Windlass corrosion?

[doraymefa]

Can anyone please explain what the grey filings are that have collected on my Lewmar V3 windlass gear box? They are soft and crumble when touched.
Am I correct to assume that the right thing to do is to dismantle and clean / inspect the unit?

 

[Bilgediver]

Can anyone please explain what the grey filings are that have collected on my Lewmar V3 windlass gear box? They are soft and crumble when touched.
Am I correct to assume that the right thing to do is to dismantle and clean / inspect the unit?View attachment 184203

That is a sealed unit so highly unlikely that the material is from the motor.
Is that rotating part making contact with the rope?

Y

 

[doraymefa]

That is a sealed unit so highly unlikely that the material is from the motor.
Is that rotating part making contact with the rope?

Y

When in commission the rope is nowhere near this unit as the chain takes its place.

 

[vyv_cox]

Looks like corrosion product to me. A thin coat of paint is poor protection from seawater. My windlass motor is wrapped in Denso tape, excellent protection but horrible to handle. I wrap it in polythene. Waxoyl is easy to apply, dries hard and offers good protection.

 

[Supertramp]

And use tefgel on all the bolts and fittings on reassembly.

 

[doraymefa]

Thanks for these responses, I will proceed to take apart and clean then protect as suggested.

 

[Neeves]

You can also use Duralac, instead of Tefgel.

I would paint the motor and the casting as well. The motor is commonly encased in mild steel and protecting it with more paint. or follow Vyv's advice (Vyv's advice is better . You used to be able to buy a paint, coating, that one applied to the chassis and metal work of cars to protect from the ravages of salt in winter. If it is still available and in small tins.....

The windlass manual should have instructions, or it should be obvious, how to disassemble the gear box - but it looks to be an aluminium casting, coat all the mating surfaces and the holes for the various stainless bolts with Tefgel/Duralac. You will need to refill the oil for the gear box - check what you will need before you start.

Windlass' near servicing annually, that is the usual frequency, you will need to recoat all the holes, bolts and mating services each time you service.

Jonathan

 

[noelex]

The biggest problem with most windlasses is that salt water brought in from retrieving the chain or waves over the forepeak can drip, or even pour over the windlass’s gear box / motor. This is usually easily fixed with the addition of a pipe or baffles.

I think this would significantly reduce the corrosion pictured.

 

[Neeves]

If my interpretation is correct you can release the gearbox and motor as one unit (depends on the extra /spare length of the power cables).

I think that is a quick release clip between the gear box, grey, and the various parts above the gearbox, painted black. Just release the clip, I think it 'sort of' folds out and the gear box and motor 'falls off'. If the cabling is parsimonious you will need to disconnect the motor but then be able to lift gear box and motor as one unit from inside the chain/windlass locker. If you do disconnect and and it is a quick release you can take the 2 pieces (motor and gearbox) home and work on it over the kitchen table (rather than hanging upside down in the bow locker).

Just mark the cables and the motor

Jonathan

 

[vyv_cox]

You used to be able to buy a paint, coating, that one applied to the chassis and metal work of cars to protect from the ravages of salt in winter. If it is still available and in small tins.....

Jonathan

That's the Waxoyl that I mentioned previously. Available as aerosols or as tins. Pretty good but not perfect.

Denso tape is excellent but horrible to handle. Steel tubulars offshore wrapped in it subsea would come up bright and shiny after months of immersion. My carbon steel windlass motor is drenched in seawater as noelex says but remains pristine beneath the tape and polythene.

 

[Neeves]

That's the Waxoyl that I mentioned previously. Available as aerosols or as tins. Pretty good but not perfect.

Denso tape is excellent but horrible to handle. Steel tubulars offshore wrapped in it subsea would come up bright and shiny after months of immersion. My carbon steel windlass motor is drenched in seawater as noelex says but remains pristine beneath the tape and polythene.

I recall a product or a company called Ziebart, maybe showing my age. It was the corrosion inhibitor for salted roads. Waxoyl is new to me, well almost, you have mentioned it previously.

