Switched over from oil to #0 Corn Head grease.
Did some puttering in the garage on Fathers Day. I decided to take care of the lube job. The winch is now a part of my LO. It needs to be because it hangs there and is really susceptible to neglect. I try to run it every time I wash the truck but I mostly forget. So keeping the fluids changed is really important, because it rarely gets run and for only a short couple minutes. For me, this winch is mostly a period artifact. But it does need to be maintained in working order, it can't just hang there and be expected to perform after months of neglect! I figure once the grease liquefies and splatters, the internals will have a protective coating that will stick. I really think it's a problem with 30W in the transfer.
Onto the maintenance free solution! I ditched the oils and pumped in the #0 Corn Head grease. Here's what I did and how much I used.
I ran the winch for a bit to get the oils warmed up for draining.
I made an adapter for the grease gun and screwed it into the bottom of the Main gear case then the bottom of the transfer case. I used one tube in the transfer and a tube and a quarter in the main gear case. I ran the winch occasionally as I pumped in the grease.
Below you will see that the transfer gear with only a few pumps of oil, enough for the gear to dip it's toe, will dredge the grease and liquefy it quickly.
Anyhow, onto the application. After the application, the winch runs way smoother.
Below you can see the transfer gear viewed from the top of the case
I ran the winch motor after only a few pumps of grease in the transfer case. You can see a small bead of grease running on top of the gear.
It's hard to tell from the picture, but I posted it for illustration. With only a few pumps the grease is already liquefied and running on the gear.
After about 6oz, the recommended capacity for oil, the grease is everywhere and blocking the hole at the top of the case. I pumped in the rest of the tube. Probably about 12 to 13oz.
This is the oil fill hole in the main case running the motor with recommended 6oz fluid capacity. I pumped in the rest of the tube and another few ounces from a third tube. Total of about 16oz.
j