I thought I read somewhere of a 4Runner's Warn winch getting fried after crossing a stream. Is this an inherent problem with front bumper mounted winches? Or can winches be submerged or gotten wet as long as the seperate solenoid pack (if your winch has one) is mounted up high in the hood?

 

The winch itself is sealed and can be used even when it is under water. The solenoid pack is a bit more fragile and while it can be submerged, it's best to dry it out before you try to use it...

 

What about those winches with the integral solenoid, like that Warn Thermometric? Is the solenoid waterproof on those?

 

Supposedly the integrated solenoid packs are water tight, but that is not what I have observed. I would be pretty cautious about dunking them because you can't just pull the solenoid and repair it, you have to send the whole unit back.