Winch wiring with Optima

If he could fix the problem that would be great! Definitely let us know what he says. Thanks! Nickmil.

 

I finally got him to talk We were sitting around the campfire after a good day of 4-wheeling (that means that we went out on the trail & could afford to repair everything that broke! R) ) when I remembered to ask. Basically, & quite simply, the reason they fail when using the side posts is because the side posts have less surface area & are actually a oorer connection than the top posts. During a long pull this can cause heat build up, especially right there at the connection, which in turn causes an increase in load (heat) which can eventually melt the internal connection between the top & side posts. Using the side posts for a starter motor is OK because you shouldn't be using it for than a few seconds at a time, whereas winching can be for a several minutes at a time. It takes some time to build up enough heat to do this type of damage. There isn't too much that they can do because even improving the link that melts won't make the side post connection a suitable connection point for winching purposes. If they improved it you may burn up winch motors or the wire leads instead. BTW, the reason side posts were "invented" was to offer one more way of reducing hood height for aerodynamics, etc.

 

Thanks for the update. Kind of what I figured on the side post thing and you're absolutely right as for the reason they came out. Mostly in GM vehicles but I have found some late model Chryslers that use them also. Never seen one fail from a starter, just winch use. Thanks again for talking to your buddy about it. Nickmil.