NISSAN SAFARI PTO WINCH NOT FREE SPOOLING

[4x4rookie]

hi
1988 SWB safari with pto winch that will not free spool.
This is the winch with the hub with turning tab to turn from free to lock not the lever action type of winch. Have removed the hub but still will not free spool. Can anyone explain how the free and lock works ? Is the main shaft going through the cable drum meant to slide through it to lock it in and out of drive ? Does the worm drive turn when the cable is being pulled and thus turning the pto shaft too ? Or is there something else that needs a whack with a hammer (gently of course) All help gratefully received ! Cheers

[muddy]

There is a grease nipple on the underside next to the free-spool hub. Get some grease into it while turning the winch with PTO engaged. It may just be very tight from lack of use and/or lubrication. If still no joy, then remove the free-spool hub (6 x 8mm hex bolts) and make sure the internal mechanism is moving freely and no broken springs. Again, likely to be stiff if not used or lubricated. And if everything else has been neglected, I'd recommend you drain and replace the oil - make sure you use bronze worm gear oil as ordinary gear oil will attack the bronze. It only takes about 150ml..

[mudtroll]

If it hasn't been used for a long time the end of the drum & the mounting collar sieze.You will need to remove the winch from truck & pry the collar carefully off the drum, after removing the snap ring/circlip.

[monstr]

99% chance drum will be seized on main shaft ,remove winch from truck ,unbolt free wheel hub ,circlip and drive gear,end flange should then come off (may need a bit of help) if it hasnt been apart for some time ,try turning drum by hand if its rusted in place spray heaps of crc or the like down shaft and leave over night ,then try again ,use a block of wood and hammer it will come off ,just be carefull of splines on shaft and factory drums arent very strong

[Ashohman]

also mates one you have to roll in by hand first before it will let it click into free spool and allow you to pull out the rope.

[4x4rookie]

Sincere Thank's for the replies, I understand now how it works and what to do. Also hadn't realised the importance of bronze worm drive oil. Enjoying discovering the new world of 4x4, can't think why I didn't get into it before !
cheers

[snatch22]

i had the same trouble as never used the winch for awhile so drenched it with crc and just ran the rope out by the pto and hooked it up to the other truck put the winch in free spool and slowly winched up a little incline...it started to come free about halfway...properly not the best way of freeing it up

[Suza]

With mine if I have had load on it I need to run a little bit back put under power and then when I turn the hub to free just give it the drum a little turn by hand and it then goes click and all is good

[mudtroll]

also mates one you have to roll in by hand first before it will let it click into free spool and allow you to pull out the rope.

Try loosening the monting bolts, one by one, mostly on the free spool side, it might free up. You might have to shim it a little to get it sitting square & it should free spool properly, mine spools out perfectly, was like yours originally.

The other thing that may cause this is brass/bronze?? ring inside the mounting collar where it it supposed to be greased, they wear unevenly so allowing movement between spool & mount possibly slightly jamming it.

[muskie]

just strip the thing down and rebuild it, its probably due for a rebuild, easy and basic. new seals are off the shelf, use the correct oil, its like treacle, i have some. where are you? you can down load a pic off the net to rebuild or take pics as you strip.

[charo249]

Mine does the same thing will only free spool when hub is out and you try and winch - the solution is just to drive it in and out (no slower than free spooling it out anyway).

[coxsy]

mq pto but same setup


parts

[coxsy]

[4x4rookie]

Very Very helpful especially the photographs, Many Thanks.
Just too update progress - took cable of the drum and drilled a small hole through the drum toward the shaft. Used oil can to squirt thin oil and crc into the cavity between the inside of the drum and the drive shaft. Removed the hub. Used gas torch to heat the drum and put a set of the mole grip pliers with the chain end around the drum and tighten and levered the drum back and fourth and it now moves freely. However, when I put the hub back on and tighten the allen screws the drum tightens and can't be turned, slacken the allen screws and the movement comes back. The hub is working correctly on free and drive so something is pulling and jamming when the allen screws are tightened, any idea's ?
cheers

[coxsy]

No, nothing comes to mind,
Where in NZ are you some can come around and check it out for you

[4x4rookie]

hi
Hawkes Bay. I know a guru in palmy so I should ask him I guess, though its good to hear other peoples ideas.
cheers

[shortylux]

The hub is working correctly on free and drive so something is pulling and jamming when the allen screws are tightened, any idea's ?
cheers

Mates one did this. Found the whole mount was twisted. Undo all four bolts that hold the winch on to the bumper at the front. If nothing moves and all bolts will go in again nicely then I may be wrong, but if it all moves once you have taken the bolts out, then you may need to slot or re make some mounts.

[taz01]

mine was twisted on the 2 rails between chassis loosen bolts 1 at a time until freespoll works then pack washers under where needed and retighten

[4x4rookie]

Think I may now have it beat. The winch was jamming and not free spooling when the 6 allen bolts were tightened to hold the hub on, seemed to be pulling the drum hard up to the side of the mounts by the action of tightening the bolts. Now have 2 washers on the shaft instead of 1 to act as a spacer before the drive parts are slid onto the shaft and the hub attached. This has stopped the drum being pulled across, don't know how long it will last, but it is now working.
THANK YOU for all the tips etc
Cheers

[shortylux]

That's exactly what happens if your mounts aren't square. Not sure if your winch will like that or not.

Arron.

[4x4rookie]

hi Arron. Checked to see if the winch was twisted by removing the mounting bolts but they still lined up so the washer job was all I could think left to do.
cheers

[shortylux]

Fair enough. Yours may be different I guess.

When we took all the front bolts out my mates winch was still tight. It wasn't until we loosened off one set of rear bolts (ie only a quarter of the winch was mounted) that the tightness went away. Or alternatively when we loosened the six free hub bolts.

Sounds like yours isn't as bad as his was though.

Hope keeps working for you.

[Twodiffs]

Use white lithium grease on the shaft when reassembling your winch, I had a huge fight with mine to get it apart a couple of years ago due to gunk etc.
Took a 3 leg gear puller, a large rubber mallet, vice, 2 hours and 6 beers but I finally got it.

Thanks to the grease it still free spools easy peasy to this day.

[coxsy]

pump grease into it reg too

[gary_in_nz]

Slightly off topic but save on a new thread.

Any one have any dimensions for the bolt holes on the Safari PTO's?
I understand the winches they are 200mm front to back long??

My old man wants me to swap his PTO with his electric Winch setup, which is a custom jobby, lucky/unlucky bugger has 2 safaris!!