Winch solenoid / contactor

[Carpenter]

Can a winch solenoid be cleaned/repaired? They look pretty sealed to me.

I have a 09 polaris 3500# winch. It goes in but not out. There is quite a bit of hard mud on the solenoid which I need to clean, but its not corroded. No click when I push out. Put the remote on and the same issue, so I figure solenoid. But the darn thing is $100!

Thought/comments?

[Macgyver55]

Do you have a contactor, or a solenoid for the control? A contactor has 4 large wires going to it where a solenoid style uses only 2. A solenoid is normally not serviceable, whereas I have been able to take apart some contactors and repair/ clean them.

With a solenoid style, if it works when you push the "IN" side of the switch but not the out , it would indicate a switch or wiring issue. The remote (unless its wireless) uses the same wiring as the manual switch, so that pretty much eliminates the switch. So I would pursue a wiring issue.

If you have a contactor, I would start with a test light at the contactor and see if the small wires are energized when the switch is activated. Both setups use the same wiring for the remote, so in either case I think you will probably find it to be a wiring issue. If it does turn out to be a contactor they are available for less than 100.

[Carpenter]

Mac,

It's a contactor (4 wires, plus 2 control). Can you walk me thru testing it a little more in depth?

I assume testing each of the control wires (to ground) for voltage when the switch is thrown?

Then test any of the power wires to ground??

I am handy, but not great when it comes to wiring troubleshooting.

I know the winch works, because I put jumper cables to it to get the plow out of my brush guard. There was too much tension on the system to get the free spool to let loose. That's what I get when trying to figure out why my out wasn't working

Thanks,

[Macgyver55]

I'll try to walk you through it. Before starting, unhook one of the cables at the winch so it wont keep spooling in.

First, get a 12v test light and hook it to ground. Next, test each of the control wires. one should energize when you apply the switch one way and one should energize when you apply it the other way.

Dont be alarmed if neither one does though, I have seen some contactors that the control terminals need to ground in order to close the contact. In that case you'll need to connect the test light to the 12v + side of the battery and activate the switch and make sure that it light the test light both ways. When you do this test, when the control terminal lights you should also hear the contactor click. If the control terminal lights up but you dont hear the click then the contactor is likely bad. Once you have determined that the switch is energizing the contactor or not, you can move on to the contactor itself.

In order to do that, hold the switch in the out position. Then check the terminals that have cables going to the winch. One of the terminals should be 12v+ and the other should ground.

Then if you move the switch to the in position, and test the same two terminals, the polarity should be the opposite of what it was when you checked it in the out position. That is to say, which ever one was 12v+ before should now be the ground, and the one that was ground should now be 12v+.

To avoid confusion, before I go any further, try this and report back what you find.

[Carpenter]

Thanks Mac. I'll do it tonight.

[pikechaser]

Ive seen them pretty reasonable on the bay

[Carpenter]

Mac,

Stupid question, but how's one to check the control wires? I don't have the multi meter w. the c clamp for amperage, and I don't want to poke into the wire. I pulled the quick connect apart and try to get an ohm reading across the leads and I can't no matter which way i flip the switch. I cleaned a ton of mud off everything, but nothing looks corroded. Still pulls in, but no out and no click on the out.

[1johntimm]

Had the same problem with my winch a few years ago, replaced the solenoid for around $100 and all has been well since. I'd get a off-brand solenoid and save some $$ now that I know warn is the most expensive.

[Macgyver55]

Have you determined yet if it is a power or a ground that activates the contactor control?

Aside from that, You can disconnect the wire at the contactor and check for power (or ground) on the wire end while disconnected.

If there is power there, then the contactor should click when connected. If it doesnt, its likely bad.

If it does, the proceed with the next part of the test.

One other thing you could try quickly, is to hold the switch in the out position and tap the contactor lightly and see if it clicks then.

[Carpenter]

So I figured it out. Long story short, there was probably 1in of wire missing in the gauge cluster. Must have pinched it or something. Fixed it and everything works. Now hopefully they take back the contactor I purchased :-)