# Lewmar old-school winch maintenance



## geary126 (Jul 11, 2006)

Hi, guys.

I have a 20-ish year old set of Lewmar winches. 2 x #30, 1 x #10. Not self tailing. 

My friend tells me I should dip all the parts in thinner, replace the pawls, etc.

1) any suggestion for good (cheap) sources for pawls, and 

2) what do you guys typically do, on a winch overhaul? 

3) Does one always need to replace the pawls? Springs make sense.

Thanks.


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Replacement of the Pawls & Springs can only be determined through an inspection upon disassembly. I have a pair of 20 year #30 winches as well and service them annually by following the steps outlined in this Lewmar Winch Service Manual.
If grease was used on the pawls, chances are it's hardened and needs to be cleaned off with a solvent - such as thinner.


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## geary126 (Jul 11, 2006)

Thanks, TB. source for parts?


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

No, afraid I can't direct you since I've not had the need for them yet.

Have you tried Defender?


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Not sure if this kit works with #30 winches . . Spares I would contact defender's customer service for advice.

Edit:
This Spares kit includes service parts (springs, pawls, clips) for up to (6) #30 winches.


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

Just wanted to add that you should not use grease on the pawls. Use a light machine oil or the lewmar oil (not the grease). As for the grease; don't use the thick "marine grade" grease that you would normally use on things like your rudder post. It is too thick and will gum up your winch bearings. After having this happen I have switched back to the Lewmar grease (damn expensive; is there another type that works as well?).


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

Don't know if the solvent really matters but Lewmar calls for "Parafin oil" which is British for kerosene.


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## pegasus1457 (Apr 14, 2002)

geary126 said:


> My friend tells me I should dip all the parts in thinner, replace the pawls, etc.


In my experience, the pawls are made of hardened steel and should not require replacement. The problem I have encountered with aluminum bodied winches is that the pawl sockets get enlarged and no longer can retain the pawls. When that happens it is time to replace the winch.

Maybe your friend meant to replace the pawl springs?


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

The paint thinner has worked fine for me; but I did not soak the plastic parts very long. I just used the solvent to brush out the old grease and then dried them with rags.

Another couple of things to note is that you need to be careful not to lose the caged bearings and spacers; sometimes when you lift the drum off they stay stuck on the inside; but fall out of the drum at the most in-opportune moment and go in the drink! Same for the pawl springs, they tend to go flying when you take the pawls out.

This time I have chosen to remove all of the internals and winch drums, bring them home and do all of the cleaning and re-assembly of the pawls here. Then when I go back to the boat all I need to do is clean up the base, re-assemble and grease the gears and bearings. It will save me the hassle making a mess with solvents and oil soaked rags onboard. Last time despite being careful I had to clean up the mess of grease and thinner in the cockpit; every splash of solvent while brushing the gears makes an oily spot on the gelcoat. I know this is not an option if you are cruising but for those of us in marinas it can be easier to bag the parts and do the work at home.

Pawls should not have severely rounded corners, no chips, etc. Some mild rounding on the wear edge is OK. Always have replacement pawls, springs, clips aboard should you need to do a quick-fix. Lewmar sells a kit that has an extra plastic keeper for the shaft and a circlip for the top in addition to the pawls/springs.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|3071|311604&id=4640 it says "for winches less than 10 years old"; but I'm pretty sure that older winches can use this kit also. If in doubt call Defender customer service and ask for the correct kit for your winch.


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## pegasus1457 (Apr 14, 2002)

KeelHaulin said:


> Another couple of things to note is that you need to be careful not to lose the caged bearings and spacers; sometimes when you lift the drum off they stay stuck on the inside; but fall out of the drum at the most in-opportune moment and go in the drink! Same for the pawl springs, they tend to go flying when you take the pawls out.


