate at pulling something apart before we have the replacement parts in hand, although it is a catch-22 if you need more than you realize. Luckily, a Warn winch is relatively simple beast.
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Bryan Irons
Pulling the “transmission” off the end of the broken winch plate was an easy task and again, getting the bolt lubed and loosened beforehand saved our bacon.
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We cleaned and inspected the planetary gearsets with some brake cleaner. Use a quality grease for reassembly. We have been using some of Canada’s own Nitrolube Nitro Red. It’s super tacky and also has a very high temperature rating which are great attributes for a piece of equipment that doesn’t see use for long periods of time, then gets bagged on like rented mule.
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Bryan Irons
Warn doesn’t add never-seize to their fasteners at the factory. Do it now… you can thank us later. This is also the time to clock the clutch handle if so required.
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The transmission assembly is now in place, it’s time to start transferring parts such as the drive shaft and remote-control outlet.
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Bryan Irons
These bushings take the brunt of the force during winching and replacements are included with the new side plates. Grease and install them ensuring the tabs fall into their detents.
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Bryan Irons
Some extra hands are useful when assembling the last side plate and aligning the solenoid pack. Don’t tighten all the bolts until they are all in place.
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Bryan Irons
The last piece of the puzzle is the 4.6hp series wound winch motor. An alignment pin is included for proper indexing. We like to coat the threaded shaft with never-seize to make any future disassembly that much easier.
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Bryan Irons
Attach the grounds, armature, and field winding connections and be ready to pat yourself on the back.
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Bryan Irons
Always run a quality battery if you will be powering a winch. Even for testing, we pulled out our top of the line Odyssey Extreme. The XD9000i worked flawlessly, as we expected it to. Time to respool the winch cable and go get stuck.
Story and Photos by Bryan Irons @Bryanirons
Our buddy Colin has been snooping around for a good, used winch that won’t break the bank to saddle on his trail rig. While buying a name-brand, used winch can save some money, you really have to question why the seller is getting rid of it. Do they need the cash? Is there something wrong with it? Is it stolen? It’s not often the front of a 4x4 doesn’t need a winch anymore, especially a good one, so when he had score a “smokin’ deal” on a 9000 lb Warn winch… we were a bit hesitant to share his enthusiasm.
We decided to take a look for ourselves. Our eyes were immediately greeted with the familiar red “W” on the front of what turned out to be a classic, and still made, XD9000i. Although not as famous as it’s older brothers the 8274 and the M8000, the XD9000i has the advantage of an integrated solenoid pack, and a standard 10” X 4.5” mounting pattern. The 9000 lb single line pulling strength is courtesy the 4.6hp series wound motor and can pack a whopping 125’ of cable. Many recreational off-road vehicles pack an XD9000i, but we typically see them strapped to the front of work trucks destined for the woods. Hydro, telecom, rail and other outfits have taken a liking to the Warn, making them a bit easier to get your hands on.
Our initial gleaming reaction to Colin’s find was soon tempered by reality as we approached the workbench. Cast aluminum doesn’t like salt-covered roads and this one was showing the stress with flaking powder coating and missing decals. The motor end cover had a hole in it, and mounting feet were broken off the cast side plates… 3 of 4 in total. Add to this the missing remote and the only words we could muster were “You lose a bet?” A fresh “Queen Elizabeth II” was all it took to get the Warn in Colin’s possession, even for a parts winch that works, that isn’t too bad seeing as retail is hovering around $1550 CAD.
Had this find been of a lesser name brand, we would have scoffed and told Colin to just burn the $20 the next time he finds a “deal” like this. Luckily for him, Warn offers replacement parts and components for just about every winch they have ever produced. We used Warn’s online replacement parts guide to discern exactly what pieces we needed, as there have been a few variants of the XD9000i winch. Warn authorized dealers have access to all the components, as opposed to ordering direct from Warn, and you can find one close to you on Warn’s website. Online sellers and eBay are another option, but calling and chatting with a dealer seem to get us better prices and service.
After a thorough inspection, we knew what we needed for parts and pieces - two new ends plates, a new remote control, and for added insurance… a brand spankin’ new motor. We probably could have save $200 and reused the old motor and possible scrounged for a new end plate, or had the motor gone through by a local electric motor rewinder, but a new unit seemed like the right choice. Another option was to omit the new remote and cobble something together, but this isn’t “4WDrive Hacks” and we have had a cheapy remote fail on us in the past… always at the worst time.
The new parts were on our door step within a week to the tune of about $500 CAD. After a few hours in the shop we had what is essentially, a brand-new winch for a fraction of the price. This particular unit was at the extreme end of what we would say is economically viable for a rebuild and repair. We just can’t get behind the idea of spending peanuts for a new overseas made unit, given the build quality and short lifespan we have witnessed in the past. With a little elbow grease, and about the same dollar figure up front, you to can walk away with a winner. Follow along as we scrap the shrapnel and end up with a reliable unit ready for a future of hard work.
Bryan Irons
Warn - https://www.warn.com/replacementParts/
Odyssey Batteries - http://www.odysseybattery.com/
Nitro Lube - http://www.nitrolube.com/
ProLong - http://www.prolong.com/