Quick Vertical Windlass not revolving except after tapping with an 'ammer!

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tgpt21

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Replaced the electric motor and contact box of my Quick windlass way back in 2011. Has been working well until now, having been used regularly throughout the season since then. Last week I went to heave up the chain and the breakers clicked but nothing happened at the business end. I tried a few electrical tricks. Spraying with WD40, contact cleaner, checked the connections to no avail. As a joke I reached into the toolbox took out the the old ball peen and struck the casing and damn me the dashed thing started.

Clearly something is sticking at the windlass end but what is it? What is it that needs to be cleaned and where the devil is it.

The whole thing reminds me of the bad old days when the starter motor stuck and gentle tap on the end of it was required to get the old Vauxhall Viva engine fired up. The reason for it happening, why the tap cured it and what was the permanent solution is lost in the mist of time. Of course the motor is probably the starter from a FIAT van or some such thing.

Any suggestions as to a permanent fix gratefully received.
 
Most likely the bushes in the motor are sticking , but first check all the connection.
You could also jump the solenoid to make sure the problem isn't there , after that it's a matter of removing the motor and getting to the bushes .
 
Could be a build up of corrosion. Do you take it apart annually to service it as per the manual?
 
Had the same problem - and hammer solution - with 20 year-old Muir vertical capstan.
On dismantling the worm drive gearbox, I found sand and shell fragments prevented three of the four bearings from running freely.
It is a wonder the motor could drive the gears at all.
 
I had the same symptoms with a Lofrans windlass. It was down to sticking brushes in the motor. Simple enough to clean up but a lot of dismantling was needed to get at them.

Derek
 
PowerSlapper said:
Don't be silly. Who reads manuals these days far less follows basic servicing requirements?
Click to expand...

I have to plead guilty there myself. The boat came with an already badly corroded windlass and no maual for it, so I did just use it until it fell apart. But now I'm fitting a new one I'm aiming to make it last as long as possible.
 
tgpt21 said:
Replaced the electric motor and contact box of my Quick windlass way back in 2011. Has been working well until now, having been used regularly throughout the season since then. Last week I went to heave up the chain and the breakers clicked but nothing happened at the business end. I tried a few electrical tricks. Spraying with WD40, contact cleaner, checked the connections to no avail. As a joke I reached into the toolbox took out the the old ball peen and struck the casing and damn me the dashed thing started.

Clearly something is sticking at the windlass end but what is it? What is it that needs to be cleaned and where the devil is it.

The whole thing reminds me of the bad old days when the starter motor stuck and gentle tap on the end of it was required to get the old Vauxhall Viva engine fired up. The reason for it happening, why the tap cured it and what was the permanent solution is lost in the mist of time. Of course the motor is probably the starter from a FIAT van or some such thing.

Any suggestions as to a permanent fix gratefully received.
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same problem on my Quick windlass earlier this year. It was simply a dirty commutator so I cleaned it by poking down a cotton bud soaked in meths and then pushed it round a bit with a screwdriver and cleaned a bit and it now works better than ever.

However, I've now taken an aerosol can of carb cleaner down to the boat and will be able to use that in a few seconds if it happens again.

Richard
 
PowerSlapper said:
Don't be silly. Who reads manuals these days far less follows basic servicing requirements?
Click to expand...

I am afraid I am the exception that proves the rule. I am manic about servicing intervals. Main engine done annually despite only 60 hours on the clock. Same with suitcase generator and outboard. I once had a Rover SD1 top end seize on me because I did not change the oil. Major lesson learned.

As to reading manuals I thought I was doing my Yamaha 3 YM 30 a favour by giving it good quality oil of a high spec. But no it could (albeit could) have caused excess wear at the top end. Should have been using a very basic oil. Now I read and take onboard what I read in the manuals.

Evenings just fly by in our household.

PS BTW I suppose Ikea manuals are an exception I am too much of a man to bother with those.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied to the post all have given me food for thought.

The bottom line is that the motor may be only 6 years old but the rest could be 30. So despite the manual saying it only needs a wipe down and greasing of the shaft as it enters the workings it might just need a dust and clean.

So the whole thing is going for a nice trip from Croatia to Scotland for a strip down. There is a thread on the forums about finding spares.

Thanks again.
 
If you think about it, the one electrical item on a boat that has the hardest life of all others is the windlass on a cruising boat!
I lubricate my manual SL Anchorman regularly, even though I still haven't found how to take it apart (in 27 years).
 
tgpt21 said:
Replaced the electric motor and contact box of my Quick windlass way back in 2011. Has been working well until now, having been used regularly throughout the season since then. Last week I went to heave up the chain and the breakers clicked but nothing happened at the business end. I tried a few electrical tricks. Spraying with WD40, contact cleaner, checked the connections to no avail. As a joke I reached into the toolbox took out the the old ball peen and struck the casing and damn me the dashed thing started.

Clearly something is sticking at the windlass end but what is it? What is it that needs to be cleaned and where the devil is it.

The whole thing reminds me of the bad old days when the starter motor stuck and gentle tap on the end of it was required to get the old Vauxhall Viva engine fired up. The reason for it happening, why the tap cured it and what was the permanent solution is lost in the mist of time. Of course the motor is probably the starter from a FIAT van or some such thing.

Any suggestions as to a permanent fix gratefully received.
Click to expand...

