Every year I clean my baitcasters, and the time has come. Unusually go over it with a toothbrush and oil to scrub off the dirt, but I was wondering how each of you clean your reels?

Walk me through your ENTIRE process, what tools, materials, and solutions do you use? What areas or parts do you target? Any tips for better performance? Let us all know!

Take reel apart. Soak bearings in acetone. Clean internals with simple green. Lube spool bearings with oil. Pack other bearings with grease. Grease on the gears. Light grease on moving parts areas. Drag grease on drag. Reassemble. Oil on worm gear. Swipe brake drum with light oil. Lube brake pins. I use Ardents reel kit, Shimano drag grease. All Shimano reels.

Every year I clean my baitcasters, and the time has come. Unusually go over it with a toothbrush and oil to scrub off the dirt, but I was wondering how each of you clean your reels?

Walk me through your ENTIRE process, what tools, materials, and solutions do you use? What areas or parts do you target? Any tips for better performance? Let us all know!

For me to post my entire routine would take at least 3 scrolls of a page here (not enough key strokes allowed).....

There are tons of books, videos, classes, online if you take the time to look..

Tight Lines!

Take reel apart. Soak bearings in acetone. Clean internals with simple green. Lube spool bearings with oil. Pack other bearings with grease. Grease on the gears. Light grease on moving parts areas. Drag grease on drag. Reassemble. Oil on worm gear. Swipe brake drum with light oil. Lube brake pins. I use Ardents reel kit, Shimano drag grease. All Shimano reels.

This except I don't use grease on any bearings, use oil on all of them.

I get mine cleaned a few at a time.  I hate to miss a nice fishing day just because all of my reels are out being serviced.

For me to post my entire routine would take at least 3 scrolls of a page here (not enough key strokes allowed).....

There are tons of books, videos, classes, online if you take the time to look..

Tight Lines!

 

 

Would you suggest a couple books.  I have one (Fishing Reel Care and Maintenance 101 by Jeff Holder).  At the time I read it the only reel I had that was in the book was a Fuego, and he didn't do a step-by-step on that reel.  I can find videos, but maybe you know of a couple that are a "must" to watch.

 

I have reach the point that I no longer can send all my reels out for regular maintenance.  Need to learn to do it myself.  Any problems tho with any reel, and I wouldn't hesitate to send that one out to a professional.

Get the reel down to the point shown in the picture, and clean every part by hand with your choice of degreaser.  Soak the bearings in solvent until clean.  Let everything dry completely. Reassemble.  Gears get a bit of grease pressed into the teeth, bearings get a drop of oil.  The worm drive gets oil.  Make sure you have the exploded diagram.  Tools: #00, #0, #1, Phillips head, 1/8" flat head, 11mm nut driver or reel handle tool, toothbrush, trimmed 1/4" paint brush for applying grease, needle oiler, spool pin pliers, and press, T-pins with bent tip for bearing puller, paper towels, pipe cleaners, Q-tips, baby food jars for the solvent.

 

Great info...but I've always been leery of taking a reel apart myself.

 

Am I the only one that always ends up with at least one screw left over after reassembling things?   

Great info...but I've always been leery of taking a reel apart myself.

 

Am I the only one that always ends up with at least one screw left over after reassembling things?   

There is a fix for that........

 

It's called working with the reels schematic, they show you were every part goes.....

 

Tight Lines!  

There is a fix for that........

 

It's called working with the reels schematic, they show you were every part goes.....

 

Tight Lines!  

 

Yeah, I get ya! I wasn't really talking about reels, per se. It is other things that there's always a left over part, things that don't always have schematics. Hence my fear of doing such with a reel. Schematic or not!, LOL

 

In which case, I'd probably look up a guy like you, with the expertise.   

Edited January 28, 201313 yr by DarrenM