Winch Teeth Wear - What is acceptable?

[Susurros]

I'm kind of afraid to ask because I think I know what the answer is going to be...


I'm taking apart and cleaning all the cockpit winches. I noticed on this one the teeth inside the cover are quite pointy. On bicycle gears that would be a sign of wear and could lead to chain slipping. One presumes the same would be true for winches but I'm a newbie to winch maintenance. Certainly the 2 winches that I've already cleaned had wider teeth.
There is some beveling going on as well, on what is the top of the teeth in the photo, but would be the bottom of the teeth when the cover is installed.

[leecea]

Mine have wider teeth, as you said your others do.

I found worn and "pointy" teeth on one of the internal gears and replaced it. I could see metal filings so it was clear something was wrong that the PO had not addressed. I thought there must be some underlying cause for the wear on just this one gear and was expecting to see the new one wear too, since I hadn't really fixed anything. But after a couple of seasons, no wear yet.

If nothing else on yours is worn, perhaps just replacing the shell will be all that's needed. If its Lewmar, drums don't seem too expensive: https://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/c...res-Drums.html

[psk125]

Isn't the question whether the teeth seat properly with the gears they're designed to mesh with: do they match? If not, then you're getting wear. If they end up breaking and the winch spins out of control under load is it going to be dangerous? Then you may need a new winch.

[Susurros]

As I've continued to disassemble the winch, I've noticed other signs of damage/wear. I would like to update the thread title to make it a more general enquiry about whether this amount of wear & tear is normal/safe, but I'm not sure how to do that.


There are signs of wear on the gear teeth as well:




There are indentations inside of where the pawls rest on the inner shaft. Looks to me like they were caused by the edge of the pawl pressing into the metal.






And there is a large area of wear on the main shaft, under where the bearings go. I really don't understand how that could've happened.

[Susurros]

I've since had a look at the other, identical winch from this pair, and the teeth are much more blocky and less sharp. So I'm sure that this is due to wear. What I'm not sure of is how much life is left in the thing.

[Susurros]

Originally Posted by psk125

Isn't the question whether the teeth seat properly with the gears they're designed to mesh with: do they match? If not, then you're getting wear. If they end up breaking and the winch spins out of control under load is it going to be dangerous? Then you may need a new winch.

I tried matching them up against the gears. They definitely don't match up nicely, but they still work.

[Fore and Aft]

Susurros no reason why you can't keep using them. Once they start slipping then it's definitely time to replace them.
I found a nice pair of self-tailing winches for our yacht on Gumtree. Facebook Marketplace is another source of good gear.

Cheers

[Uncle Bob]

I'll take a punt and suggest that someone previously "serviced or repaired" the winch with whatever parts they had/could obtain, and you are seeing the results.

[thinwater]

Ouch.


I am going to disagree and say that the parts are toast and the winch is probably toast. Find and image of a new winch and you will see just how severe the wear is. At a minimum, the gears need replaced.


The other concern is the pawl socket. The pawl can come out, jamming the winch, or jam in place, allowing the winch to spin backwards. Wrists have been broken this way. The center spindle, bearings, and pawls need replaced.



We can be certain there are additional worn parts. This winch has been very poorly maintained, and I would guess that every part is damaged. The parts will cost as much as the winch.



It is a safety hazard. I am an advanced cheapskate and I doubt I would try to fix it. Sorry.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
Agreed!

I've looked into a lot of winches over t he years and I've never seen one with wear anything like that. Mostly the gears look pristine and pawl pockets are the only things with visible wear (internally). I wonder what on earth happened to that one? The OP says that the other winches on his boat look OK...

Jim

[Don C L]

Yeah I am in the camp of "replace it now" also.