How To Wire A Winch Without A Solenoid
If you are a car machinery enthusiast, you know how important it is to wire a winch without a solenoid. You can use a winch either in road adventures or for your utilities. For instance, when you are stuck in the mud, snow or want to pull another vehicle.
The best thing about winches is that they can handle very heavy loads. So you can use them frequently without the fear of damage. They also withstand harsh terrain and weather conditions. To get a durable model, don't go for the cheaper ones, but still, you have to properly maintain the one you buy for it to last long.
With all the importance of having a winch, knowing its use without a winch solenoid is good. The solenoid is a small jumper wire present in all automatic winches. It produces a uniform electromagnetic field once an electric current passes through it. The winch solenoid is a switch; it is the first thing you notice when looking at a winch solenoid diagram. The solenoid eases the tension on the winch switch by preventing it from blowing up. Let us dive into how to wire a winch without a solenoid and when you need to do so.
When Should You Wire A Winch Without A Solenoid?
It is important to understand the wiring of the winch and the right time to wire it. As discussed earlier, a solenoid is a very important feature of the winch motor. It reduces the stress on the winch system, thus preventing it from burning up. The solenoid is also an easy way to control, and you will learn its significance once you start using it.
However, it does not mean that when wiring a winch, you must use it; some situations may require you to jump in without it. One is when you notice some dirty gases on your motor, resulting in an overload. If you do not act first on that, it may cause severe issues with your winch motor.
Other instances that you may want to avoid wiring a winch without a solenoid is when you notice overheating, you need to wire it quickly as the wiring may sometimes produce a lot of heat.
These situations answer some of the questions you may ask later on in this article, such as if you can wire a winch without a solenoid, then do you need the solenoid? The answer would be yes, you need it since it protects the winch motor from overheating and burning up, and it also acts as a switch. But, unfortunately, it is also considerably cheaper to have a winch than to let your motor burn up, and now you will have to replace the whole motor, which is also expensive.
At the same time, you can also do without the solenoid as long as you are extra careful and act fast when your motor develops any secondary issues. You need to be able to diagnose the problem of your vehicle winch system to be able to save the situation. In most cases, mechanics bypass a solenoid by only using it to test if the winch motor is malfunctioning. However, the solenoid is very significant in your winch motor, especially if you want to rule out issues using the solenoid switch. Let us now discuss how to wire a winch without a solenoid for further understanding.
How To Wire A Winch Without A Solenoid
To successfully achieve this, you need the following tools on your reach:
A pair of pliers or spanner
Jumper cables
A winch solenoid diagram
1. Have A Clear Representation Of The Solenoid
If you want to solve a mechanical issue, you need to have a clear picture of what you are dealing with to focus on diagnosing the problem and finding solutions. You can get a winch solenoid diagram to assist you by showing you the design of the motor. You can also get a picture of what it should look like to assist you in what steps you should take.
The diagram or picture will help you later when you label your cables and terminals. You can get the pictorial representation of your winch motor from your manufacturer or mechanics who have experience in the winch-type you are dealing with.
2. Put The Winch In Free Spool Mode
This stage is basically like having your car in neutral gear. You can do this by just turning the knob, making the system easy to move. Before engaging in the free spool mode, ensure that the winch is not loaded to avoid accidents.
3. Disconnect The Terminals
Disconnect the terminals from the battery, starting with the positive lead. However, you should leave the ground lead attached. Refer to the diagram and label the jumper cables to avoid confusion which may lead t false results. You can now use your pair of pliers or spanners to help you detach the cables from the terminals. Keep in mind that the posts near the motor should have labels; A, F1, and F2.
4. Connect The Jumper Wire
This is the stage where you have to bring your jumper wires; if you have a 5-6 inch cable, it will work fine. Run the cable from point A to F1, then connect it to the battery through F2. If you have done this procedure correctly, your winch motor should run in one direction.
4. Do The Same On The Other Post
Repeat the procedure we have done above on posts A and F2, then connect the winch motor to the power source using the F1 post. Once you have completed this connection, the motor should run opposite. If you need a winch solenoid replacement, you should follow these steps to the latter. It also acts as a suitable method of troubleshooting your winch solenoid. You can use it to see the problem; if you do the whole procedure and the motor works well, it only means that the problem might be the switch.
Frequently Asked Questions On How To Wire A Winch Without A Solenoid
1. How Do You Bypass A Winch Solenoid?
Knowing how to bypass a winch solenoid if you want to troubleshoot the winch engine or notice that the winch system is malfunctioning. The winch solenoid diagram step should be the first to map the terminals.
Then, to bypass a solenoid switch, you connect a jumper cable to the three posts, A, F1 and F2, by interchanging them and connecting them to the power source, which is your battery. Once you connect your jumper cable to the solenoid system, the engine should move in all directions. Bypassing helps you diagnose the problem in your winch system.
2. What Is The Significance Of A Solenoid In A Winch?
A solenoid is an electromagnetic switch. Electromagnetic operated winches are used in activating the motor on a vehicle-mounted winch. The solenoid winches are designed to supply a uniform magnetic field to prevent excess current from damaging the winch motor or the switch.
You can activate a solenoid system if you direct the current from the winching battery to the solenoid by simply pressing the activation switch. Once the activation is done, the solenoid sends the current to the motor, and the winch motor runs its drum.
The main purpose of the solenoid is to ease the tension on the winch switch, thus preventing it from burning up.
3. How Do You Wire A Winch Solenoid?
Wiring a winch solenoid is simpler than wiring without a solenoid; you start with the positive and negative motor wires and connect them directly to the solenoid from the switch. First, ensure you connect them correctly to their right terminals, then fasten the nuts back.
Once they are intact, connect the battery wire to the solenoid switch while keen on the indicated polarity. Finish by connecting the battery wires to your car's battery and fast them; now you are good to go!
Note that you should be keen on matching your battery's polarity to the right terminals and use the right wires to avoid any short-circuiting incidences.
4. Do You Need A Solenoid In A Winch?
Since you have learned how to wire your winch without using a solenoid, you might think you do not need a solenoid. However, it would be best to have a solenoid in a winch to help protect the winch motor from burning up. Also, consider that when you don't have a solenoid, you risk burning your winch engine and replacing it is far much more expensive.
So you better prevent that by having a solenoid instead. However, you can also do without the solenoid as long as you take extra caution to avoid developing secondary issues with the winch system.
When you are doing your solenoid replacements, it is advisable to replace them in pairs since, in most cases of one failing, it means that the other one is on its way. If the previous one is still functioning, you can keep it as an extra spare. Take extra caution while replacing any components in your vehicle; you have to disconnect the battery before removing the solenoid to avoid getting electric shock.