Winches corroded/stuck to base - Request suggestions

[glhotka]

We bought a 1978 Gulfstar and it has Barient 28 primaries. They are in desperate need of servicing, however the issue I am having is that they seem to have been neglected so long that the unit seems to have corroded to the base.
For more detail, to service this winch you need to remove the drum and then take 4 bolts out that hold it to the base. You then have access to the bottom of the winch to remove the gears and pawls, etc.

The 4 bolts were not budging so I used some penetrating oil over a few hours and i was able to remove all of them. The problem is with them removed, it still won't budget. It appears (based on some white thickish powdery substance) that the base and the winch are 2 different materials and they are stuck together.
I have been applying penetrating oil for days. I have used a small screwdriver and a mallet and tapped on that white substance in hopes to break it loose. But even after all of this, I still can't budget the winch from the base. I have tried tapping it with a rubber mallet.
I have avoided using heat or a torch, because I don't know for sure to try to heat the winch or the base.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have attached 2 photos that I hope can start to show what I am facing. One is the actual winch prior to starting and you can see where there is actually corrosion that has eaten a bit of the base away. The second one is a closeup with the drum off and right near the 2 screws you can see the corrosion between the base and winch. As a side note, I have considered putting the winch handle in the top and then using a small hydraulic jack to see if lifting up on the handle would start to apply enough upward pressure to start to break the 2 metals loose. I have held off on this for fear of bending or damaging the winch. (Given the price of new large primaries, I am willing to try just about anything )

[DeepFrz]

Get a thin putty knife and gently tap it in. Work your way around winch and the base slowly working it deeper until it lets go. If that doesn't work then you may have to use something more drastic, like a cold chisel.

[nauticalnomad]

Soak the winches in a bucket of coca cola be careful though as it eats metal... Google it

Originally Posted by glhotka

We bought a 1978 Gulfstar and it has Barient 28 primaries. They are in desperate need of servicing, however the issue I am having is that they seem to have been neglected so long that the unit seems to have corroded to the base.
For more detail, to service this winch you need to remove the drum and then take 4 bolts out that hold it to the base. You then have access to the bottom of the winch to remove the gears and pawls, etc.

The 4 bolts were not budging so I used some penetrating oil over a few hours and i was able to remove all of them. The problem is with them removed, it still won't budget. It appears (based on some white thickish powdery substance) that the base and the winch are 2 different materials and they are stuck together.
I have been applying penetrating oil for days. I have used a small screwdriver and a mallet and tapped on that white substance in hopes to break it loose. But even after all of this, I still can't budget the winch from the base. I have tried tapping it with a rubber mallet.
I have avoided using heat or a torch, because I don't know for sure to try to heat the winch or the base.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have attached 2 photos that I hope can start to show what I am facing. One is the actual winch prior to starting and you can see where there is actually corrosion that has eaten a bit of the base away. The second one is a closeup with the drum off and right near the 2 screws you can see the corrosion between the base and winch. As a side note, I have considered putting the winch handle in the top and then using a small hydraulic jack to see if lifting up on the handle would start to apply enough upward pressure to start to break the 2 metals loose. I have held off on this for fear of bending or damaging the winch. (Given the price of new large primaries, I am willing to try just about anything )

[ChuckSK]

Hi Gil

Try tying off a line on a cleat and running the other end to the winch. Crank on the winch until it breaks loose from the base. Leave the 4 screws in place but loose to keep the winch from flying off. You will probably need to replace the base anyway. The screws go into helicoils set in the aluminum base. I had to replace the bases on my winches due to the corrosion. I was lucky to catch the problem before the winches tore loose from the bases under sheet load and went over the side.

Chuck

[glhotka]

Wow, This place is incredibly helpful.

DeepFrz, I used a putty knife and was able to chip out a little more of the corrosion between the winch and the base. I still couldn't budge it by hand, however I figured I would mix it up with ChuckSK's suggestion.

I had already taken the drum off this winch so instead tied a line to a cleat, wrapped it once around the shaft of the drumless winch and then to the sheet winch (the pressure would be pulling it toward the cockpit, rather than the water). A few small movements on the low speed direction of the sheet winch and I heard it pop. It was just enough to break it loose from the Base.
The reality is I think I am going to have to replace the base, but that is so much better than replacing the whole thing. Now I am hoping that I can find these bases. I understand Hutton-Arco bought the rights to Barient winches many years ago.

Thank you for the suggestions !! You guys rock.

[ChuckSK]

Hi Gil

Good news on getting the winch off. I ordered new bases from Hutton-Arco a few years ago. They were great to deal with. The bases will probably need to be custom made. It may take a while but it's worth it.

Chuck

[DeepFrz]

I didn't realize they winches sat right down inside the base. No wonder there is corrosion as the salt water will get in there and not drain properly. I guess you know one more item to place on your regular maintenance list.