Winch servicing mistake

[Kmbarlow50]

Hi there
I have a Lewmar 16 st winch.
I have made a big mistake And have reassembled my winch incorrectly.
I inserted the spindle before the ratchet gear.
I cannot remove the spindle to correct the mistake - I think the pawls at the end of spindle prevent it from coming up the sleeve. Any ideas how to fix it?
unfortunately the centre stem Screws to boat Are difficult to remove so can’t take the whole unit off.
thanks
karen

 

[Tally Ho]

Hi Karen,

I don’t know if this will help, as you seem to know what you did wrong...

But I made a video of servicing my Lewmar 16 winch a while ago. Maybe it will help.

Otherwise, sometimes if you rotate the shaft slowly, while trying to ease it up, you may be able to the pawls to slide past whatever they are catching on.

If you can see the pawls, use a small flat screwdriver or a pick to move the pawls in (you might need a third hand to hold the pawls and lift the shaft out).

if you can take a close up photo, that may help us see what else to try.

Good luck...

Greg

 

[kappykaplan]

This really belongs in Ask All Sailors . . .

 

[Kmbarlow50]

thanks greg

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

This really belongs in Ask All Sailors . . .

??? That''s where I'm reading it

 

[kappykaplan]

One of the moderators already moved it. Originally posted in Site Talk.

 

[kloudie1]

Welcome aboard!! nothing more to add.. as Greg says, a very thin screwdriver or a thin piece of plastic card stock may allow you to alternately free one side then the other.. Good Luck !!
EDIT: push up from bottom with small screwdriver while rotating/fiddling with the spindle.. The recess where the collets go may allow some purchase to help push it up?

 

[capta]

If you have any access to the pawls area try squirting in the stickiest goo you can so you can push the pawls out of the way, and they will stay there, as you pull it apart.

 

[FDL S2]

If you have any access to the pawls area try squirting in the stickiest goo you can so you can push the pawls out of the way, and they will stay there, as you pull it apart.

Yup! Then clean all the goo off before you put it back together.

 

[sailcapt340]

Karen,
You have a small problem but it's not insurmountable.
What you need is a couple of basic items (see photos)....1st is a product called "Duct Seal" (available at Lowes/Home Depot/Hardware Stores/Plumbing Supply Stores), now if you ask for it by Duct Seal they may not now what you mean. Most know it as "Monkey S;$t". Just a plumbers thing I guess.
It's in the "Electrical Section" of Hardware Stores not the Plummbing Section.
And a long Plastic/Metal tool to get down to the bottom of the shaft.

This stuff is form holding, never hardens or dries out and grabs things tight, but not forever. Put a ball of it on the end of the metal tool and like "capta" and "fdl" said get it to hold the pawls away from the shaft. You may need a lot of it to do the trick but it cleans easy and holds.

I have this stuff on my boat and have given some of it to others. I have a friend who looses the screws to his in mast sail car every year trying to get the screws back in a 3 inch area to hold the sail on. A small amount in the allen head hole holds the allen head tool in place and the screw backs out while holding everything together. You pay a little more for it than the picture shows, but that will give you an idea of how long this stuff will last you.

It's going to involve some time and effort on your part but it will work. If you can see the bottom and the pawls it will hold them out of the way.

Take your time and Let us know how you make out.

 

[Kmbarlow50]

THANK YOU! It took me a while to find sticky stuff (like blue tack) but it stuck the pawls back and I lifted stem out! Then removed tac and voila. thanks so much. Winch back together working perfectly!
cheers
karen

 

[sailcapt340]

Glad it all worked out for you!
As a side note, I don't know if you used a box around the winch or not, but a good idea is to get a thick, heavy cardboard box, cut a hole in the center to fit around the winch, slide it over the winch and all the parts remain at your finger tips. Helps to get the reverse order of assembly in line.
Plus, at least on my boat, the winch is flat but the sides dramatically slant (overboard) and there's nothing between the winch and the sea to stop parts from going over. And they do or will at some point.
Now go sailing!