As some may have read I purchased a yellow 05 Rubicon about a year ago. Had been away from the atv world for a while and purchased some land to start off grid living.

Bike worked well over the year, used much more than originally thought and became a travel means down to the shore along with being my work horse.

Bike is in the garage now with two issues.

1: the winch that came on it was a moter master 3000pd. Winch did not work which was just a switch and cable was seized which required some penetrating oil and tlc. Well over the summer the out stopped working, I snapped the cable on a tree stump and burnt the motor out trying to get a Seadoo on trailer out of a swamp. Funny but not funny story. fast forward to now I replaced the winch with a used warm 2000A which was used for 1 year and stored the last 8. Winch was taken apart and cleaned/greeted and once hooked up worked fine after I replaced the connector/selinoid. I put a new cable on and about 2 feet left just stopped. Tested the power to the winch and it is fine, hooked up another winch I had kicking around and no issues. Any ideas on what to check on the warn winch?

2: 4x4 system stoped working. I was trying to pull a log and heard something snap. Drained the front diff oil and no metal. Up on all 4s I can see the front drive shaft turns when I turn the wheels, engine engaged the shaft connected to the engine turns. Seems to be some noise coming from the part where the two connect. I am sure it is that part but will both shafts need to be replaced?

 

Don't know about the winch, our customers never have them fitted. However regarding the drive shaft and coupling, it could be either or both, there is only one way to find out and that is to remove it. Hondas are made so that, if you take the mounting bolts out of the front diff and move it forwards, there is just enough room to get the prop shaft coupling out of the engine shaft. Sometimes the price for both the shaft and coupling is little more than one on it's own.

 

Thanks merryman on the advise.

 

As an update the winch fix was a 3000pd Champion that went on sale this week lol. Hooked it up and works like a charm. Will take the warm apart at some point and see if it can be repaired.