akhillbille
02-14-2010, 04:23 PM
So I decided to go ahead and tear into my winch even though I didn't have the grease yet. The grease that was in there was some of the thickest grease I've ever seen. It didn't look too bad and it wasn't that dirty inside it. One thing I found is that the pin in the clutch handle was bent. I found a fix for that and will get it done before reassembly. After taking this winch apart I was finally 100% convinced I like my t-max better than warn. The brake for one thing is not a drum type brake like on others. It is a posi lok brake. It uses a stop. It's hard to explain so when I get pics up I'll try to show this better. Also the shaft is bearing driven instead of bushing which means smoother and longer lasting operation. I was mistaken before and thought others had bearings. Also the gears are machined and not pressed like others. It is not as fast as say the XD9000i but it has lower gearing and more power. the big disadvantage now is parts. Since they sold the company to westin parts availability isn't the best.
Hopefully I'll have some pics up of the rebuild within the next day or so.
Now on to the grease. This is an issue that if the wrong grease is used could cause a problem or if all the old grease isn't cleanded out could cause a problem. All companies recommend the same type of grease. Warn recommmends actual brands and still recommends the old Aeroshell 17. This is an obsolete grease. It is clay based and has unobatinum (sp?) in it. They have a newer grease that is lithium based and has molybdenum in it. the moly additive are little particles that will stay behind when all the grease is pushed out and continue to lubricate. You can't find aeroshell or the other brand they recommend up here. After some research by a buddy we found out Valvoline syn power #986 is the same grease. Problem again. He got it a year ago at napa. Now I can't find it. Hopefully tomorrow some of the shops are open and I'll hit them up and see if they have it or another grease that has the same properties.
Hopefully I'll have some pics up of the rebuild within the next day or so.
Now on to the grease. This is an issue that if the wrong grease is used could cause a problem or if all the old grease isn't cleanded out could cause a problem. All companies recommend the same type of grease. Warn recommmends actual brands and still recommends the old Aeroshell 17. This is an obsolete grease. It is clay based and has unobatinum (sp?) in it. They have a newer grease that is lithium based and has molybdenum in it. the moly additive are little particles that will stay behind when all the grease is pushed out and continue to lubricate. You can't find aeroshell or the other brand they recommend up here. After some research by a buddy we found out Valvoline syn power #986 is the same grease. Problem again. He got it a year ago at napa. Now I can't find it. Hopefully tomorrow some of the shops are open and I'll hit them up and see if they have it or another grease that has the same properties.