spinning reel cleaning (old post, slightly modified)

[goteeboy]

every spring i clean my reels. here's are pics and instructions on how i do mine. i read a couple diff forums (tackle tour, wmi bass) and found a way that suits me. i hear it costs at least 20 bucks to have them cleaned. so given how expensive that can get, especially if you have multiple reels like i do. i decided a few years back to do it myself. i hope this helps and inspires you to give it a try. it's actually quite therapeutic.

 

Also, I'd give myself a couple of hours if this is your first time. You don't want to have to stop half way through and forget how to put it back together later.

 

This is me doing my buddy's Shimano Symetre.

I will try and post a baitcaster cleaning soon.

 

tools needed:

--small phillips and flat screwdrivers.

--small needle nose pliers, especially if you got fat sausage fingers like mine.

--a small adjustable wrench,

--q-tips,

--toothpicks

--paper towels,

--small bowl.

--old toothbrush (or new if you like)

--zep biodegradeable solution,

--acetone.

--grease and oil (i use quantum hotsauce)

--clear plastic bag

--digital cam (optional)

--compressed air in a can (used for keyboards) (optional)

 

Step 1: Remove spool. Underneath, pull off three plastic washers and silver toothed washer/gear, remove small screw on base (this keeps nut in place) and remove brass nut with wrench (not shown).

Then remove handle.

VERY IMPORTANT: keep track of the order of washers and pieces coming off (also which side is up or down). Also, keep an eye out for thin brass washers that stick to other pieces. Otherwise you'll end up with 1 or 2 washers and not know where they go. Take pictures if necessary.

 

Step 2: Clean side plate with toothbrush in Zep biodegradeable solution mixed w/ water . Rinse in water allow to dry. Use canned air "DUST OFF" (for keyboards) to get water out of crevasses, grease out of bearings, etc., or roll up paper towel into a point and absorb it out or a Q-tip.

 

Note: i clean all parts (gears, reel housing) in the Zep cleaning solution and rinse in water, except the bearings which i clean in acetone. Acetone is a bit more pricey.

 

Step 3: Remove each piece, one at a time. clean and dry and place on table in order, facing up the way you found it in the reel. Two piles. One pile of what's inside the reel. Another pile of what's on the spindle between reel body and spool. Keep these piles separate.

 

 

Note: manually remove visible grease with paper towel, q-tips, toothpick, and toothbrush. Then soak in zep and brush clean. Dry.

 

 

acetone for bearings

 

Pieces from spindle

 

Step 4: Remove anti-reverse mechanism, 3 small screws. clean bearings inside w/ paper towel. Dry.

The spindle is removed by unscrewing the spindle at it's base inside the guts. See screw on left side of pic below.

 

 

The spindle pieces should look like this. Clean and dry and place in order.

 

Use a Q-tip to clean inside the worm gear. Pull some cotton off if it's too thick.

 

 

RE-ASSEMBLY

Step 5: Cleaned and ready to be greased and put back in.

 

Remember, grease on gears, oil in bearings!!!!!!! And be a bit stingy, don't over grease or oil, it'll all fly out anyway. Make sure grease is deep in each tooth.

 

not too much, not too little grease. grease anywhere where metal meets metal or metal meets plastic/graphite/reel housing.

 

no more than two drops per bearing

 

 

when adding the reel handle bearing (one on each side) remember...there are two sides of the bearing case. The ball bearing visible side faces to the outside of the reel, the sealed side faces to the inside (photo below). Replace the rubber gasket too, if applicable.

 

Guts are done, close her up. You can add a dab of grease to each screw and even a thin layer of grease along the edge where the two reel covers come together. the dust will catch there instead of going inside.

 

Step 6: putting the spindle parts back together.

 

place a few drops of oil on bearings inside of anti-reverse mechanism (above, gray piece)

put a drop or two of oil on the spindle where it goes into the brass worm gear.

 

replace, toothy gear/washer, plastic washers, spool.

 

Step 7: The drag and spool. no pics here.

Remove drag cap. Take off square/pentagonal shaped wire. be careful, it'll jump on you. remove w/ a toothpick all the drag pieces AND KEEP IN ORDER (usually from bottom to top, felt/metal/felt/metal, more or less depending on reel). If you're drag washers are greased kinds and not dry, i just blot the old grease in a paper towel and reapply new grease (not too much, just so the washer is saturated). if dry, i apply a very light coat of grease (i don't know if this is recommended but that's what i do). and clean inside of drag area before reinserting.

 

 

Step 8: The Bail.

Sometimes this area is the sandiest and dirtiest and is also the most confusing part. there's at least one or more springs in there so it helps to get a schematic. And a trick I learned to not lose anything is to unscrew everything in a clear plastic bag so nothing goes flying. Open the bail plate (where the spring is), very very slowly and try to see how it's arranged so you can put it back together.

