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My class got cancelled this afternoon so I'm in the process of breaking all my reels down and giving them a good cleaning before the fall/winter season. The stuff I do is actually pretty simple and really helps pro-long the life of a reel. I'm gonna post some pictures up of what I do and how I do it.
First things first when my reel starts to crank rough there a few things I do which usually solves the problem.
1. The anti-reverse bearing usually gets a good amount of salt on it. I have had good luck salvaging many, what I do is first soak it in alcohol for about 10 minutes. After that I get a paper towel that has been dipped in alchohol and run it through the bearing a few times. You will see the brown rust start to come out, I keep running a clean paper towel through it until all the rust is out. Once all the rust is cleared, a very light coat of oil goes on and that's it. Make sure not to get any grease inside the bearing. If there is any grease it can cause the pins inside not to catch the tube, you will especially notice this when it gets cold and the grease become less viscous.
2. The little bearing at the end of the drive shaft gets foulded up very easily, this bearing is expensive and can get quite costly replacing every year. What I do is coat the bearing with either shimano grease or green corrosion x. This is the only bearing in the reel you would want to put a heavy grease on, since it does NOT affect casting.
3. The C-clip that holds the worm gear on the left side of the reel has a tendancy to get corroded. Like the drive shaft bearing, I coat it with either shimano grease or the green corrosion x. If that does not solve the problem then chances are the worm gear is corroded, if thats the case you will want to get a new one.
Keeping a light coat of grease on the main gear can help it last longer and also make the reel smoother. Putting a dab of shimano grease on a screwdriver and holding it up to the gear as you crank will put an even coat on. If you notice some of the teeth on your main gear are missing it's time to replace it. Remember when you replace your main gear, you have to replace the pinion gear as well.
For magnesium reels you defintely want to put some sort of grease where the thumb bar rubs on the frame. Mike Cubbage showed me a trick that works great, if you get the green corrosion x and spray it in the cap and let it set for a few minutes it thickens up and can act as a grease. I'll get a q-tip or just use my finger and apply it all over the area where the thumb bar meets the frame. If you do this and check on it periodically you usually will avoid the dreadful corrosion on these reels.
Here is a picture of the frame on my 4 year old 50mg, this reel gets heavy use. Taking the side plate off every few weeks (or months depending on how much you fish) to check and make sure there is no salt on it really helps. It takes about 2 minutes to take the plate off after you have done it a few times. If you do notice there is water inside, wipe the old coat of corrosion x off and put a new one on.
As far as casting bearings go, I do the same procedure as the anti-reverse. Soak it in alcohol for about 10 minutes. Let it dry out then put a ONE drop of oil in it. You can hold the bearing with your fingers and spin the spool around it. If you hear a whining noise then it's usually time to replace it. This also helps get excess oil out of the bearing.
One last thing I always do is oil the worm gear. Hold your reel upside down and put a few drops of reel oil in it, then crank it a few times to move it around all of the gear. Dirt and salt gets inside the gear a lot so oiling it on a regular basis will keep it nice and smooooth.
I already cleaned and re-greased my drag washer so I don't have pictures of that. Just remember if the washer is black it's dartanium. They are expensive (10 bucks a pop), so when you pry it out be careful because they are brittle and can break if too much pressure is applied.
Well that's it for now, thought this might help a few of you out there. I know there are many ways to do some of this stuff, I just posted what I've done and what has worked best for me.
First things first when my reel starts to crank rough there a few things I do which usually solves the problem.
1. The anti-reverse bearing usually gets a good amount of salt on it. I have had good luck salvaging many, what I do is first soak it in alcohol for about 10 minutes. After that I get a paper towel that has been dipped in alchohol and run it through the bearing a few times. You will see the brown rust start to come out, I keep running a clean paper towel through it until all the rust is out. Once all the rust is cleared, a very light coat of oil goes on and that's it. Make sure not to get any grease inside the bearing. If there is any grease it can cause the pins inside not to catch the tube, you will especially notice this when it gets cold and the grease become less viscous.
2. The little bearing at the end of the drive shaft gets foulded up very easily, this bearing is expensive and can get quite costly replacing every year. What I do is coat the bearing with either shimano grease or green corrosion x. This is the only bearing in the reel you would want to put a heavy grease on, since it does NOT affect casting.
3. The C-clip that holds the worm gear on the left side of the reel has a tendancy to get corroded. Like the drive shaft bearing, I coat it with either shimano grease or the green corrosion x. If that does not solve the problem then chances are the worm gear is corroded, if thats the case you will want to get a new one.
Keeping a light coat of grease on the main gear can help it last longer and also make the reel smoother. Putting a dab of shimano grease on a screwdriver and holding it up to the gear as you crank will put an even coat on. If you notice some of the teeth on your main gear are missing it's time to replace it. Remember when you replace your main gear, you have to replace the pinion gear as well.
For magnesium reels you defintely want to put some sort of grease where the thumb bar rubs on the frame. Mike Cubbage showed me a trick that works great, if you get the green corrosion x and spray it in the cap and let it set for a few minutes it thickens up and can act as a grease. I'll get a q-tip or just use my finger and apply it all over the area where the thumb bar meets the frame. If you do this and check on it periodically you usually will avoid the dreadful corrosion on these reels.
Here is a picture of the frame on my 4 year old 50mg, this reel gets heavy use. Taking the side plate off every few weeks (or months depending on how much you fish) to check and make sure there is no salt on it really helps. It takes about 2 minutes to take the plate off after you have done it a few times. If you do notice there is water inside, wipe the old coat of corrosion x off and put a new one on.
As far as casting bearings go, I do the same procedure as the anti-reverse. Soak it in alcohol for about 10 minutes. Let it dry out then put a ONE drop of oil in it. You can hold the bearing with your fingers and spin the spool around it. If you hear a whining noise then it's usually time to replace it. This also helps get excess oil out of the bearing.
One last thing I always do is oil the worm gear. Hold your reel upside down and put a few drops of reel oil in it, then crank it a few times to move it around all of the gear. Dirt and salt gets inside the gear a lot so oiling it on a regular basis will keep it nice and smooooth.
I already cleaned and re-greased my drag washer so I don't have pictures of that. Just remember if the washer is black it's dartanium. They are expensive (10 bucks a pop), so when you pry it out be careful because they are brittle and can break if too much pressure is applied.
Well that's it for now, thought this might help a few of you out there. I know there are many ways to do some of this stuff, I just posted what I've done and what has worked best for me.
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