Botched winch install

[tehfrr]

Any idea how this may have happened? It's from a winch install on a friends JK. I've never seen anything like this..

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[YBABRAT]

Geezo! Ohm the connections to the winch motor and the controller when they are disconnected from each other and cars electrical.

The controller could have been reversed connected with polarity. Seems like the area of everything shorting out.

 

[roaniecowpony]

There's a dead short somewhere at the end of that rainbow.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Wow. Surprised it didnt catch on fire

 

[CO2Wrangler]

Any idea how this may have happened? It's from a winch install on a friends JK. I've never seen anything like this..

Where's the fuse and what was it rated?

 

[roaniecowpony]

If you can't find where the positive cable shorted to ground around the winch, disconnect all the cables, then using some jumper cables you aren't fond of, try to power the winch.

 

[tehfrr]

Wow. Surprised it didnt catch on fire

Same I advised her to have someone competent with automotive electrical systems look over her rig in case there are other damages not seen

 

[tehfrr]

Where's the fuse and what was it rated?

To me it looks like no fuse, direct connect to battery

 

[8ball]

Never ever do any electrical work be it on a vehicle (DC) or your home (AC) if you don’t know what you are doing. As an electrician myself people sometimes think it’s easy and that’s when the so called $&@! Hits the fan. And I also don’t see a fuse that would have blown and protected the wire and winch motor. Like has been said before “If you think it cost a lot to hire a professional wait and see what an amateur costs you”…

 

[Terrymo]

Any idea how this may have happened? It's from a winch install on a friends JK. I've never seen anything like this..

Just out of curiosity what brand of winch is this and what were the circumstances when it happened?

My amateur three guesses: internal fault inside the winch motor, or wires were attached incorrectly at the winch (like a yellow and black wire reversed) or a wire was cut or chafed in the engine compartment and shorted out.

Now, let the direct wire vs fuse vs power interrupt debate begin…again

 

[CO2Wrangler]

Never ever do any electrical work be it on a vehicle (DC) or your home (AC) if you don’t know what you are doing. As an electrician myself people sometimes think it’s easy and that’s when the so called $&@! Hits the fan. And I also don’t see a fuse that would have blown and protected the wire and winch motor. Like has been said before “If you think it cost a lot to hire a professional wait and see what an amateur costs you”…

I'm an advocate for fusing these as well, though the manufacturers don't seem to think it necessary.

On a winch, you should be putting an HD switch inline as well so that it's only getting power when you need it to.

Used to install car audio and the worst case scenarios we saw were people running 4ga wire to the battery with no fuse through the firewall with no grommet. Ticking time bomb...

 

[Blues Fan 30]

Any idea how this may have happened? It's from a winch install on a friends JK. I've never seen anything like this..

Anyone else see this and immediately think that the wires got turned into big league chew?

 

[TheRaven]

I'm an advocate for fusing these as well, though the manufacturers don't seem to think it necessary.

This times eleventy billion. I'm going to save this thread for the next time someone tries to argue that you don't need to fuse the winch power cable.

 

[TrailMax]

I'm an advocate for fusing these as well, though the manufacturers don't seem to think it necessary.

On a winch, you should be putting an HD switch inline as well so that it's only getting power when you need it to.

Used to install car audio and the worst case scenarios we saw were people running 4ga wire to the battery with no fuse through the firewall with no grommet. Ticking time bomb...

Years ago in college I bought a very used Audi. The fuel pump stopped working, turns out someone had re-wired the fuel pump using speaker wire!

 

[Zandcwhite]

Just out of curiosity what brand of winch is this and what were the circumstances when it happened?

My amateur three guesses: internal fault inside the winch motor, or wires were attached incorrectly at the winch (like a yellow and black wire reversed) or a wire was cut or chafed in the engine compartment and shorted out.

Now, let the direct wire vs fuse vs power interrupt debate begin…again

If you're going to wire your winch incorrectly...use a fuse.

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