Reel cleaning and super tuning

[TCook]

I am thinking about doing this myself for the first time and was looking for any advice or instructions on how to fully clean and re-lube baitcasters and spinning. What is the best cleaner, oil, grease, and are there any specialized tools I will need? Will I need to take apart the bearings at all to get them clean? I also wanted to attempt to super tune my baitcasters. What are all the friction areas I need to polish and what do you recommend to do the job properly? I might decide this to be to risky and go with a professional instead but thought I would ask here first to see if its worth attempting myself.

[jim 2row]

I dont think I would be much help, cause all I do is take side plate off and clean. Then put drops of the quantum hot sauce on yhe bearings. Fish every weekend and havent had any problems. Knock on wood. The cool thing about it is I like the bps pro qualifier reels so they are cheap. Ive got some expensive reels still like them the best. Baitcasters that is. Hope you get some good replies I would like to read them too.

[fiker]

This is what I know, which isn't a whole lot, but it's all I know.
First, I, and several members on the board highly recommend another member, ReelMan.  He does a great job at a fair price. 
But if you're committed to doing it yourself this is what I think I know.
Taking reels apart is usually quite easy.  It's the getting them back together correctly that's the rub.
I purchased a reel cleaning kit from Cabelas.  I'm sure BPS, and Gander Mountain probably have the same kit.  It comes in a little case with the oil, the grease, cleaning solvent, a screwdriver or two, a cleaning cloth, and some Q tips.  I believe it also has a tooth brush like brush in there too.   Cost was around $20 a couple of years ago.  I thought that this was a pretty inexpensive way to try it out.  I've also seen the replacement lubes at different stores should you run out. 
I've learned that this "You Tube" thing is a great tool.  You can search almost anything and get a video on how to do it.  If not, Internet research works decent too.
Most decent reels come with a schematic diagram.  These can be used for replacement part ID's, and aid in how to put it back together. 
A digital camera isn't a bad idea either.  Taking pictures as you take the reel apart also helps when it comes time to put it back together.
Gears should be greased, and bearings should be oiled.  Grease sparingly, and oil even more so.  Too much lube is not a good thing.
Do Not use WD 40.  It just breaks down the correct lubes that are in the reel.  I've been told it does more harm than good.
My Johnny Morris bait caster comes apart weird.  I don't know if other BPS reels do or not.  There is a little trick utilizing the star drag on how to remove the handle.  I think the papers that came with the reel told how.
It's nice to have a place where you can take the reel apart, lay it out in sequential order, and leave it for later if need be.  Unfortunately my only place is the Kitchen table.  So, once I start, I can't be interrupted.
I work on my bait casters (Curado Bantams) and find them fairly easy to clean.  I take them down quite far to do routine maintenance.  My spinning reels I don't do very much on.  I've been told that if you don't know what you're doing, then don't take them apart.  A few drops here and there of oil, and an external cleaning is all that I do on them.
I wouldn't mind going to school though to learn more about reel maintenance and repair.
But, when all else fails, contact Reel Man through the message board here on GLB.  He'll take care of you.
Oh, and one last piece of advice.  Take your time.  If you do it now, you've about 4 months to get things back together.

[t-bone]

There was a good explanation of how to clean and lube baitcasters in the last Bass Pros TV program that my DVR recorded. I saved it to watch again.

This youtube video by Shimano describes the same process -

There are more in this series but I think this first video gives you a good start

Admin: you can watch this video on GreatLakesBass.com Video Service right here too if you like: http://www.greatlakesbass.com/vid/video/ZLpO74dWuoE/SHIMANO-REEL-MAINTENANCE-PART-1.html

[thedude]

there is some good info on tackle-tour's forums here:
http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewforum.php?f=37

also, this website is pretty good for super-tuning:
http://super-tuning.home.mindspring.com/s1.html


i went through a few reels last year and replaced bearings and cleaned them thoroughly - few things i notice is that manufacturers and previous owners alike go a little overboard with the grease. Get some brake cleaner to clean that up. Actually had one reel i bought new that they had greased the anti-reverse sleeve and bearings.... 

also - mike's reel repair sells stainless abec-7 bearings in a 10 pack for like 25 bucks... well worth the money if you're bearings are dire straights.  That's enough to do 3 reels - and since you have mostly shimanos - they are a very popular sized bearing.
http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/product_info.php?cPath=47_48_137&products_id=6344

[TCook]

Thanks dude that was the link I was looking for with super tuning, does not look that difficult. Would it really be worth replacing the bearings in curados and chronarchs though, I dont think I need to go that far. Then again maybe that would be easier then taking apart the closed bearings without damaging them, it looks tricky.

