Help with maintenance on a Warn 9.5XP

just eric

Adventurer
I posted this on a Jeep specific forum but I thought I'd ask here as well. I have a Warn 9.5xp that I've had for about 6 or 7 years now. I wanted to give it a once over before mounting it up to my new rig. Problem is, I don't know where to start. I know removed my synthetic line and found that the drum has some rust with minor bubbling and there appears to be a little rust in the mating surface between the motor meets and the housing for the drum. Is it worth my time to hit it with a wire wheel and rustoleum? What else should I look for, replace, and/or lubricate to make this thing last?
 

proto

Adventurer
The classic issue with this winch is rust and corrosion inside the motor housing. It would be nice to catch that before it becomes a problem. Check to make sure the downward-facing drain is open. If it's plugged, or there's evidence of a lot of rust, you may want to open the motor to clean it out. If you do, then definitely check/replace the brushes and clean/resurface the contact area on the armature while you're there.

Just to clarify: There are two drain passages to let moisture out of the motor. They are right where you describe, where the motor meets the the drum mechanism. Depending on how you've mounted the winch (feet down or feet forward), one passage will be at the 3-o'clock position and one at 9-o'clock. Whichever faces downward should be open, the other should be sealed with some silicone. Get it wrong and water can get in but not out.

If you want to go whole-hog, get the service manual from Warn's site and open up the gearbox. All the critical parts are serviceable: get replacement gaskets, drum bushings, thrust washer, and grease from your local Warn service center. Use some brake cleaner spray to get the old gunk off the gears and put some new, fresh gunk on there! (Apply liberally but don't pack the housing.)

As far as the drum: it sounds like moisture got under the paint and now it's flaking off. The drum surface takes a lot of pressure from the cable and I'm not sure what kind of finish can survive that -- maybe powder coating? Anyway, probably not a big worry. There are a million winches out there with rusty drums that work just fine. (As long as there are no sharp edges to dig into your line.)

hope that helps

BTW: Apparently you can upgrade an XP winch to an XP-S by swapping out a few parts (motor, drum, contactor, and controller).
 

just eric

Adventurer
Not sure what the difference is between the XP and the XP-S but I switched to viking line synthetic years ago...
 

just eric

Adventurer
The 9.5xp-s is the new version of the winch that includes WARN Spydura synthetic rope.

http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/95xp-s_winch.shtml

Also, as proto mentioned, here is a link to the parts list for the 9.5xp:
http://www.warn.com/truck/ReplacementParts/Self-RecoveryRPL/srrpl9.5xp.pdf

Thanks for the info Andy. I got the parts list but was wondering when your site store will be back online. Can I not purchase direct?

And the manual:
http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/images/450/86541A0_rs.pdf

- Andy

Thanks for the information Andy. When will your site store be back online? Can I purchase direct?
 

just eric

Adventurer
I just removed the gearbox (I know, I know, I haven't moved very fast on this one) and found some light rust in and around the assembly all the way down to the drive shaft where it mates with the brake assembly.
Is it alright to lube/grease the inside of the drum and the gear side of the brake assembly? The gaskets and socket head screws are toast but that is not bad considering.

Now on to the motor side...
 

Peluo

New member
9.5 XP-S new drum is 87689

I have the normal 9.5 XP and i just bought a new Spydura Pro, what are the difference between the old drum and the new drum with synthetic?
 

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