hdj81 factory winch controller blowing ignition fuse (1 Viewer)

[Tanner H]

I should note that I've tested my oem winch last month once and it worked perfectly without any issues.

Well, today I was going to replace my factory line with a new one, and my controller wouldnt work. Its blowing the 7.5 ignition fuse.

Thought maybe it was a random thing. So I unplugged the controller, replaced the fuse and the truck fired right up no issues.

plugged the controller back in nice and tight. Turned the key to acc and blew right away.

So I guess my question is: what could be causing the winch/controller to blow the ign fuse?

 

[aviador]

I had the same problem. Kinda scary back in the bush, trying to get my buddy unstuck…..
It turned out to be a wire shorted to ground underneath the left hand battery tray. I had moved stuff around for my intercooler piping and repositioned the solenoid slightly. Can’t remember the exact details but that’s a starting point.

 

[Tanner H]

@aviador Thanks man, that at least gives me somewhere to start.

By ''left'' do you mean the battery nearest to the airbox/steering box?

EDIT: i think I found a diagram for it...I'll take a look and see if anything looks loose/weird. Thanks for a starting point.

 

[aviador]

Yes, left is always when you’re sitting in the vehicle…..! Then everybody can communicate on the same level!
One of my pet peeves!
Should make people do a short quiz before they are allowed to read or post!
Good luck!

 

[aviador]

The diagram from the manual brings back memories…. It was one of the wires going to the magnet switch. Harness side I believe.

 

[Tanner H]

Well s***, not sure how but I got it working again. For future reference I will post my “fix”

Crawled under there and pressed/jiggled all the grounds and connections. Doubt that did anything.

After that, I noticed the original burned fuse was a 10, so without checking, I simply replaced with another ten that also blew.
Once I realized it is supposed to be a 7.5, I swapped the 2nd blown fuse with a 7.5.

I then started the truck up so the engine was running. I then plugged in the controller and it worked perfectly.
So weird, to make sure everything still worked, I turned the truck off, disconnected the controller then turned the truck on again. No issues.

I then turned the truck off, plugged in the controller, then set the key to acc. Worked perfectly.

I was also able to massage the “stuck” clutch to finally free spool the original cable out. Lots of road grime and kinks. I doubt this line would have held up well if I actually needed it.

Damned if I know exactly what was the fix but I’ll leave it all here in case someone has an issue .