Budget Winch Rebuild

Before

The venerable Warn M8274 winch has the fastest line speed of any 12-volt electric winch ever offered yet it is often underrated. Since it has been around the four-wheeling world since 1974 it’s arguably the easiest used winch to get a great deal on when scanning the eBay and Craigslist ads. Many sellers have no idea of its pulling potential. Plenty of these winches have been in use for decades and a version of the M8274 still exists in the Warn product line today. It’s remained mostly unchanged throughout its life, although there have been some minor mechanical revisions. Improved electrical components have been incorporated as well. A simple rebuild can turn what looks like a worn-out and wasted winch into a very useful tool.

After

Our M8274 that was manufactured in 1982 still worked but was aging and needed some attention. Frequent use, time, and weather had taken quite a toll on the tool. Over the years, it had been exposed to water, mud, and clouds of fine desert dust as it rode on a front bumper.

We decided it was time to tear into this winch for some inspection and perform whatever maintenance it might need. The M8274 teardown and rebuild requires only common hand tools and is fairly straightforward.

The motor fits snug to the housing but should pop free with a few taps with a soft-faced hammer. Be careful that the armature inside does not fall out as you remove the motor. A Prestolite motor was used on this vintage winch. There are four motor brushes. Ours still had plenty of material remaining and were not chipped or cracked, so they were reused. You can pull the armature out if needed. It can be reinserted by pushing back on the brushes until they clear the edge of the contacts and the armature can be slid back into the motor housing.

The motor fits snug to the housing but should pop free with a few taps with a soft-faced h

We’ve seen some of the worst degradation of internal parts in winches that have somehow allowed water to enter the gearbox. Subsequent contamination of the lubricants can result in internal component rust from moisture and can severely degrade steel parts.

You can find an exploded parts diagram in your likely long-gone original Warn manual, along with a parts list. The good news is that you can also find this information for nearly all of Warn’s winches right on the Warn website.

We ordered our parts from Warn Service Parts, a factory authorized service and repair center in Redding, California. The company stocks a large selection of Warn parts and the employees are available by phone to provide information and technical support. You’ll need the serial number from your particular M8274 when ordering. Along with the repair parts and multiple seals, you’ll want six ounces of fresh non-detergent 30W oil for the gearbox. Here are a few tips to get your low-buck diamond in the rough winching right.

Check the condition of the pawl assembly, especially the spring on the backside and the tooth that engages with the ratchet wheel. If anything is broken or worn, replace the parts.
Check the condition of the pawl assembly, especially the spring on the backside and the to
This is the ratchet from our brake assembly (left). Note the holes in the inner surface. This brake was originally equipped with six friction pucks that rode in these holes. At some point, someone replaced the original pucks with friction rings. Once we told the employees at Warn Service Parts our serial number, they were quick to note that we had the old style ratchet and knew the parts we needed for the upgrade. This is where their technical knowledge came in handy.
This is the ratchet from our brake assembly (left). Note the holes in the inner surface. T
Here you can see the pinion and cam assembly as it slides out of the lower housing. The bronze bushing should be checked for wear and the cam components should be checked for any signs of chipping or damage. Also inspect the gears for wear or damage. Gear damage in the M8274 is rare but can happen if the winch has been abused or the oil has become contaminated.
Here you can see the pinion and cam assembly as it slides out of the lower housing. The br

The drum rides on bushings made from a nylon-type material. This one was in pretty poor condition. The bushings on both sides of our winch were replaced, along with the seal and thrust washer on the gear-drive end of the drum.
The drum rides on bushings made from a nylon-type material. This one was in pretty poor co
The cluster gear in the upper housing should be checked to see that it moves freely and the bearing should be free of play. Two other bearings that should be checked are the large sealed bearing in the upper housing used for the motor armature and the needle bearing in the wall of the lower housing used for the pinion shaft.
The cluster gear in the upper housing should be checked to see that it moves freely and th
The instructions with the Warn 8680 service kit stress that it’s important to seat the bushing to the right depth (0.190-inch) in the lower housing. When the drum is reinstalled, the lip seal will seat in this area and be compressed in this space to form a good oil seal at the housing. Carefully tap the bushing in place and check the depth so it sits square and in the correct position.
The instructions with the Warn 8680 service kit stress that it’s important to seat the bus

Sealant is applied to the upper housing and it’s bolted to the main housing. We’ve seen rebuilders drill and tap both fill and drain plug ports on the housings for easy servicing, but we chose to just add the oil and close up the housing halves.
Sealant is applied to the upper housing and it’s bolted to the main housing. We’ve seen re
The brake assembly can be tricky. The inside metal brake disc slides onto the keyed shaft, followed by one friction disc, the spring, and hub. The 21 ball bearings need to be installed around the hub, inside the ratchet. We tapped the shaft keys for the outer brake disc onto the shaft and used their tension to compress the spring, pushing the hub downward. The lightly greased balls can then be dropped in place. With the second friction disc dropped onto the ratchet and the outer brake disc slid onto the shaft, the assembly can be secured with a new snap-ring.
The brake assembly can be tricky. The inside metal brake disc slides onto the keyed shaft,
Our solenoid pack was in good condition, but we snugged up all the connections to ensure good electrical contact. If corrosion is present, further cleanup or replacement might be necessary. We remounted the solenoid pack back onto the motor housing. On older winches the cable insulation will dry out and crack. Replacement cables and boots are available or you can build replacements using welding cable and universal lug ends. Our plastic solenoid cover had seen better days, so we opted to replace it with a powdercoated aluminum cover supplied by Awl-TEQ. This sturdy cover attaches to the metal solenoid mount using the original screws and accepts the original Warn remote electrical socket in front.
Our solenoid pack was in good condition, but we snugged up all the connections to ensure g

SOURCES
Warn Industries 12900 S.E. Capps Road Clackamas OR 97015 800-910-1122 www.warn.com	Warn Service Parts 877-223-8906 www.warnserviceparts.com
Awl-TEQ awl-teq@telus.net