Jonathan

 

[rogerthebodger]

Ziebart International

 

[vyv_cox]

I recall a product or a company called Ziebart, maybe showing my age. It was the corrosion inhibitor for salted roads. Waxoyl is new to me, well almost, you have mentioned it previously.

Jonathan

It still exists but I don't think it's a DIY product.

 

[colind3782]

I used this to underseal the wife's Mini and it's easy to apply and seems to do the job:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007FR40R0?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[sailorbenji]

The bit you need to release is the silver stainless steel part with "Fast Fit" written on it. Somewhere around the back is a knurled nut you can undo, then it releases like a big clamp.

At that point the entire gearbox and motor combination will be able to drop down off the windlass shaft (though the wiring may require disconnecting).

The gearbox is "sealed for life" and absolutely no need to strip anything apart. This is extremely "light" corrosion compared to many I've seen, but if you want to protect it with additional coatings, now is indeed the time of course.

 

[doraymefa]

The bit you need to release is the silver stainless steel part with "Fast Fit" written on it. Somewhere around the back is a knurled nut you can undo, then it releases like a big clamp.

At that point the entire gearbox and motor combination will be able to drop down off the windlass shaft (though the wiring may require disconnecting).

The gearbox is "sealed for life" and absolutely no need to strip anything apart. This is extremely "light" corrosion compared to many I've seen, but if you want to protect it with additional coatings, now is indeed the time of course.

Thanks, I had just about come to that understanding. It looks as though it should be possible to change the orientation of the Fast Fit when I put it back together to bring the knurled nut to a more accessible angle?

I do like the suggestion from Noelex to extend a pipe or at least add a baffle to try to reduce splashing as the anchor is received.

 

[sailorbenji]

Hi, yes there are multiple "pins" in the bottom of the windlass flange and corresponding holes in the motor/gearbox flange (or vice-versa I can't quite remember), to enable multiple angles for the motor/gearbox to sit at. Can be chosen at free will, the usual being to keep the motor well clear of the chain and limit too much intrusion into usable space of the fore-locker.

 

[Baddox]

Can anyone please explain what the grey filings are that have collected on my Lewmar V3 windlass gear box? They are soft and crumble when touched.
Am I correct to assume that the right thing to do is to dismantle and clean / inspect the unit?View attachment 184203

Are the crystals just salt from sea water? A quick wipe with a damp rag may guide what to do next.

 

[Neeves]

Looking at the OPs original picture the windlass looks new and almost unused, unused except for the corrosion. I also note another member suggesting the level of corrosion is not as bad as he has seen on other, 'similar', windlass.

I am amazed that the windlass has suffered so much corrosion - its meant to be designed to be located in a wet anchor/chain/windlass locker and that seems very far from this ideal in the evidence seen with this example. A lot of the corrosion appears to be centred at the junction of a base plate/flange and the aluminium casting and as the gearbox is meant to be sealed for 'life' the seal looks a b it questionable.

I'd definitely be trying to paint the whole assembly with Vyv's coating - Noelex baffle will improve the situation - but the locker is always going to be saline and damp.

I'd be having another look at the windlass and having a word with Lewmar, or whoever might be relevant, on warranty before I do any painting (unless the windlass is already a few years old).

Jonathan

 

[thinwater]

Are the crystals just salt from sea water? A quick wipe with a damp rag may guide what to do next.

I think Baddox should get the gold star.

Wipe and look at the spot. For white corrosion, it would have to be an aluminum casing and there would have to be an obvious paint failure. No paint failure, it is not corrosion. Obvious.

Even if it is aluminum corrosion, it is cosmetic. Additionally, the unit is sealed, and what you see on the outside has NOTHING to do with the inside, sort of like having rust on the outside of an engine. The corrosion is not around the seals or joints. If you open the case you will disturb the seals and probably make things worse. Looks newish. I'd leave it alone. I seriously doubt opening it will accomplish anything positive.