The service (clean, inspect, grease) of my Maxwell 17 One Speed is complete. What follows is a walkthrough.
An exploded diagram. It references a ST version, but the non-ST is identical, just ignore parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 16. Really, everything else is exactly the same.
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The disassembly procedures include...
Ready to go (feel free to pretend it's still on the boat)
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Remove retaining cap from the drum (counter-clockwise turn with special tool or needle-nose vice-grips)
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Slide drum up and off (press down on the drive shaft with your thumbs while you pull up on the drum with your fingers). CAUTION, don't pull the innards up with it, and don't lose your grip on the drum when it pops free!
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...at this point you can access the five bolts that secure the base of the winch to the boat. You can remove it and take it home, or continue to work on it in place...
Remove bearing outer race from inside drum (not listed in diagram)
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Slide needle roller bearing up off of the pedestal
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Slide plastic thrust washer up off of the pedestal
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Loosen and remove the three cheese head screws that attach the pedestal to the base
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Hold the pedestal down and slide the drive shaft out
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The driveshaft out after using a vice, block of wood, and mallet to separate the thrust washer and bush from the drive shaft
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Slide the pedestal up off the clutch assembly and base, slide the idler gear and bush off of the idler gear shaft
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Slightly spread and slide the bearing inner race off of the pedestal
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Remove the anti-clockwise clutch assembly, two mating pieces
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DO NOT LOSE THE SPRINGS THAT ARE SLIPPED INTO THE FOUR HOLES ON BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM FACES OF THE LARGE CENTRAL CLUTCH GEAR, AS SHOWN IN THE NEXT TWO PHOTOS!
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Remove the clockwise clutch assembly, two mating pieces
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Remove the white plastic driveshaft bush from the base
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At this point you can drop everything into the Varsol. I pull plastic bits out after 30 minutes and use a brush on them, followed by a warm water rinsing. I don't trust plastics in Varsol for long. The metallic pieces sit in the Varsol bath overnight. The next day they get the brush and warm water rinse treatment as well.
The parts all cleaned up and ready for reassembly, along with the supplies (grease, Loctite, chopped paint brush, and q-tips).
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Assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Remember to grease bearing surfaces.
Highlights include:
Press the white plastic driveshaft bush back into the base and grease the inner surface of the bush
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Grease both faces of all clutch pieces
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Grease both faces and the teeth of the clutch gear
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Grease the idler gear shaft, and both faces and the teeth of the idler gear and install on the idler shaft. The next step is to slide the pedestal back down over the clutch assembly and secure it to the base with the cheese head screws. Here I'm adding a dab of Loctite to each screw so that they don't back out over time on their own.
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Tighten the three cheese head screws. Notice the peek at the grease down inside the pedestal on the clutch assembly pieces.
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Here the bearing inner race has been installed with a thin film of grease, and I'm sliding the lightly lubed (inner and outer surfaces) needle roller bearing back down onto the pedestal
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Here the drive shaft thrust washer has been slipped back on, and the bush pressed back into place (used an appropriately sized deep socket and a vice to press it back onto the driveshaft). All surfaces below the thrust washer are lightly lubed
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At this point, if you have to reinstall the winch on the boat, you would stop. The bolts fixing the winch base to the boat have to be installed before the final three steps are executed.
Once that's done, or if you're not reinstalling the winch onto the boat...
...lube both the inner and outer surfaces of the bearing outer race, as well as the ring teeth in the base of the drum. Slip the bearing outer race a half inch or so into the drum. Then slide the race and drum down onto the needle roller bearing/pedestal.
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Once the drum is completely seated and mated cleanly with the idler gear, spin the retaining cap back onto the drum.
Test the results. This winch sounds and feels so much healthier now.
Go sailing!
