[super820]

Hey i have a 2010 sportsman 800
i plow with it today my winch stopped going in!!!
goes out fine.. No power to winch when i press in
Would it be the contactor? It in a pain in the bum spot can bearly
See it let alone test it What will i have to remove to get to it thanks

 

[kemblkr]

I just had the same problem this week. Not sure what winch you have but I had a rubber boot over the control box and it was packed with mud so when I tried the in button I only heard a click and the power was just grounding out rather that going to the winch. I cleaned the mud from around all the connections and sprayed with silicone to displace remaining mud and water and I can now winch in and out...

 

[Gangle04]

this happend to me and it ended up being a siezed contactor its under the plastic infront of gearshifter if your carefull you can take it apart and clean it up if you have to replace it id crack the new one open and silicone the seal to prevent it from happening again......to see if its just the switch use a test light and see if u have power from green wire then from purple

 

[Lollygagger77]

I have had this issue with every winch I have ever owned (4 different ones on 4 different machines) , while plowing it will cut out and not work when I push the out button (not in, so it actually is not a huge deal to just hit the release, IN would be a pain) but if i hit the in like 3 or 4 times quick it will start working again, I really do not know what causes this and then it will work fine the rest of the time plowing, maybe happen one more time..

 

[Gangle04]

yep thats your contactor failing same problem happend to mine ...then i let it sit and it corroded to ****

 

[super820]

Yellow wire on mine is "out" Blue "in"
Switched them around still wont work
power from switch to plug before contactor

 

[kemblkr]

Yellow wire on mine is "out" Blue "in"
Switched them around still wont work
power from switch to plug before contactor

Just run 12 V directly to the winch and then switch the wires. that way you can see if it runs in both directions. If it works then you know its not the winch motor and it has to be a bad connection. The winch switch on the handle bars reverses the positive and negative to the motor causing it to turn in either direction. The control box where the winch, battery and switch all connect too is bad it could cause the issue also. that is what my problem was....mud caked between all the contacts.....

 

[super820]

Thanks I ordered a new switch on handle bar didnt look to good in there anyways..
and with a test light at the winch there is power when hit out but no power for
in! They are just a 4 post solenoid by looks of it

 

[kemblkr]

yes...a solenoid....can't understand why that word was escaping me....I could here the solenoid click but the winch would not go in. So that is when I saw all the mud caked on the solenoid and I cleaned it off and then it worked. Be careful not to short accross the contacts like I almost did until I thought about what I was doing...lol

 

[super820]

LOL I have a "solenoid" from a warn winch kit i have at home
but it round still 4 post ill see if it will work tonight

 

[glngib]

My brand new one did that today. The book said it could be a stuck contactor, bad contact points, or the in out switch. I tapped on it and still same. I was using the wired remote switch so I tried the handle bar switch and it worked. So, guess the remote switch has a problem.

 

[super820]

So i tore all the plastics and front storage off
Used test light found power on the out of contactor but not in
Tore it aparts and cleaned it up ( looked clean ).
Back together and TADA Winch works both ways
Thanks for Everyones help!!!
Now i can plow snow (((

 

[Gangle04]

glad it all worked out for you

 

[super820]

glad it all worked out for you

LOL Time will tell i guess!!
Im sure its not the last ill hear from this problem

 

[yooper49953]

I had the same issue. But mine worked out to be corrosion in the solenoid caused by a bad gasket seal. The placement on the frame causes it to sit just right to have any water that got inside to sit at one on the contacts and the solenoid plunger. I took it apart and was able to use a fine emery paper to clean up the corroded solenoid(there a two of them), add some dry lube and assemble using a good silicon gasket sealer to insure the problem is corrected. So far so good. I also placed some dialect grease on the terminals before installing the boots back on.

 

[Vandal]

I had the same issue. But mine worked out to be corrosion in the solenoid caused by a bad gasket seal. The placement on the frame causes it to sit just right to have any water that got inside to sit at one on the contacts and the solenoid plunger. I took it apart and was able to use a fine emery paper to clean up the corroded solenoid(there a two of them), add some dry lube and assemble using a good silicon gasket sealer to insure the problem is corrected. So far so good. I also placed some dialect grease on the terminals before installing the boots back on.

Do like I did and put the contactor in the front storage box. It's protected from everything there

 

[gulllake]

Hi everyone,
I'm having the exact same issues except when I reversed the polarity directly on the winch I still had the same problem. Winch pulls in but doesnt go out. Most times it does start to go out for a quick second and then dies out and stops. So it has to be the winch and not the solenoid/switch. But can I fix this or basically better off buying a new one? I've been searching everywhere online and only finding solutions to switch/solenoid causes. Thanks for any help!

 

[glngib]

My winch came with a handle bar mount in and out switch and a corded hand held switch. If you have both kinds try the other one. It is either the solenoid or the in and out switch. Sometimes electrical contact spray cleaner might help too if you can get in inside of things. Also, make sure the battery is charged up good.

 

[gulllake]

Thanks but I bypassed the switch and solenoid by taking power straight from the battery to the winch. It worked to pull in but still had an issue with it going out. So I think that should eliminate the switch and solenoid as possible causes, right?

 

[yooper49953]

I would try one more easy test. Place the winch in free spool and try you in-out test again. See if the motor is able to keep running in both directions. Trying to make sure that your cable is not bound up somewhere. If you have the same issue...........you have to repair or replace the winch. If the issue is gone, you probably have bound the cable up between the drum and the housing. You will have to clean up the cable.