REEL MAINTENANCE – SPINNING REEL

This article was published in the November 2002 issue of Rod And Line fishing magazine.

In my many years of fishing, I have seen all sorts of characters fishing with all types of reels in various condition of neglect. Some would give off a grinding sound when cranked. Others looked as though they were going to fall apart at any moment. It was a wonder how the anglers could keep on using them.

Use a tray to organize the parts to prevent losing them. A discarded egg tray is very handy.

To me a smooth and well-serviced reel is an ecstasy to use. You do not feel exhausted spinning the whole day. The most important thing is when you were locked on to a whopper. You do not have to divide your concentration worrying about whether it will let you down or otherwise.

There were also some “friends” who came complaining that their reels were not working properly. When confronted, they would swear on their ancestors’ graves that they have never opened the reel before. The funny thing was that the reel that they had ‘never opened before’ had parts fitted in all the wrong places. Some even had their shafts, springs or pins bent out of shape. How they chose to buy a reel that was not working properly in the first place is beyond my comprehension. I had also come across reels (costing four figures) so corroded and fused by saltwater that I had to use a plastic mallet to know them apart!

A safety pin is handy for keeping the parts in their proper sequence.

I am not claiming to be an expert in reel maintenance. But when you see many beautiful and expensive reels being ruined by neglect or clumsy dismantling, I feel it is my duty to share whatever little knowledge that I have with our readers. At least we can pass our time fruitfully during off seasons.

Every reel comes with a schematic diagram. Do keep yours, as it can be very useful.

To start off, I would like to choose the spinning reel, as it is the most widely used reel around this region. The number of models of spinning reels in the market is mind-boggling. Some are quite cheap, while others may cost thousands. No matter what price of the reel is they somehow work on almost the same principle with some refinements here and there.

Always remember to keep your reels well lubricated and clean after every trip. Spray a coat of WD40 or any water repellant spray before and after an outing. (Bear in mind though, some water repellants are harmful to some PVC). At least once a year, do strip it down for a total overhaul. If you are using it for saltwater fishing then the strip down should be more frequent.

Before we start to strip our reels we should have some of the things listed below.

Turn the knob anti-clockwise to unscrew. Pull out the spool and remove the drag washers for cleaning and oiling.

THINGS TO HAVE

A:  Have a tray ready so that you can keep all the parts in their proper places. The tray will save you a lot of heartaches looking parts that suddenly sprout legs.

B:  Please do use proper tools for the job at hand. The screwdriver should fit snugly in the screw slot or else damage will occur and thus lowering the resale value of your reel.

C:  Proper solvent should be used to clean the grease and grimes from your reel. I normally use kerosene of petrol. Petrol will dry totally, but will leave a layer of additives on your reel parts, while kerosene must be wipe dry. One way of overcoming this problem is just dip it in spirit after cleaning with kerosene. Never use thinner, as the corrosive nature of thinner will damage the rubber parts, paintworks and plastic in your reel. Be careful when using these solvents as they are very flammable. Use them in the open as the circulation of air is better.

D:  A good stiff paint brush is very useful in getting rid of sand, grease and grits from your reel parts. The fine bristles can reach into most crevices.

E:  To lubricate spinning reel bearings, I normally use light oil with molybdenum disulfide. As for grease, those with molybdenum disulfide are my preferred ones. This grease is to be used on the shafts, gears and other moving parts that encounter a lot of friction.

F:  Have a roll of toilet tissue handy. They are good absorbent of solvent and are soft enough to be used for cleaning the bodywork.

G:  A big safety pin or any other device to help keep washers, nuts or bearings in their proper sequence is very helpful to have around.

After removing the ratchet gear and washers , unscrew the hexagonal nut to take out the rotor.

Uncover the bail arm spring to clean and grease. Remember to grease the bail-tripping lever at the bottom.

Unscrew all the screws and detach the side cover of the reel. To remove main shaft, unscrew the small screw "X" holding it to the oscillating slider.

The drive gear, oscillating gear and slider can now be removed.

DISASSEMBLING THE REEL

1.       Remove the drag knob and pull out the spool.

2.       Slowly take out the cir-clips and then the drag washers from the spools. Soak in solvent, dry thoroughly and apply oil or grease (depending on the make of the reel). Do make sure they are arrange in their proper order before putting them back in.

3.       To detach the rotor, first pull out the ratchet gear and washer. Unscrew the hexagonal nut holding the rotor before pulling out the rotor.

4.       Open the cover of the bail arm spring. Clean and grease. (Be careful with the spring. Once it springs out you will have a hard time finding it).) Oil all moving parts.

5.       Remove the reel handle, clean and oil.

6.       Detach side cover plate.

7.       Unscrew the screw holding the shaft to the oscillating slider. Detach shaft and the slider. Clean and grease.

8.       After the shaft has been removed then only can the drive gear be taken out. Clean the gear, bearings and then apply grease and oil.

9.       To access the main shaft bearing and the anti-reverse bearing, unscrew the cover situated on the front of the real body.

10.   The anti-reverse roller bearing needs to be clean and grease too.

11.   To re-assemble, reverse all the steps taken.

Unscrew the cover to remove the main bearing, anti reverse bearing and the rotor drive shaft.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

a.       All moving parts must be oiled or greased to prevent metal to metal contact. This will reduce friction and dissipate heat thus prolonging the life of all parts.

b.      All springs, cir-clips and the likes must be treated with care. Once misplace or should they spring out accidentally, a lot of time will be wasted looking for them. Replacement is difficult to procure.

c.       All reels come with schematic diagrams in their boxes. Please keep yours, as it will save you a lot of time and heartaches when assembling your reel.

d.      Screws must not be over tightened as the threads are very easily stripped.

e.      All exposed bearings must be cleaned thoroughly so as to remove sand and grits. They must be totally dry before oiling or else the solvent will thin the oil too much to be of any use.

f.        Sealed maintenance free bearings are exactly what the name implies. Please do not clean with solvent as it might seep into the bearing compartment rendering the lubricant useless.

g.       To check for the proper working condition of the bearing, put a pencil through it and spin the bearing. The bearing should spin smoothly. Should there be any grating sound then it should be cleaned and oiled properly. In case there is not improvement, the bearing concerned should be replaced.

h.      Please bear in mind the grease and oil  are there to:

i)                    Prevent metal to metal contact

ii)                   Dissipate heat

iii)                 Prevent rust.

iv)                 Stop water from coming into contact with metal or washers.  

Bail roller bearing. Make sure the roller turns after reassembly.