Finally got some good weather today and did a little shore fishing. Caster for about 30 minutes(no fish) and my reel started to become hard to turn. This happened to me last year when I was fishing in the rain so I tore it down, cleaned and lubed the reel. Worked well up until today. Reel was not exposed to water. Also, after I flip the bail over after a cast, I can move the handle about a half inch backward. Is my anti reverse bearing going? Does anyone know what is causing the binding? The reel seems to be lubed and bearings seem Ok.

Need to get my new reel spooled up, I think this reel is on its last legs(3 years old).

Shimano has a reputation and a name among older river anglers in my area, they call them "shimbindo" . The reason being is when they get wet they bind up, I believe they solved this problem on the newer reels made in the last 8 or 10 years but the older Stradics were really bad in a light drizzle, 30 minutes after the first rain drops hit it you couldn't turn the handle, if you were wading and slipped and the reel got dunked, your day was over unless you had a spare with you.  So, did your reel get wet at some point during the day or is it bone dry and just got hard to crank? If it didn't get wet you may have a bad set of gears. BTW, I'm not bashing Shimano, they are the premier manufacturer and the binding problem was a years past event but some of the lower end reels might not have the same water tight drag and may still be subject to binding.

Shimano has a reputation and a name among older river anglers in my area, they call them "shimbindo" . The reason being is when they get wet they bind up, I believe they solved this problem on the newer reels made in the last 8 or 10 years but the older Stradics were really bad in a light drizzle, 30 minutes after the first rain drops hit it you couldn't turn the handle, if you were wading and slipped and the reel got dunked, your day was over unless you had a spare with you.  So, did your reel get wet at some point during the day or is it bone dry and just got hard to crank? If it didn't get wet you may have a bad set of gears. BTW, I'm not bashing Shimano, they are the premier manufacturer and the binding problem was a years past event but some of the lower end reels might not have the same water tight drag and may still be subject to binding.

Cleaned and relubed again this morning. Seems ok now. Still have a bit of back play in the handle. I'll see how it works out.

Don't grease the AR on Shimanos. Check the friction ring (plasic/rubber ring around the rotor base) for cracks/ weathering. Grease it up to prevent from swelling in the rain. This should have been addressed in newer models but without seeing it that's about it.

Don't grease the AR on Shimanos. Check the friction ring (plasic/rubber ring around the rotor base) for cracks/ weathering. Grease it up to prevent from swelling in the rain. This should have been addressed in newer models but without seeing it that's about it.

There is no friction ring on the Solstace. May have gotten some grease /oil on the AR bearing. I will clean and remove the lube if there is any on the bearing. Can the A R bearing be run dry?

You should use light oil on the AR. Too much lube, especially grease, will cause the AR to not work right. I dismantle mine, clean each roller, swab out the cage using a Q-tip and just soapy water (don't use corrosive solvents on the AR, the plastic parts will be damaged), and then reassemble using just a drop or two of oil only around the inside of it so all rollers are coated. Grease is too thick for this bearing and causes it to not work smoothly, and sometimes this will cause it to slip a little. With a thin oil it always works fine.

Finally got some good weather today and did a little shore fishing. Caster for about 30 minutes(no fish) and my reel started to become hard to turn. This happened to me last year when I was fishing in the rain so I tore it down, cleaned and lubed the reel. Worked well up until today. Reel was not exposed to water. Also, after I flip the bail over after a cast, I can move the handle about a half inch backward. Is my anti reverse bearing going? Does anyone know what is causing the binding? The reel seems to be lubed and bearings seem Ok.

Need to get my new reel spooled up, I think this reel is on its last legs(3 years old).

Have you ever checked the friction ring that sits right under the rotor, I have found it to be a real binding problem in all of Shimano spinning reels... The old black poly rings stretch out and will after a few cast start to ball up under the rotor. I would check there and if it is lose order a new one from Shimano it should be blue now and a differant material (silicon I think)..

 

Good LUck & Tight Lines!