Thread: Does a winch motor need a breather?

Hi all

I am about to put my winch (warn 9,000 pd) back together after a rebuild.

I have sealed the motor to prevent water ingress. Rust and corrosion killed the old motor, so I don't want a repeat of that.

I am a little concerned about heat build up and thought that a breather might be the way to go.

My plan is to tap an air line into the motor housing and run the line up into the engine to the firewall and terminate with my other breathers (diffs gearbox, trans)

Is it worth it?

Cheers
Andrew

personally I wouldn't bother unless you were racing. A breather prevents you popping seals as a component rapidly cools when it is dunked in water. The winch is unlikely to be hot when you dunk it so it wont suck water in. An air line could be used to pump air into the gear box and keep a positive pressure. (An air horn compressor works well). This would keep water out and keep it cool which would probably be better than sealing it. IMO the best solution for most things that are holding water (unless it is electrical) is to put a bigger hole in it to let all the water and muck out again. And if it has moving parts a grease nipple to keep it well lubricated.