The last time my Rover was at the dealer (replacing the DTML pump that was damaged in a rear end accident). they noted the spare tire winch was "weak" Considering I had only dropped the tire 2 times since new I was suspicious. Either the auto body and/or the dealer damaged it and now I know how.
I took the winch off the truck (simple to do with 6 10mm nuts)and drilled out the rivets that held the casing together. The part that fails is there is a gear on a shaft that is pressed on and held with a friction retainer.
Torque the re-tractor nut too hard and this part will fail. On the original winch design the lowering/re-tractor is a "nut" the same size as the lugs so you simply use your tire wrench to move. I am sure most shops simply put the old air wrench on it and have at it. Unfortunately this will over torque the winch and your tire will now not drop when you need it. Land Rover recognized this an d put a tiny little warning diagram on the rubber plug that hides the nut. I am sure most shops don't care.
On the "improved" design it looks like the mechanism is driven by a loop so no lug wrench can be used. To lower/raise it must be done by hand using the jack spinner.
Check your spare for functionality. If you had a tire shop/dealer moving it then I can almost guarantee they used an air wrench and may have damaged the unit to the point where it is useless to the owner when they are at the side of the road with a flat. Not sure what model year when the new design was incorporated (mine is a 2010).
I took the winch off the truck (simple to do with 6 10mm nuts)and drilled out the rivets that held the casing together. The part that fails is there is a gear on a shaft that is pressed on and held with a friction retainer.
Torque the re-tractor nut too hard and this part will fail. On the original winch design the lowering/re-tractor is a "nut" the same size as the lugs so you simply use your tire wrench to move. I am sure most shops simply put the old air wrench on it and have at it. Unfortunately this will over torque the winch and your tire will now not drop when you need it. Land Rover recognized this an d put a tiny little warning diagram on the rubber plug that hides the nut. I am sure most shops don't care.
On the "improved" design it looks like the mechanism is driven by a loop so no lug wrench can be used. To lower/raise it must be done by hand using the jack spinner.
Check your spare for functionality. If you had a tire shop/dealer moving it then I can almost guarantee they used an air wrench and may have damaged the unit to the point where it is useless to the owner when they are at the side of the road with a flat. Not sure what model year when the new design was incorporated (mine is a 2010).
