Starter motor. Question

Can a car motor be wired to have a switch so it can run in reverse rotation? Would like to put it on a winch.

SHORT ANSWER

YES You need a switch or relay THAT HAS ADEQUATE CURRENT RATING and poles contacts to make a PERMANENT MAGNET motor reverse BUT NOTTTTTTTTTTTTT A TYPICAL OLD CAR/TRACTOR ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD STARTER..

A starter motor that uses electromagnetic field windings (IE current flowing through field coil wires like old tractor and old car starters) still turns same direction at either polarity. A Permanent Magnet starter (many small engines and some newer cars or say a winch) would turn opposite at opposite polarity.

HOWEVER mechanical and inertia starter drives that engage flywheel ring gear teeth is an obvious issue while on a Winch thats not an issue.

Typically reversible winch DC motors use a reversing relay which are fairly cheap easy and common

So what kind of motor do you have ??? If PM yes if EM no

John T

John T is correct. One way to get the effect you need is to use two of them, one facing the way you plan to do it, and the other facing from the opposite side.
Thinking out loud here, it is likely that letting out cable takes little power, a window lift/lower motor would have plenty of power to turn the winch backward, or reel in line as needed until the actual pull load is needed. At that point the starter motor could be engaged. The window motor reversing switch would work well. A double pole double throw momentary contact switch could also be used for the window motor switch. A conventional starter relay (solenoid) used for the starter motor. Starter motors are near a dead short in resistance, and don't like to operate for more than 30 seconds. Their on/off ratio is 30 seconds on and 2 minutes off. (duty cycle). my dad built a wagon lifting system with cables and a winch that used empty wagon weight to lower, and a starter motor from a Ford to lift. It worked for 5 seasons before gravity boxes and shelled corn made it obsolete. But it lifted for 10 seconds in pulses of lift till at max. Also it had a mechanical stop that prevented lowering when stopped on the unload part of its use. Jim

Jim, I suspect (havent looked) Warn or other winch websites or e trailer have one piece plug n play reversing solenoids like ones used on all the boat or off road winches they sell and that would be so easy to buy and install ??????? Sure we could rig one but they're surely for sale..

John T

I have a 2000# winch on my Willis Jeep that haspolarity switching inside and 40 amp capacity. plenty for the 30 amp load the motor draws. Jim
one

Look at a Warn 8000 motor and try to figure out how to rewire the fields. If you can figure that out,
you will need 4 winch solenoids and a SPDT switch to operate them.
I used regular solenoids as I don't use mine for long periods of time. Short pulls it is fine.
I had a Warn motor to start with.

So far, so good, Save fifty bucks.

The real issue is the amp draw that needs to be switched in a starter motor. The field windings are often flat strips of copper with a total OHM reading through them and the armature of less than 0.5. 100 amps is likely. pulling those wires out means silver soldering 8 gauge wires to them and getting them out of the motor to be switched. Jim

Check the listings at DB Electrical, you can buy an actual winch motor with ball bearings for not that expensive.

reply to Janicholson,