 

Wow! that's it. i hope that was helpful. Have fun w/ it.

Edited January 29, 2009 by goteeboy

[Casey123]

So,

 

 

If you still have cabin fever, drop me a line....

 

I have a few reels, that, ur will cure the fever in the cabin thingy!!

 

 

Great post.

[Casey123]

So,

 

 

If you still have cabin fever, drop me a line....

 

I have a few reels, that, ur will cure the fever in the cabin thingy!!

 

 

Great post.

[irishfield]

That's some GREAT play by play maintenance tips that will help many out I'm sure.

 

Myself... I just use the stuff for 20 years and then send it to Rockey's...

[Rich Clemens]

Spent last Sunday sharpening the hooks and will probably be finishing them up this week-end. I see my Saturday honey-do list is already growing ... something about cleaning the basement.

[Casey123]

Spent last Sunday sharpening the hooks and will probably be finishing them up this week-end. I see my Saturday honey-do list is already growing ... something about cleaning the basement.

 

Do you have a fishable body of water in your basement?

 

If not, you need to revise the honey do list!

[addict]

very nice,like new.i just open em up wipe out most of the crud with q tips and paper towel regrease and oil.nice point about the grease one year i put to much in my baitcaster and it felt stiff.

[danbouck]

I just work the same amount of time and then use the money and buy a new one!

 

But those are some great play by play tips!

Edited April 9, 2008 by Dan Bouck

[goteeboy]

it usually takes me about 30-45 min to clean one. but the one here took over an hour. there was so much sand.

and yeah, it's not about saving money. it's the satisfaction of doing something yourself...like i said....it's therapeutic.

[muskymike]

I need to try this, but i know once its apart, its going to stay apart, it will end up in a baggy to get shipped out to be reassembled.

 

Great Post

[GbayGiant]

Nice tutorial.

[bpsbassman]

it's the satisfaction of doing something yourself...like i said....it's therapeutic.

 

Great job and excellent how to. Very much appreciated and I can understand the satisfaction.

Unfortunately for me, the satisfaction would probably turn to rage and rather than being therapeutic, I would be needing therapy!!!

 

Wish I had your patience and courage!

[silveradosheriff]

Awesome post!!!

[Radnine]

I just work the same amount of time and then use the money and buy a new one!

Now that's funny

[lookinforwalleye]

Well done, I do not have the patience or the eyesight for the job besides I tried that once and the reel is still in the garage in pieces.

[holdfast]

Wow Thanks a lot that was great and I like the baggie tip. Can you please, please, maybe do a Baitcaster as Ive done spinning reels but never a baitcaster. I have one question though. Are you sure about the bearings in oil and not Grease. Can you clarify plse or elaborate

[goteeboy]

yeah, one of these days i'll do the baitcaster, but you can see some from tackletour which will also reconfirm the grease/oil question.

 

but the reason the oil/grease makes sense to me is that, you want the bearings to roll as smoothly as can be. and the viscosity of grease would just slow it down, whereas with gears, you want stuff that will stay in the teeth of the gears. at least that's what i've read. i have read some mix oil and grease for gears to make it even less viscous. but for the bearings, oil. i guess the confusion comes cuz we always pack grease into our wheel bearings on our trailers, but there you are dealing w/ a lot more wear/tear and the smoothness doesn't matter as much. anyway, my two and a half cents

 

http://www.tackletour.com/articlereelmaint...urecordpg2.html

Edited April 9, 2008 by goteeboy

[holdfast]

Thanks your right as to the confusion ref wheel bearings. I always thought that since the reel is sealed in grease with bearings so would the bearings in grease. Im wrong but Im glad Ive been told the proper way. Good thing I havent touched a reel since before the Balanced Rotor days.

Edited April 9, 2008 by holdfast

[Reef Runner]

WOW. Awsome post and some great how-to there.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share. It'll save some here $$$$ for sure.

[ccmtcanada]

Excellent post! I may practice on one of my reels that I no longer use to make sure I don't mess anything up on something expensive...

 

I'll be taking TONS of pictures as I take it apart though...that's great advice.

[goteeboy]

yeah, about 15 yrs ago i took apart a middle of the road shimano baitcaster and as far as i know its still apart, God rest its soul. but back then i had absolutely no idea what i was doing and no aid of the internet to read up and learn. but now i'm pretty confident that if i can take it apart, i can put it back together. i also found that my daiwa tierra spinning reel was a bit more complicated than the typical shimano.

[mepps]

nice work!

[Maverick]

Nice, I might try this with one of my crap reels, no way I'm doing that to my stradic though!!

[corvette1]

great info thanks for taking pictures that will help a lot people

[muskymike]

Nice, I might try this with one of my crap reels, no way I'm doing that to my stradic though!!

 

Going to attempt my Stradic tonight, will let you know how it goes.