Carbontex drag upgrade/Bearing upgrade

[joe55398]

So I just ordered orange seal BOCA bearings for my Curado 201 E7 which is a few years old now. The bearing swap seems pretty simple, anyone done this? Did you see a large improvement? I have cleaned and oiled the reel every year ive had it.

The other thing I was considering was upgrading to Carbontex drag washers, now this requires quite a bit more skill and I'm afraid ill have the reel taken apart and not be able to get it back together. Has anyone done this? Can it be done by a novice? Was it worth the cost/work?

I think it's worth $40 now to add years/performance to a reel, how did your "super-tuning" go? Was it worth it?

Thanks in advance

Joe

[M1dwestF1sh]

I did the drag washers on my revos. I'd think those would be easier than the bearings! You do have to take the reel apart but I've always taken them apart to clean them. Just watch a YouTube video and take a lot of pictures the first time you take it apart so you know how to put it back together.

[MuskieFever]

Take a look at this video:

This is what I referenced for cleaning. I swapped the drag washers on my musky reels last year and am very happy with the result.

[slipperybob]

One trick to help keep things in order is use egg carton when you remove parts. That way you know you will be putting them back in sequence.

Spool bearing upgrades - always love it, make your casting run so much smoother and more consistent. That goes to help increase your accuracy and even putting less effort into your casting to still get the same casting distance.

There's not (always) a huge improvement, but there is an improvement. Just depends on how you feel about things.

[delmuts]

Always have a schematic for THAT reel before you take it apart. Even when laying things out in order; it's nice to be able to refer to it.

[TKaai]

From what I've read, "super-tuning" a reel is more than upgrading the drag and bearings. You clean and apply new grease and lube and you polish all the friction points which are the inside of the pinion gear, the insert in the friction cap, the spool shaft area that contacts the pinion gear, and the brass part that the friction brakes rub against. Some people even run through some kind of compound in the gearing to get them as smoothly meshing as possible. On spinning reels the line roller bearing is sometimes replaced.

[joe55398]

Thanks for the input, I'm not planning on going too crazy, ill clean out everything I can and apply new grease/oil where applicable and hopefully get everything back together with out throwing all the pieces out the window. Ill check the free spool time before and after and post the results. My friends and I have a reel cleaning party (beer drinking and B.S. ing) every spring, ill update after that.

[slipperybob]

You can almost tell by just free spinning your bearings. When you get around to cleaning your reels.

[corncob]

I have found that often way too much grease and or oil are used on reels . Only a small amount of both go a long way. Ceramic bearings can be run with no lubrication , but are a little noisy unlubed. Shimano is notorious for overlubing gears on their new reels.

[RK]

Hiya -

By and large you get as noticeable a difference from a good cleaning unless you really go to town polishing centrifugal brake races, spool shaft ends, etc. Most reels are over-lubed to begin with. Well-cleaned and properly-lubed, most stock bearings actually aren't too bad. It's amazing how much crud comes out of a bearing if you soak it in acetone for 24 hours. (Talking spool bearings. Soaking an A/R bearing in acetone is a Very Bad Idea.) Ultrasonic cleaners are even better.

That having been said, some applications like finesse baitcasting, pitching, etc., can benefit from a bearing upgrade. If you're talking about a reel you use to bomb 1/2 oz spinnerbaits or something, it might be less worthwhile.

Carbontex washers are actually really easy to install and are a good improvement if you have a sticky or jittery drag. I've never had issues with my Curado drag personally - been smooth as can be. Just keep the washers cleaned and lube them with a VERY LIGHT coat of either Shimano or Cal's drag grease. Some people run Carbontex washers dry, but they can stick to the brass gears sometimes. I prefer a light coat of grease. Basically, put the grease on then wipe it all off and it's good to go.

HTH.

RK

[cruiseforever]

Some good pointers here on cleaning a reel.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/supertune-baitcaster.html

[joe55398]

Thanks everyone for the input, I used your links and advice. The task was a success, I replaced the bearings and drag on my Curado and the free spool and "smoothness" is significantly improved. Of course I didn't do official times before and after but the free spool time before was roughly 10 seconds or so before and the after approaching 1 minute. We'll see if that makes a big difference in use. The reel really wasn't too bad on the inside after 4 or so years of use (see below). The bad news is I also disassembled my other Shimano reels for cleaning and re-lube and one didn't quite get together correctly. So only one out of 5 needs a trip to wayzata bait and tackle. Not great if your a brain surgeon but for my first time completely disassembling reels im ok with the results.

Before:

Durring:

After:

[corncob]

I just hate it when you have extra parts.......I did the same thing with my curado, and , had to have it reassembled.