Reel maintenance tips

georgiasportsman · October 14th, 2004, 10:57 am

Can anyone share their after trip routine for maintaning their reels? I have a Shimano Stradic and a couple of Shimano baitcasters. Where should you apply oil? How often?

Post by **Atticus** » October 14th, 2004, 12:23 pm

Will this link work for you???

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpbb/vie ... php?t=3391

I don't know about oiling, I guess it depends on the reel, check out the owner's manual or grab one from the manufacturer on line and see what they suggest.

Post by **Atticus** » October 14th, 2004, 12:29 pm

Check this out from the Penn web site-

http://www.pennreels.com/servicenotes.htm

georgiasportsman · Post by **georgiasportsman** » October 14th, 2004, 5:05 pm

Thanks for the info Atticus. I normally spray mine down with a hose, but I never thought about it driving salt and particles further into the reel. I think I'll just start using the 5 gallon bucket of water and then use some CRC or WD40. I'm a firm believer in Shimano reels. I have Shimano Citica that I have used for 10 years (in freshwater) and it is still one of my favorite reels. I just want to make sure I keep them them working after saltwater use.

Post by **Chalk** » October 14th, 2004, 7:27 pm

I like to soak mine in a bucket of water......Becareful with the WD40...It can cause cast control problems...It's quick and simple..But it has caused me some trouble on my new Abu's.....I think my problem was too much...the spool smoked my thumb a few times

Here's a good breakdown maintenance page I found.....
I'm gonna order some of Rocket fuel, I'll let you know how it works out...
http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T142.htm

Post by **Tom Keels** » October 14th, 2004, 8:31 pm

DO NOT USE WD40 ON REELS.

It will desolve the grease and cause it to become gummy. Use a silicone based spray such as corrosion X or reel magic for spraying the outside of the reels after rinsing in a soft flow of water.

Use 3 & 1 oil on the bearings and penn reel lube on the gears.

Post by **Chalk** » October 15th, 2004, 7:40 am

The further I get away from the initial spray of WD40 the better my reels act...So I'm not doing it anymore.... Iâ€™m using 3-1 on the bearings and Abu grease for the gears....

I have been reading about distance casting a lot this week, why, I don't know...Some of the oils they are using is 3-1, Marvel Mystery Oil, AMSOIL, Mobile 1 and Rocket Fuel.... Use lighter fluid or brake cleaner to clean the bearings and only add a drop or two of oil....

Interesting side note, I sat next to an engineer on my last trip to the great north. One class project they did was viscosity break down of "off the shelf" oil.... Guess who won, Mobile 1.... He said they couldn't get it to break down...Guess what failed first, Castrol.... I being a Castrol user for years am thinking about a change.... Interesting

When you buy a new reel the bearing comes packed with grease, because the manufacture doesn't expect folks to do annual PM on their reels and do not want extra warranty repair...

The bearings will work better with oil, not grease, but will require more TLC...

leonreno · Post by **leonreno** » October 17th, 2004, 3:55 pm

Do not use WD40 as it is a slovent and leaves a oily film that does not really help in lubrication of ball bearings and gears. I rinse my reels off with slow moving water such as out of a hose with no nossle or a sing faucet. Below are some links for reel cleaning.

http://www.lakeforktacklerepair.com/techniques.htm

http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T179.htm

http://www.heartlandtackleservice.com/articles.htm