A nice trick that people use is to get a box whose bottom is about 30cmx30cm (1ft x 1 ft for you Luddites) and cut a round hole in the middle about the size of the winch base. Lower the box over the winch and it will catch the bits and pieces that might slip out of your fingers.


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

Yes; that's a good idea pegasus; especially if you are working on winches that are on the cockpit coaming and there is nothing to prevent items from going over the side. Just don't forget about those needle bearing cages that tend to stay inside the drum! I don't remove the pawls from the gears unless I am in the cockpit or somewhere where they can't go too far if they pop out.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

If you look at the bottom of this page, you will see a reference to an article by Tom Wood on winch maintenance. It's worthwhile reading. For those averse to the expense of proprietary grease, he recommends the use of white lithium grease.


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

I overhauled my 6 Lewmar winches a couple of months ago.They had not been done in a long long time. They work a LOT better now so it is definately worth it. Unless you drop something you will likely only need a few pawls and some springs. If you can get them I would replace all springs and pawls only as required. In mine I found two pawls that where cracked/broken. 

The box method I am sure works but when I went to do mine I did not have a box handy so I just put a cabin settee cushion against the lifelines so that if I dropped anything it would hopefully not bounce over it.  

To do 6 winches I used almost a full tube of Lewmar grease. I have 2 ST 16s that took an hour each. the 30s and 42s that are not self tailing took about 24 minutes each. I just used paint thinner and a toothbrush and rag to clean them.

Have fun
Gary


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I would like to add that it works better if you can use a bigger box so that there is room to set down the parts inside the box as you work with them. I also cut a larger hole in the bottom of the box than the size of the winch so that you can tape the hole to the surface below. I typically work completely within the box to contain the mess. 

I have generally used diesel fuel to clean the parts (which is very similar to our kerosene and the British parafin) rather than a flamable liquid, except that I use alcohol to clean the pawl sockets. I also suggest wearing solvent proof rubber gloves as you end up bathing your hands in diesel fuel and grease for a prolonged period of time. It typically takes me 2-3 hours to clean and lube the 5-6 winches that get the most use on my boat. It makes a huge difference when they have been lubed. 

Reportedly the old style Lewmars are very durable even in hard use. Mine are 25 years old and have survived 25 years of hard racing use. On the old style Lewmars, the pawl sockets are in the bronze center support rather than the drum so even on aluminum drums I have not heard of pawl socket breaking out like some of the other designs. Although I have not seen this in writing, my sense is that it is important to replace the pawls as soon as they begin to become rounded to prolong the life of the pawl seats on the drum. 

Jeff


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## avazquez (Sep 8, 2006)

I have ten 10 Lewmar winches on my boat and all have worked great for the past 23 years. The primaries are 64.


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## smeyers18 (Apr 20, 2009)

Has anyone seen where the pawls are too tall and the top cap puts too much pressure on them once the circlip is installed for the pawl to spring back properly? Are the different size pawls that Lewmar offers different heights?

(older Lewmar 40 two speed winches)


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## oldbilbo (Oct 25, 2011)

The tip of using a box with a round cutout is a good one. Let me enlarge on that a little, and for this I'm indebted to Jim Edwards, one-time Harken rep in England, who toured yacht clubs here giving 'deckgear maintenance' presentations.

His idea for winch deconstruction was to use a pair of plastic washbasins, or perhaps bucket/pails, which nest inside each other. These are v. cheap and often get made redundant from the home kitchen when SWMBO wants a fresh one/new colour.

In the bottom of one, cut a circular hole just large enough for the plastic washbasin to fit over the winch. That keeps captive any small parts that want to escape. The other, matching plastic basin has no hole. Use this to contain the paraffin/kerosene/diesel wash and toothbrush, while you soak and clean the various parts. Take the whole kit 'n caboodle home with you, with the soiled rags, for next time.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

capttb said:


> Don't know if the solvent really matters but Lewmar calls for "Parafin oil" which is British for kerosene.


I've found lamp oil to work really well...


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