After my port winch stopped turning, I figured I should do its first overhaul in 16 years, whether it needed it or not. It seems that winch grease, left on its own for a decade or so, assumes the characteristics of spoiled varnish that has hardened in the can. The manual says to wipe with mineral spirits. I dropped the everything in a jug, then used a flat-head screwdriver to remove the solid waste. I remember once reading an op-ed that made fun of rich people "polishing the brass on their yachts." Well, I must be a rich people now, 'cuz I totally know how to wipe my own brass:
WinchParts.jpg
If anyone has Lewmar Ocean 16 self-tailing winches on their boat and wants some tips on the overhaul, let me know.
Looks good as new talbot. My simple Barient 8P's only require oil on the pawls, and no grease on anything. Too bad I found the manual that told me this *after* I had greased them. THAT was a nasty cleanup ... :(
Looks like you did an excellent job. BTW did you need to replace springs and clips?
I did not replace anything. Once the gunk came off, the parts seemed to be in good shape.
OK, I suppose you could say I replaced some springs, but that was because it was cold and rainy and I was working on the boat under a tarp. My fingers were numb and I kept losing my grip on the springs when I was reinserting the pawls. They jumped away and were so small I couldn't find them. So I depleted my rebuild kit.
Another thought about temperature... All the YouTube videos show people lightly dabbing the parts with Lewmar grease using an artist's brush. At the temperatures I was experiencing, the grease was the consistency of toothpaste, and there was nothing light or dab-able about it. The procedure obviously is easier in warm weather. I may even open the winches up again on a hot day just to remove what I'm sure is excess grease in the works.