trying to use my winch for the first time since installing it. by use for the first time, i mean actually winch something and not using the air compressor or the initial line stretching or spooling out/in with no "real" load. the solenoid clicks on and off both with the winch and for the compressor, however, neither will work. i battery is charged up, procal is idling the engine, and i never hooked up a battery jump box to assist the battery and nothing besides clicking when i toggle the remote switches. im using the hardwired remote. any ideas? this is my second warn PP in a year, the first one was defective from the factory. this one worked when i installed it in early spring. both were from quadratec.

edit: im getting 12v at the winch and continuity between the winch and grounding point (battery). no point in having a winch thats unreliable... 2 bad winches back to back over 6mos?

almost 100% that the solenoid or motor is bad.

 

Is the light on the remote flashing ? The thermal switch could have stuck.
You really need to spool the winch in and out once a month to keep things working properly, honestly they work better if you use them all the time rather than just once or twice a year.

 

The most likely suspect is the thermo switch. This a really easy and cheap fix.

 

nope, no light on the switch. I did the bypass. whats the fit for the thermal switch? even if i spooled out/in once a month, why would the compressor stop working too? again, nothing but a click from the contactor.

 

have the same winch. had the same problem. it was a bad switch inside the unit. Warn made it right, but it still sucked pulling it out of the LoD bumper and then reinstalling. I not overly confident in this product yet. still nervous.

 

was it the contactor (the thing that the remote plugs into with a 4pin trailer harness coming out)?. thats what i have it narrowed down to. for a winch that has been out since late 06/early 07, they should have this thing locked in by now. again, this is 2 $1500 winches in 5 months.

from what im researching, its not the thermal switch. it seems like a bad thermal switch will allow spooling out and the compressor to work. since im completely dead except for clicking solenoids (contactor). its frustrating to say the least...especially since i cant get help from quadratec or warn until monday. id hate to think what would happen if it was an emergency situation.

 

just an update, incase anyone else runs into this problem.

after running through the diagnostic tests that warn sent me, its been determined that the contactor was bad. they are sending me a replacement under warranty, but refused to help me by getting it expedited to me. so, $1500 got me 2 defective winches and the hassle of having to reassemble the winch to be able to drive, take it back apart to replace the contactor and then reassemble again. had they shipped it 2-3 day service, i would have had it back together once for all before having to use the jeep.

warn lost me, and i will never recommend them to anyone.

 

you should put a disclaimer in your sig next to your winch - thanks to your posting, i now narrowed down my winch pick and have excluded WARN.

 

and before i get flamed on for bitching. I contacted warn and gave them opportunity to remedy this. i asked if they could help me out and was told no.

 

That's too bad, so far I like mine but I haven't had it a long time either. I do think they're a bit pricey to be having repeat issues and failures such as this, for kind of money it better be Mercedes quality..