I got a JDM Met B a few months ago and loved it so much i bought another 1.  I used it for weightless senkos and everything felt ok.  A few days ago I tied a crankbait on it and noticed that when its under load it feels really geary which it shouldnt.  I didnt notice it all when I had first got it, but it could have been because I wasnt putting much load on it with weightless senkos.  I was really hoping it was just a dry bearing but after adding a little oil nothing changed.  Since its a JDM I have no warranty in the US so I'm hesitant on sending it to Shimano.  Has anyone else experienced this? What do you guys think it could be and who should I send it to? 

Contact the seller. Explain what is happening and see what they say. I have zero experience with that specific reel, but that doesn’t sound normal or right   

Sight unseen it’s impossible to say for certain if it’s right or not. Lightweight reels with light gears will transmit some feel and sound under load though. You can send it here if you feel it needs attention. Best before thanksgiving or after January 1st. 

if it feels geary under load, guessing gears or pinion bearings. impossible to tell without having hands on it. Either way, it's not a difficult fix. If it's new, explain it to the JDM vendor. If they deny it, the fix isn't terribly expensive. 

3 hours ago, Rusty_Shackleford said:

I got a JDM Met B a few months ago and loved it so much i bought another 1.  I used it for weightless senkos and everything felt ok.  A few days ago I tied a crankbait on it and noticed that when its under load it feels really geary which it shouldnt.  I didnt notice it all when I had first got it, but it could have been because I wasnt putting much load on it with weightless senkos.  I was really hoping it was just a dry bearing but after adding a little oil nothing changed.  Since its a JDM I have no warranty in the US so I'm hesitant on sending it to Shimano.  Has anyone else experienced this? What do you guys think it could be and who should I send it to? 

I have a handful of both JDM and USDM Mets. I would not consider heavy cranking a strength of this reel in any model.

 

Having said that, tell me more details about rod, line, and bait setup and I will see if I can recreate the problem with one of my Mets. 

5 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Sight unseen it’s impossible to say for certain if it’s right or not. Lightweight reels with light gears will transmit some feel and sound under load though. You can send it here if you feel it needs attention. Best before thanksgiving or after January 1st.

I bought the second JDM Met B because I loved how solid it felt.  The second Met B doesnt feel horrible, but its not as smooth as the 1st one I bought a few months ago.  It feels more like a Penn then a Shimano.  I didn't notice it at first, but I was only throwing weightless senkos untill a couple days ago.  Hard to say if was just a defect or if something happened in the short time Ive had it.  I've babied both of the Met Bs, both look mint.  They are cased when not in use and neither of the reels have taken any hits or falls.  Damage during shipping is possible, but they were packed well and both boxes arrived in great shape. 

If you just had to replace the pinion bearing do you have a rough esimate of how long it would take to get it back? It would be coming from South Jersey....Thanks for taking the time respond

3 hours ago, CFDoc said:

I have a handful of both JDM and USDM Mets. I would not consider heavy cranking a strength of this reel in any model.

 

Having said that, tell me more details about rod, line, and bait setup and I will see if I can recreate the problem with one of my Mets. 

I never said anything about heavy cranking.  I think the reason I didn't notice it was because an unweighted senko has little resistance and the majority of the time I'm using the rod to move the bait and the reel is just taking up slack or semi slack line.  I was throwing a 1/4oz swim jig today and it still felt geary.  Don't worry about trying to recreate it, the rod, line and other variables have nothing to do with it.  Ive used my other Met B which is the 7.1:1 to rip 3/8 and 1/2 bladed jigs and its been great.  Im actually having trouble with the 6.2:1 Met B which in theory should have more torque from the lower ratio.

14 minutes ago, Rusty_Shackleford said:

I never said anything about heavy cranking.  I think the reason I didn't notice it was because an unweighted senko has little resistance and the majority of the time I'm using the rod to move the bait and the reel is just taking up slack or semi slack line.  I was throwing a 1/4oz swim jig today and it still felt geary.  Don't worry about trying to recreate it, the rod, line and other variables have nothing to do with it.  Ive used my other Met B which is the 7.1:1 to rip 3/8 and 1/2 bladed jigs and its been great.  Im actually having trouble with the 6.2:1 Met B which in theory should have more torque from the lower ratio.

 

I saw you mention a crank bait and assumed it may have been a diver of the heavier type.

 

But if you’ve got two Mets and they behave differently, then you definitely don’t need us to tell you somethings wrong. Send it to DVT or Reel-ex and get it checked out.

I had a similar issue with my Antares A. I took it apart and re-greased the gears with Cal's drag grease and it smoothed it out. 

1 hour ago, Rusty_Shackleford said:

I bought the second JDM Met B because I loved how solid it felt.  The second Met B doesnt feel horrible, but its not as smooth as the 1st one I bought a few months ago.  It feels more like a Penn then a Shimano.  I didn't notice it at first, but I was only throwing weightless senkos untill a couple days ago.  Hard to say if was just a defect or if something happened in the short time Ive had it.  I've babied both of the Met Bs, both look mint.  They are cased when not in use and neither of the reels have taken any hits or falls.  Damage during shipping is possible, but they were packed well and both boxes arrived in great shape. 

If you just had to replace the pinion bearing do you have a rough esimate of how long it would take to get it back? It would be coming from South Jersey....Thanks for taking the time respond

It could be 48 hr turn around if pre scheduled. The pinion bearing issue is a bit of an “anglers myth” in my experience. It could be as simple as the type and amount of grease used. Gear sets are pricy to change. I hesitate to recommend that unless visible damage is present. Again, I’d reserve definite diagnosis until I see it. 

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

It could be 48 hr turn around if pre scheduled. The pinion bearing issue is a bit of an “anglers myth” in my experience. It could be as simple as the type and amount of grease used. Gear sets are pricy to change. I hesitate to recommend that unless visible damage is present. Again, I’d reserve definite diagnosis until I see it.

I knew it would be almost impossible to give any kind of accurate time estimate until you have the reel.  I was hoping it would be a bearing issue, but I don't think it is.  I can live with it, but its irritating.  The guy who usually works on my Shimano is in Florida he may not be back until mid December.  There are 2 more guys that are some what local, but I've never dealt with them directly.  I should know 4 sure by this weekend.  Thanks again.

Its not a tick like you feel in a spinning reel when the pinion is in certain position, its just geary.