Warn M8274 power loss

[David_S]

I have had a Warn M8274 high mount winch on my old Patrol for over 20 years and it was second hand when I bought it. Had had a lot of use already judging by the brake pads. Has a datecode of AR7 if that means anything to anyone - probably around 1980!

I have had very little trouble with this winch over the years apart from one burnt-out motor and a couple of sick solenoids. Recently it appears to be lacking power. Another post mentions an upgrade to a 6HP motor but gave no further details. My queries are.

1) I recently (finally) relocated the solenoid pack to under the bonnet using starter motor cables for the connections. Would these be big enough for the high winch amperage or could they be contributing to the power loss. During this mod I cleaned all terminals.

2) What is the 6HP motor upgrade and how can I tell what HP my current motor is? Is it available in 12v? The original motor was a Prestonite MBJ 4401 which I replaced with one made in Brazil supplied by Warn labelled M-MRV-B-4 V12 D161 Ser no 15877

3) I suspect I might have an intermittent solenoid fault. The winch failed to power in when respooling. It seemed as though all 4 solenoids were clicking on simultaneously???. Individually they tested OK for continuity and when I reconnected everything it worked OK but subsequently I had to use a 4X purchase to pull myself out of some deep ruts (both diffs bottomed out) on a very steep hill. My co-pilot reckoned the solenoids were clicking on and off continuously. I have dual batteries so battery power was not a problem. So a)What is the best way of testing solenoids when an intermittent fault is suspected? and b) Any suggestions for replacement solenoids other than the standard (expensive) Warn ones?

4) I have had conflicting reports on the compatibility of this winch with synthetic rope. Warn originally advised against but seemed to have changed their mind. With the brake mounted to the side I can't see problems with heat build-up as with drum mounted brakes. And, yes, I do use my winch for lowering myself down steep banks so don't want to lose this ability. Anybody know anything about this?

Thanks for any help

David

[DNA Off Road]

It is a good idea to spend a little time doing a search on the net to answer your questions. You will be surprised what you find with little effort.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/8274/ is a good high mount write up on Pirate. Likewise there are many threads on high mounts already here http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... hp?t=62014

Cheers

Alby

[Fourdogs]

David

The high HP motors are available through traxion in Auckland.
If by start cables you mean the jump start type, then you can expect that to be contibuting to your power loss.
The 8274 is fine with plasma/synthetic ropes.
Get your local auto sparky to test the solenoids if you don't know how and he will probably be able to supply so cheap replacements otherwise.

[ausoops]

possibly voltage drop from moving the solenoid pack into the engine bay if you load the winch up enough it will pull sufficient current to drag the voltage right down, this may show as slow line pull and/or lack of grunt.

[David_S]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Those links are helpful Alby, though I must admit I have spent (wasted) a lot of time searching sites.

The cables I used for the remote mounting of the solenoid pack were starter motor cables, not jumpstart cables, though they look about the same size. 12mm OD including insulation. They are each about a metre long and I had them made up by a local auto electrician who reckoned they would be fine, though he might not have appreciated the high amperage involved in winching. They also look a bit smaller than the original Warn cable from battery to winch. It does seem a bit of a coincidence that the problem arose after the relocation. Must do some calculations. With my dual battery setup I used welding cable to run from the battery to a manual isolation switch in the cockpit. (I was working in a cable manufacturing factory at the time!) Never had any problem with these and I have put my winch to pretty hard work at times pulling 25yr old pine trees through old man gorse! Might try welding cable for the winch connection though probably overkill and difficult to fit and terminate.

Having the solenoid pack in the engine bay certainly makes for a neater installation and keeps the solenoids out of the mud and water. I was surprised how dry they were even after driving for a couple of km through wheel deep water along a stream bed in flood. Had a blind on which helped.

Thanks Fourdogs for advising me of Traxion in Auckland. Will investigate. I only did a simple continuity test of the solenoids, isolating each one and applying a control current, so they were not under full load conditions. Two of them, maybe three, are original so they must be over 20 years old. I have done a lot of water crossings in my time so they might have developed poor internal contacts, which combined with the relocation and the heavy load (and it was raining of course) showed up in loss of pulling power.

Cheers, David

[DNA Off Road]

David,

If the cables are smaller than the original Warn ones then I would suggest that you upgrade these as a starting point. If you solenoids are as old as you say then I would replace them anyway. You can get a single controller that will replace all four solenoids.

You may have seen these on some comp trucks.

Alby

[David_S]

How expensive and how reliable are these controllers? I normally carry a couple of spare solenoids but if the controller goes down you would be sunk unless you carried a spare. David