ahoy all, I have a pair of wilcox crittenden marinium winches. they are in really good condition but they are filled with old grease and in need of a good polishing. I want to clean all the old residue off the insides. is there anything that they can be soaked in to totally clean them without messing them up? and when they are put back together, will white lithium grease do or do I need something else? I plan to mount them on my helms when they are all done. thanks
winch clean-up
- Thread starter soldier1964
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Soldier,
follow the link, Maine Sail has lots of how to's. He's been a wonderful source for everyone frequenting this site.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/winch_clean_and_grease
follow the link, Maine Sail has lots of how to's. He's been a wonderful source for everyone frequenting this site.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/winch_clean_and_grease
since this is the first winch I am cleaning ,I had to ask my friends here for their input. and like always, I am not disappointed. thanks for the link and the help.
Hi soldier 1964,
I just finished the winches on our boat. I used a cardboard box with a hole cut in the bottom the size of the winch so as not to lose parts overboard whist we are in the water. If you start with the smaller winches the hole can then be made bigger as you move on to the larger ones.
I took pictures during the disassembly so I could get it right during the reassembly. Being an older boat we have a variety of sizes so I had to pay attention to where the pawls were located and how the gears were oriented. Fortunately we have all Lewmars but they are single and two-speed, some self-tailors, and some not.
I cleaned the parts in a plastic tub and used a toothbrush with a rag to clean the spindels. Some spots had hardened grease so I used a brass brush for those areas. It would have been easier to remove them completely, but we're living on the water.
We used Lewmars oil and greese for assembly (very little grease) following Maine Sails advice. As a standby I also have extra springs and pawls in case one went overboard. My average time for winch was two hours and about 1 1/2 drinks. Good Luck.
All U Get
I just finished the winches on our boat. I used a cardboard box with a hole cut in the bottom the size of the winch so as not to lose parts overboard whist we are in the water. If you start with the smaller winches the hole can then be made bigger as you move on to the larger ones.
I took pictures during the disassembly so I could get it right during the reassembly. Being an older boat we have a variety of sizes so I had to pay attention to where the pawls were located and how the gears were oriented. Fortunately we have all Lewmars but they are single and two-speed, some self-tailors, and some not.
I cleaned the parts in a plastic tub and used a toothbrush with a rag to clean the spindels. Some spots had hardened grease so I used a brass brush for those areas. It would have been easier to remove them completely, but we're living on the water.
We used Lewmars oil and greese for assembly (very little grease) following Maine Sails advice. As a standby I also have extra springs and pawls in case one went overboard. My average time for winch was two hours and about 1 1/2 drinks. Good Luck.
All U Get
Attachments
The below link goes to the grease page of a winch manufacturer. Pay Attention. Wrong grease might be fatal. Wow. That's an extreme warning!
http://andersenwinches.com/aw/support_winch_grease.asp?RnID=410B&selected_menu_id=20479
The tube pictured self-describes the grease type as Multi-purpose SiliconTeflon grease.
Several years ago when trying to decide whether to re-grease my winches with a product that I already had on hand, I found on a winch manufacturer's website a link to the MSDS sheet for their brand of winch grease. Reading it, the MSDS was under the logo of a bulk supplier. The grease type was formulated primarily for use on/with food processing machinery.
Using the right type of grease for the application is best of course. But doesn't look like there is any special formula for "sailboat winches only".
This stuff, which is a GREAT head plunger lube is also fine for wenches.. sparingly and not in the pawls!
http://www.super-lube.com/synthetic-greases-ezp-44.html
available at Wally Woild and other fine establishments..
http://www.super-lube.com/synthetic-greases-ezp-44.html
available at Wally Woild and other fine establishments..
Mineral spirits are good as well as kerosene. Either won't attack the imbeded lubrication in the bronze gears and bushings. I had to soak mine for a couple of days then proceeded as All U Get describes. Soak the roller bearings seperately so the real goo from the rest of the winch doesn't get into them. It's safest to use winch grease and oil supplied by a winch manufacturer. You'll have plenty left over for the future and why experiment at this stage of the job.
An old toothbrush is very handy to clean up the gears. Don't assume the kerosene or other stuff will magically remove the grunge - it needs some elbow grease.
I don't think we've sufficiently beat this topic to death, after all it's winter.
Kloudie 1 nuclear grease? http://www.super-lube.com/nuclear-grade-grease-ezp-55.html
Wow that's got to be some kinda grease, good golly.
Glad to hear you got them back together without the extra parts.
All U Get
Kloudie 1 nuclear grease? http://www.super-lube.com/nuclear-grade-grease-ezp-55.html
Wow that's got to be some kinda grease, good golly.
Glad to hear you got them back together without the extra parts.
All U Get
I couldn't afford the nuke powered winches.. so this one maybe :
http://www.super-lube.com/files/pdfs/winch_grease_technical_bulletin.pdf
Laughing..
http://www.super-lube.com/files/pdfs/winch_grease_technical_bulletin.pdf
Laughing..
This is the grease that I use exclusively. Edson suggests it for their pedestals, etc. Like said, head plungers, being non petroleum won't attack rubber components or plastics. And being "resistant" to the marine environment, it's excellent for winches.
I don't own any other type of grease.
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