What Kind of Grease for ABI 1000BR Windlass

[John Stone]

Hi All,
I have aquired a used bronze ABI single speed double action windlass refered to as the ABI 1000BR. I have taken it apart and cleaned it up. Pretty simple to work on. Anyway, it didn't come with an operator's manual and I can't locate one on the internet. I was able to download an exploded diagram so that helped me take it apart.

My question is what kind of grease do I used on this windless? It is not sealed--it is open on the top and bottom. The gears had a thick coating of grease kind of like #2 waterproof grease that had begun to harden. I am not sure it really needs much grease at all--maybe just a little. I need some kind of lubricant just to get it back togehter and then perhaps a coating to protect the guts from the elements thought the guts are all SS and bronze. I would think the grease needs to be able to stand up to tropical heat and not drip out the bottom. But, that's just a guess.

Anyone have experience with this windlass or have an operators manual they would be willing to scan and email?

Many thanks for any infor you can provide.

Regards,
John

[Rachel]

Ooo, nice find!

I'm guessing you've seen this discussion (on another forum; is it okay to link to it?), but in case you haven't: They talk about a couple of different ABI models (one is an SL 555 clone), and one person mentions using 80W-140 gear oil. Of course who knows if he knew what was correct. Still, it's some data.

Rachel

Link (feel free to remove if not okay; or I could paste the info into this thread - whichever is best).

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55 ... 21282.html

[John Stone]

Rachel,
Thanks for the reply. Yes I have seen that thread. But the ABI 1000BR is a totally different winch than the SL 555. The SL is a two speed winch and is sealed. The 1000BR is a one speed open winch. So oil is not the solution. Some kind of grease--lithium or otherwise. Not sure.

Here is a link to my winch http://farreachvoyages.com/abiwindlassrebuild.html

Thanks again,
John

[Tim]

I'm not sure it's the right choice for your windlass or not, but I have had (and continue to have) great general success in many areas of the boat using a container of blue water proof grease that I originally bought long ago for use on some large outboards I had at the time. Based on what I see of your windlass gears, and the desire to avoid thick, gummy, gunky grease that just attracts dirt, as so many do, I'd suggest that this product would work well, though having never used it in this exact application I can't say so with any authority.

The product seems still to be available today: OMC Triple Guard grease.



In any event, I have found this grease to perform extremely well in a variety of uses on the boat. It is completely waterproof by my experience, and remains properly viscous (it's thick, yet not hard and dense) in all conditions in which I've used it--I've never seen it get loose or runny or drippy. It stays where you put it, and a thin film holds up extremely well based on my experiences over the years.

I've used it in the engine room, on impeller pump O-rings, on turnbuckle threads, on the propeller shaft, coupling bolts, and many other areas where truly waterproof grease is required or desirable. I have not found it to gum up or get hard, and you can use anything from a thin coating to heavier applications, depending on the situation. When I remove a component on which I've used this grease, the remaining grease appears to be brand-new (such as the various propeller shaft components that I disassemble every other year). I am a big fan of this product that might not be well-known outside of the outboard world.

[John Stone]

Tim,
Very useful info. Thanks. At a minimum that sounds like what I need to lubricate the drive and idler shafts where they pass through the bushings.

Regards,
John

[Rachel]

Hi John,

I apologize if I was simply repeating info you had already seen - especially if the grease recommendation was not even for the right one. I can picture yours, and I realize it's not the same as the 555 -- I wasn't sure which of the two the grease-recommender meant. I probably should not have posted. The thing is, oftentimes when people ask a question then they haven't Googled or looked around, so that sort of thing is useful. I don't know you here well enough yet to know that you would have (although I did suspect :)

The OMC Triple-Guard looks like good stuff to have around. I always get a kick out of it when a proprietary product like that is still made, even years later (nice when some good things don't change or get "improved" every five minutes).

In my imaginary dream world, there is a huge chart somewhere that lists every grease, spray, and oil in the world, and shows what they really are, how they relate to the others, and which ones are really the same. For example, Lubriplate grease. How would OMC Triple-Guard compare to it, in terms of ingredients? And about 3,275 similar questions.

I hope you'll post some photos of that windlass while you're rebuilding it. I would love one of those, but in my boat size range (28' - 30' and 7500# - 9500#) I feel like I should stick with the Lofrans Royal I have, as it's considerably lighter (but... aluminum compared to bronze... no comparison!)

Rachel

[Tim]

FWIW, Lubriplate is nothing like OMC Triple-Guard. I don't know what's in either one, but they're not remotely similar.

[John Stone]

Rachel,
No sweat and no need to apologize. The quest for a solution is a big part of the reward from "messing about in boats." Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Regards,
John

[boatsnh]

Hi John,
A grease I found a couple years ago that I've found to be good stuff is "Corrosion Block Grease" - I use the spray corrosion block on lot's of stuff & have found it to be pretty effective, so I started using their grease too. A nice viscosity so I stays in place, very water resistant and the publishesd specs indicate that it has better than average lube properties. Worth a shot.. FWIW... the innards of that windlass don't look like they are terribly "stressed" under load so my sense is that any decent waterproof grease will perform fine if it's not caked on - I remember years ago that Peugeot ( Yep I drove peugeots for many years) used a straight 10-40 wt motor oil in their manual transmission & worked fine ....Lithium grease would work, but I find the corrosion block grease stays in place better...
Mike

[John Stone]

Thanks Mike. Good info.

[Capn_Tom]

John,

I have the RC Plath windlass which other than the chain pipes is identical to the ABI. Mine is pretty much frozen but appears to be in good shape. It is currently soaking in some kerosene but this hasn't proven effective. I have been afraid to attempt dissasembly since any error could prove fatal to the windlass and as you experienced parts are unavailable and replacement is cost prohibitive.

Can you offer any further advice than what was shown in your blog that may be helpful as I tackle this project?