Warn winch solenoid voltage drop? What's up?

[brider]

Just re-installed my cleaned-up winch motor on my Warn 5687 Belleview-series winch, and it still won't spin.

The solenoid "clunks", though, and I took a circuit light with an admittedly innaccurate led-meter to measure voltage, and at the solenoid + post from the battery the voltage shows 12V+, but when I hit the winch switch, the solenoid post going to the winch shows waaay less, more like 6V ?! Why is there such a drop across the solenoid? Measurements taken on the solenoid POSTS, not the cable ends.

The solenoid is a new Ford part I found in my garage, grounded thru it's base, pretty simple.

I don't believe it's due to the winch motor DRAW, because the post on the motor shows zero (which is obviously why the motor won't spin, gotta figure that one out, too).

So even assuming I can get current to the winch motor post, why the voltage drop at the solenoid?

 

[brew8]

You have a high resistance in the selenoid, hence the voltage drop, arched up contacts the likely culprit, clean the connection points very well, rough them up with some sand paper if it still dosen't work get a new warn relay, HTH Larry