Reel Repair/Lube

[mtreno]

ok i need some help - seems like all my reels are doing the same thing and i am sure its my fault.

Daiwa Luna's - four of the five i own all sound like i am rubbin sand paper when reelin in. i took them apart. cleaned everything i could see. bought some "reel butter" greased everything i could see. everthing seemed great but know after a few days of fishing its like i am right back where i started. am i missing something? what all should be done? is reel butter a good product?

also having the smae issue with two garcia c4's and a brand new csi7000. the c4's were cleaned and "buttered". the 7000 is new this season. any thoughts?

also - why the heck did they all go down at once - i think i have a fishing reel trol in my garage.....

[propster]

Because of the coincidence of it happening to all your reels at once, I'd say even though you took 'em down all the way and cleaned them, there's some sand or dirt got in them somewhere. Most likely culprit is right at the edge of the spool where it contacts the main frame. Second would be on the shaft, especially where it goes into the hole on the end. If you can try taking one all the way apart again, wipe everything off and maybe even take an air compressor to it, then grease and or lightly oil and see if that works on one reel you could determine whether to try it on all. Good luck - I know it's several hours work on that many reels.

[mtreno]

air compressor - that could be the hint i needed. as i stated i wiped the best i could but that may get more grime out of there. i will start with one tonight.

any other thoughts let me here them -

thanks propster!

[Rebel9921]

Yep... air compressor to really get into those teeny tiny areas... and BLOW everything OUT after you dismantle the reel... Just dont lose track of where goes where... or lose a part... I just hope that nothing has gotten into the bearings... because if it did... You're better off replacing them... Sand can be fine enough to creep into the tiniest opening... If you do take the air compressor to the bearings... make sure you repack the bearings with grease... using something similar like strong thin rubber sticks or wood stick to help with packing the grease...

I also believe that there are some solvents that would help with grease/oil removal but I dont remember exactly what it is... Hope someone else can chime in with that...

[machohorn]

Try using carb cleaner. use the straw and blow stuff out. It will disolve just about anyting yet leave a clean surface. works great on small stuff.

[propster]

Mtreno, any luck getting one back in good working order?

[polarsusd81]

Isopropyl Alcohol works best to break down the grease and grime in the reels in my experience. I don't really want my reels to smell like carb cleaner when I am done. I have found The best way to clean bearings is to soak them about 5 minutes or so in IPA, then put the bearing on the end of a wooden pencil, spin to feel for any grime and resoak for 5 more minutes. Once you get them out, you can repack them with grease, but some bearings are dry runners, so a check with Diawa customer service might not be a bad idea. You can get some micro tiny sand particles in there and it can ruin bearings. I just went through the cleaning on all of my shimanos this spring and they are performing great now. Even fixed a broken citica with a little time and diagnostics. I wouldn't suggest compressed air unless you really know your way around inside the reel. There are some small components in there that you don't want to blow out of place.

Nice thing about IPA is that once it dries, you don't really smell it much at all, and after a couple hours, there is no smell anymore.

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

I also believe that there are some solvents that would help with grease/oil removal but I dont remember exactly what it is...

don't know if you mean a propietory or a garage mix but i use a mixure of 70% naptha and 30% mineral spirits on everything from reels to door locks to engine parts.. naptha can be used straight but dries real fast. the spirits give it more working time. basicly it's the same as a parts washer tub solvent. then refresh it with the mineral spirits straight to relieve the smell, or dawn dish soap and warm/hot water then air compressor. hope that helps.