which failed me again......

[rusmannx]

my friend (electrical engineer) was with me.... he calls it "crossing". when current passes directly through the electric motor pulling many many amps. i couldn't even let the line out (using the remote) for more than 10 feet at a time because EVERYTHING would nearly shut down. the lights would almost go out they were dimming so hard, and the engine would try to die. it must be sucking a TON of power.
i was thinking maybe i had a bad ground, or the alternator wasn't hooked up right, but my buddy thinks differently.
time to rebuild i guess..... anyone know what that is going to cost me?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Are you sure you don't just have a bad battery? It's weird that it would work, and then dim out the truck. Check all the connections, or better yet, hook it up to another battery before you write it off. Any electrical smoke?

 

[jonb96150]

My guess is that your friend is right. The motor has "gone to ground" and much of the amperage is actually going to the frame. This is almost a dead short, but the motor is using some of the amps. Don't stand near your battery cuz it might go boom as a result of the super heavy draw. The cables would also get hot really quick. Lights would dim as almost all the battery power is going to ground. If this guess is correct you might be able to have the motor tested/repaired at an alternator/starter repair shop. HTH!

 

[rusmannx]

oh another thing, while someone onese was running the remote, i was standing by teh winch and actually saw sparks from below the motor...... i bet that isn't good.

EDIT:
talked to a guy i really trust, and he thinks maybe it's just dirty, or gunked up between the armature and the contacts.
"if you had burnt the motor up, it wouldn't run at all" is what he told me.
he suggests it may need new brushes and such, but that i would know when i get into it.
i'll get some pictures up here when i tear it apart later this week.

thanks for the help everyone.

 

[rusty_tlc]

oh another thing, while someone onese was running the remote, i was standing by teh winch and actually saw sparks from below the motor...... i bet that isn't good.

EDIT:
talked to a guy i really trust, and he thinks maybe it's just dirty, or gunked up between the armature and the contacts.
"if you had burnt the motor up, it wouldn't run at all" is what he told me.
he suggests it may need new brushes and such, but that i would know when i get into it.
i'll get some pictures up here when i tear it apart later this week.

thanks for the help everyone.

Any good alternator/motor shop will be able to tell you if you have a short or just dirty contacts. They will probably do the diagnostic for free.

 

[Niner]

Make sure you have the polarity correct on the winch itself, they will run backwards and you end up grounding through the drum. Sparks and such, don't ask how I know

 

[rusmannx]

Make sure you have the polarity correct on the winch itself, they will run backwards and you end up grounding through the drum. Sparks and such, don't ask how I know

how would i check for correct polarity?