As others have said the problem is almost certainly the brushes and commutator needing a good clean.
We have a 14 year old Quick windlass with a 1400W motor and we have lived aboard for over 7 years, during the summer we anchor almost every night so the windlass has seen a huge amount of work. During that time I have had to remove the motor and clean the brushes and commutator 3 times to restore proper power and speed to the motor. On our unit it is very easy to remove the motor and it is also easy to strip the motor for a thorough cleaning. Be warned the carbon dust gets everywhere so use a vacuum cleaner as you dismantle the motor. After 14 years the brushes on our motor are now worn down to the limit of serviceability so will need changing over the winter, again a simple job - apart from Quick wanting over €100 for a set of 4 brushes. I will be looking for an alternative supplier!!
 
Flica said:
If you think about it, the one electrical item on a boat that has the hardest life of all others is the windlass on a cruising boat!
I lubricate my manual SL Anchorman regularly, even though I still haven't found how to take it apart (in 27 years).
Click to expand...

How true! I do spray the inside with oil from an aerosol but it's through a screw hole which may well be an after market addition! Any suggestions as to the type of oil I should be using?
 
crisjones said:
As others have said the problem is almost certainly the brushes and commutator needing a good clean.
We have a 14 year old Quick windlass with a 1400W motor and we have lived aboard for over 7 years, during the summer we anchor almost every night so the windlass has seen a huge amount of work. During that time I have had to remove the motor and clean the brushes and commutator 3 times to restore proper power and speed to the motor. On our unit it is very easy to remove the motor and it is also easy to strip the motor for a thorough cleaning. Be warned the carbon dust gets everywhere so use a vacuum cleaner as you dismantle the motor. After 14 years the brushes on our motor are now worn down to the limit of serviceability so will need changing over the winter, again a simple job - apart from Quick wanting over €100 for a set of 4 brushes. I will be looking for an alternative supplier!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on the carbon. I am not sure that I will be able to get to the commutator/brushes in this motor. But I will if I can. There is a thread on this forum which discusses and advises where to buy brushes, bearings, seals and so on for Quick windlasses at cheaper prices. Apparently there is a website devoted purely to supplying carbon brushes! I've done quite well in that respect this season. Along with the usual automotive equivalent lubricants, filters and service sundries I managed to find seals and bearings for a Yanmar seawater pump, had an engineer manufacture shaft for same, O rings for the heat exchanger and a new belt for a Raymarine auto pilot. All for a fraction of the labelled cost.

Anyway, the last motor suffered from being in the chain locker and of course it went the way of all flesh. The replacement I bought in Italy (at reasonable price I have to say) came in a plastic case BUT the case was too big for the locker. My intention is to paint the case in a suitable finish and then adjust the plastic case in some way so as to give some protection.

Let me know how you get on with your project and I hope you find Carbon brushes R us.

Would it be possible to have a database of sources for after market equivalents on this site?
 
tgpt21 said:
Thanks for the heads up on the carbon. I am not sure that I will be able to get to the commutator/brushes in this motor.
Click to expand...

This is my quick windlass motor (Hector model). Once you removed the end cap (just a couple of small bolts) you can see the brushes and with some difficulty, can see a few sections of the commutator. You can clean these sections with a cotton bud soaked in meths then rotate it a bit with a screwdriver and clean the next visible section. It only takes a few minutes but if you have an aerosol can of contact cleaner/carb cleaner/brake cleaner you can spray it onto the commutator and the job will take a few seconds.

IMG_5458.JPG


Richard
 
RichardS said:
This is my quick windlass motor (Hector model). Once you removed the end cap (just a couple of small bolts) you can see the brushes and with some difficulty, can see a few sections of the commutator. You can clean these sections with a cotton bud soaked in meths then rotate it a bit with a screwdriver and clean the next visible section. It only takes a few minutes but if you have an aerosol can of contact cleaner/carb cleaner/brake cleaner you can spray it onto the commutator and the job will take a few seconds.

IMG_5458.JPG


Richard
Click to expand...

Looks exactly like ours, to dismantle further you do the following:
Remove the brushes by unscrewing the crosshead screw holding the wire and pulling back the spring to allow the brush to be removed.
Unscrew the 2 bolts holding the brush holder cap - these go all the way through the motor so are quite long.
Once the bolts are removed you can lift of the end cap for easy access to the commutator, brush holders etc.
Clean everything with paint brush and vacuum cleaner or compressed air. Clean commutator with P600 wet and dry.
Put it all back together and it will be like new again!!
 
UPDATE

I have removed the windlass and split the motor from the business end and found oil in the area of the motor shaft. This has clearly leaked from the gearbox and no doubt gone into the motor and dirtied the commutator, brushes and so on. I will clean with electronic cleaning aerosol.

I think that the gearbox is lubricated for life so filling with oil is a mistake. I will see what the gearbox is like after I open it at home.

There was a very thin gasket between the motor and gearbox which disintegrated when I split the two. Any idea what this would be made of?
 
tgpt21 said:
UPDATE

I have removed the windlass and split the motor from the business end and found oil in the area of the motor shaft. This has clearly leaked from the gearbox and no doubt gone into the motor and dirtied the commutator, brushes and so on. I will clean with electronic cleaning aerosol.

I think that the gearbox is lubricated for life so filling with oil is a mistake. I will see what the gearbox is like after I open it at home.

There was a very thin gasket between the motor and gearbox which disintegrated when I split the two. Any idea what this would be made of?
Click to expand...

My Quick Hector has an oil fill / level indication screw-in plug which is accessible once you remove the motor cowling. If the gearbox has been filled above the level of this plug then the oil level will be above that of the motor shaft and excessive oil leakage onto the armature past the seal is likely and I guess that this could find its way along to the commutator.

Richard
 
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