Lewmar H3 Windlass Disassembly help needed

[LadyStardust]

Yes, force4 quote £70 to Labuan, which as you know is tax free. Very tempting.

[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by LadyStardust

Yes, force4 quote £70 to Labuan, which as you know is tax free. Very tempting.

70quid? Really? That's dirt cheap me thinks.. One of the online UK shops said something funny like they will send an email after checkout to confirm the shipping, force4 did not mention something like that? Last time I checked windlass shipping prices to Langkawi I recall something like 200£ quoted but can't remember details.. Anyways I'd ask them to confirm before payment just to be sure..
You want to sell your H3 to me? my old Goiot aluminum case is almost corroded through due to mounting bolts not having been isolated with nylon washers.

[LadyStardust]

Hi Erik,
You could be right, the price was calculated online, so I guess it might be more in reality. I think if I do go ahead, then I will keep it onboard, wrapped up, until the Lewmar fails. The Lewmar could last a good few more years, the motor is good, and the seals on the gearbox are good, so we will see. Perhaps when I get back to SE Asia in a few years time...

[ErikFinn]

I believe the H3 will work ok for good many years still. The problem might be the corrosion of the aluminum, and imho the paint on the aluminum does not help at all. I would make sure all the SS mounting bolts are isolated from the aluminum case. Also, any SS bolt's or screw's threads into the aluminum should be coated with an isolating lube but im not sure what is the best one to use? Lanolin ok?

[Wireless1]

Just curious whatever happened on this old thread? I am at the same point of disassembly on my Lewmar H3 windlass. The motor and gearbox is ready to slide out the back of the aluminum housing, but it's very difficult and very tight. I am wondering if the aluminum seal holder needs to be removed with some kind of special tool? Standing by for anyone with info on this thing. By the way the OP is correct, I too had to drill out two of the counter sunk stainless allenhead screws because they were not installed with any kind of corrosion resistant grease. It is hard to imagine a reputable company assembling this windlass knowing it is going to be installed in one of the most corrosion prone areas on a sailing vessel....and not using any galvanic prevention type grease on all the dissimilar metal screws used in the aluminum housing. This has me thinking, that on any new windlass I purchase in the future, I will disassemble it before installing it and reassemble it correctly. 😕

[double u]

"...I will disassemble it before installing it and reassemble it correctly..."
that would be the ideal course of action with most equipment...

[LadyStardust]

I gave up trying to extract the motor/gearbox. The corrosion was quite severe and nothing would budge. It's possible there is a trick I was missing.
I was able to service the clutch, which was the main problem and I installed a new solenoid externally, inside the anchor locker as I couldn't extract the old one.
Everything is working fine, but I'm going to purchase a replacement Windlass to carry onboard as I expect the Lewmar will fail in the next year or two and it's bound to be when I am in a remote area with 100m of chain out

[Wireless1]

Originally Posted by LadyStardust

I gave up trying to extract the motor/gearbox. The corrosion was quite severe and nothing would budge. It's possible there is a trick I was missing.
I was able to service the clutch, which was the main problem and I installed a new solenoid externally, inside the anchor locker as I couldn't extract the old one.
Everything is working fine, but I'm going to purchase a replacement Windlass to carry onboard as I expect the Lewmar will fail in the next year or two and it's bound to be when I am in a remote area with 100m of chain out

Yes, there is a trick, though not a pleasant one. I too could not get the motor gearbox to budge and once the four bolts on each side were removed I could see nothing that was holding the motor/gearbox in the housing but the tightness between the two sides. The starboard side of the gearbox bolts directly to the main housing. However, on the port side you'll notice there is an aluminum casting that is press fit into the case. The starboard side does not have this fitting. This portside casting was my "clue". If I could take out that casting there would be no pressure on the port side of the gearbox and thus none on the starboard side as well. But there is no way to get a puller on this aluminum press-fit casting, so what to do? Now the ugly part; I just so happen to have a large rubber mallet that the diameter of the striking surface fits perfectly in the main housing's opening for the gearbox on the starboard side of the windlass. I set this mallet in the opening resting perfectly flat against the side of the gearbox, NOT touching the aluminum housing, (it sits on the gearbox casing and does not touch the seals), then with a second smaller rubber mallet began to tap tap tap on the large rubber mallet being used soften the blows and evenly distribute the force ... but nothing moved. Then I hit Hit HIT! And BINGO! The aluminum ring casting began to very slightly move away from the gearbox on the port side. I must admit I had to hit it harder than I would have liked, but these were rubber mallets and did not damage the casing of the gearbox, nor the main housing. I took it pretty slowly and used minimum hits knowing just how much it took to move it a little at a time. A couple of minutes later and I had the casting removed and the gearbox was free to easily slide out the back. Of note; there is a rubber O-ring in that aluminum casting to keep water out and there was NO kind of grease or any lubricant used on the press-fit casting. When I reassemble this portion of the job I am going to use some emery cloth to clean up both the external mating surface of the casting and the internal surface on the main housing it fits into. Then I will first put the motor gearbox assembly into the housing and install the four bolts on the starboard side first, leaving them just tight enough to locate and hold the gearbox in place but not so tight they can't move slightly to self align under pressure. Then I will grease the O-ring and casting and install it into the port side by gently tightening the bolts in an opposing manner with my torque wrench. (NO hammering required). Lastly I will tighten the bolts on the starboard gearbox after torquing down the casting on the port side. I feel confident I can "pull" that casting carefully back into place with the bolts and the fact I have cleaned up and lubed the mating surfaces and O-ring.

One other reason I had to take this entire assembly apart; the motor was loose from the gearbox! I could wiggle the rear of the motor just slightly, observing there was play between the motor and gearbox connection, but I could not see how they were fastened together. Were there bolts in there I could not see? I could not tell. So...after removing the motor/gearbox and further inspection, it ended up that the two bolts that run all the way through the rear of the motor are what connect, align, and hold the motor onto the gearbox. To get to these two bolts you must remove the two rear motor cover screws, (this also allows you access to the armature brushes). Over time these bolts had simply loosened enough to allow the motor to wobble a bit on the gearbox -- not good! The fix was a simple one of retightening those bolts and now the motor and gearbox are as one.

Here was part of my motivation and why I had to continue on. After having to drill out stripped bolts I was going to replace the main housing but... The main housing is no longer available from Lewmar. If you can find one, they sell for $1,200 US. The rear case housing is $237 US. So I will live with the housing I have and Heli-coil the drilled out bolt holes in the main housing to bring them back original thread specs and then get both main and rear housings prepped and powder coated white. I will surely be more gentle in the reassembly of this $1,200 housing than I was banging this thing apart! LOL! (By the way, anyone with a large bearing press or a machine shop would be able to more easily and safely press the casting out of the port side rather than banging it out like I did.)

I hope this helps you in the future and anyone else too that has been wondering how to get this beast apart. I have a feeling what I just wrote is the only thing on the Internet about this. I searched a long time and found absolutely nothing so it's important we get the word out about his one...
By the way, Lewmar was zero help. They simply told me it SHOULD just slide right out with all the bolts removed. Well, that is partly true.

Cheers and fair winds!

Martin
s/v "Lucky Spin"
2006 Beneteau 473

[LadyStardust]

Thanks Martin, that's very useful information and I'm glad it worked for you, I can't remember precisely what I did, but I think I came to the conclusion it had to slip out the port side, but couldn't see anyway to get it out, i found the casing to be very soft there so didn't want to risk destroying it. Next time it needs attention i will reach for the rubber mallet.
Thanks for the update.