[TCook]

There was a good explanation of how to clean and lube baitcasters in the last Bass Pros TV program that my DVR recorded. I saved it to watch again.

This youtube video by Shimano describes the same process -

There are more in this series but I think this first video gives you a good start

Ya I seen that but was just regular upkeep he was explaining and I know how to do all that. I want to fully take apart my reels and clean and relube everything including the bearings without messing anything up.

[thedude]

i don't think you want to deal with taking bearings apart. If you can do it - you might want to become a jewler or watchmaker! They are pretty tiny. You might try soaking them in something like brake cleaner and then thoroughly rinsing them with high-pressure aerosol (brake cleaner again comes to mind) or air compressor and then re-oiling. I've never done it, but for 8$ a reel i'd just put new ones in - or at least replace the ones that sound iffy.

[Cy]

Tim,

I have been trying to decide the same thing....send them out or do them myself....I don't know yet.

You don't want to take apart shielded bearing.  You can however soak with in some type of solvent, blow them dry with compressed air and then lube them with something good.  From what I have read, most Shimano reels are factory equipped with good bearing...ABEC 5 or better.  Unless they are making noise I wouldn't replace them.

[REEL_MAN]

Tim,
I've been working on reels for just a few years (20+) and would recommend that don't start with your best reel!!! I will give you a couple of tips: a little lube is better than to much, get a needle oiler to apply oil to bearings. If you have oil that came with the reel such as Shimano supplies use it, the manf. wouldn't send something that wasn't designed for their product. Don't use the red hot sauce (shimano will not warrent reels with hot sauce) over time it will gum the bearings and the grease gets hard (I won't sell it in the shop). Another thing to watch for are the "G springs", when a spring flies off your going to say " Gee I wonder where that spring went"

Good luck, and if you need help PM me

REELMAN
<))))>{

[Frank]

I always enjoyed doing my own reels.  I did it for many years, one at a time, all 2 or 3 of them.  It took me a few hours, but it is relaxing and fun to do in the winter.  I now have 12 reels minimum, it's not so much fun anymore.  I figured it out this way, I can stay at work as long as it takes me to do 4 reels and earn enough to pay someone else to do them all.  It's worth doing one or two just for fun, but don't suck up your whole weekend.  Thats precious time I use to put back together all of the lures I broke in the summer.

Frank

[djkimmel]

Did he say G strings...??

[t-bone]

When a G-String flies off, I never wonder "Gee I wonder where that went". At least not until the morning!

[fiker]

Sometimes you guys just make me laugh out loud.




But seriously, I have wondered where that spring went when it flew out of the reel.

[TCook]

Well I super tuned my first reel last night, came out pretty good dispite being a little more tricky than I expected. Although Im not convinced it makes much of a difference on the newer shimanos that are already super free. Think I will focus on cleaning and relubing and upgrade a few with boca orange seals, just waiting for the stuff to get here.

[karol]

 your reels wear out from all the 5lb smallies you're catching right?

guess mine will last for a while then course i live in indiana so not much hope for me. wait!! we don't have season for bass!! haa haa

it's not so bad being a hoosier

[djkimmel]

karol, just figure out the South end of Lake Michigan a little and you'll be supertuning your reels before you know it. As far as the springs that fly, I always started by figuring out how far I thought it flew and then immediately look at least 3 times farther away.

Some reels are fairly easy to get at the key stuff, but there are definitely some that require some type of fishing reel PHD to take apart and put back together having them ever work correctly again. If I slllooowwly start to take one apart and something is catching even a little. I stop and put it back together writing that particular one off the do-it-yourself list.

[REEL_MAN]

Dan the problrm is the little catch after you put it bach together, oh and the extra part you find

[djkimmel]

I just pretend I don't see that extra part. Look ma... no part.

[thedude]

I just pretend I don't see that extra part. Look ma... no part.

my father in law was telling me about a plane his dad built in their garage when he was a kid. He had a coffee can of spare bolts left over when he was done.... LOL.

Plane worked great apparently and therefore, in comparison, what are a few extra pieces of a reel gonna do?