First of all, let me say thank you. This place is such a useful site. I am usually checking it every day.

My question is about my Sahara. This is the first reel I've ever done maitenance on, and it's discouraging. I took it apart yesterday, like the Shimano website tells me to, and I cleaned everything up with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. I applied some lube to the berrings in the handle, and on the roller arm.

I went out fishing last night and the handle was giving me problems. At some times it was perfect, and then it would just stick. I would have to apply a good amount of pressure to make the reel turn, and at other times it sounded like something was grinding in there.

What should I do? Is it appropriate to just pour water through the hole that appears when I take the handle out?

I just want my reel to be smooth again!

Thanks guys for all the help advice.

Do NOT pour water through or intentionally dunk any reel to alleviate noise. You may mask it for a while but that's it. Spinning reels are no piece of cake to work on. Those videos are ok but as you can see, they don't tell the whole story. My suggestion is to not use it any more until it is fixed. I strongly suggest sending it to an experienced technician to diagnose and correct the problem. I'll be happy to take a look if you'd like. If you insist on DIY, I'll do my best to help you work through it but it's really hard without seeing, hearing and feeling what's going on.

Bearing(s)