I need some info on cleaning reels. Like should i take them apart and add some oil or what should i do in the winter months to get them to stay smooth and keep them clean? What kind of oil works best? Anyone have any pics showing things to do?

Check out the Reel Mechanic's web site.

Great place to visit from time to time.

Be sure to have the schematic of the reel when you go to clean it, especially if it is a baitcaster.

Have a clean, open place on your desk, table or bench so you can place the small screws and parts in order so you can put them back. You may want to have a clean white wash cloth to place the parts or a clean rag.

Check with the Reel Mechanic and he can tell you what parts get the grease and which ones get the oil.

If you are in doubt, have a professional clean them for you or send them to the Reel Mechanic in Kansas City.

With baitcasters, turn the drag until it is totally off and you may also want to releive the pressure on the spool.  By relieving the pressure on the drag you reduce the chance of damaging the drag breaks (there are two of them back to back or face to face) in your handle.

And be careful when removing the handle.  Certain reels have screws while others you have to push the reel's handle in and then reel it backwards. Some Shimano and Flooger baitcaster models can be very different when removing the handles so be careful.

Wash reels in in cold water, dry and put in a cool, dry place for the winter after you use them for the summer and fall. I keep mine in a drawer in my "office-fishing room" during the summer.

Remover all reels from the rods when not in use, too.

You may want to put some greese on the pawl below the baitcasters' line guide after you clean it with a clean Q-Tip. Not too much but you can see how to grease it by looking at the reel.

Just be careful if you take the reel apart as you can misplace those little parts very easily.  

And one more thought....have a tweezers ready to help remove the small screws and other parts.

The "bearings" may not be "round" so don't get excited if you do not see the number of bearings the reel is supposed to have.

Also, when in the reel, check out the plastic gears to make sure they are not damaged.

A little oil goes a long way, too.

Grease on the major moving gears and oil the other parts.

Then have fun putting it back together.  ;D   ;D   ;D

Yeah, get a good idea of what you need to do before you start. You can easily over-do it. A little oil goes a long way. And, you only oil certain parts. Just a drop on the parts that move fast and grease on the gears. I like Quantum Hot Sauce products because it's colored red and easy to see.

ya i have heard that hot sauce is really good.

hot sauce is good on the quantums it comes on. as im sure youre about to read, alot of people dont like it at all on other reels. :

ya i have heard that hot sauce is really good.

Reel Mech just rolled over in his grave and he isn't even dead!!

I've got it on a Daiwa with no ill effect after a year.  Just wanted to see what the deal was.  From what I can tell, it has only stained some of the gears.  Interesting, NO QUANTUM that I have serviced has hot sauce oil or grease in it.  Maybe they use it now, but not in anything from the past year or so.

Dirt!

When you put grease on the outside of your reels you have to be careful to avoid as much dust, dirt and grime as it will stick to the grease.

If you can, put a plastic bag over the baitcaster and rod handle. It looks terrible but it works.

Now, where do you pick up dirt, grime and dust?  In the car/truck; on shore; in your garage; outside.  Usually, not much will accumulate on your boat while fishing.

So use that grease sparingly and always check reels for dust, dirt and grime after you go fishing and before you go fishing.  

ya i have heard that hot sauce is really good.

That's funny.

so what brand does everyone use for oil?

I use the ABU oil and grese foung on the peg boards in Wal Mart

I am going to clean a reel for my first time this week. I bought the penn oil and grease (it is a penn reel). Since Penn is most popular for their salt water reels I figured their oil and grease is made to hold up under salt water conditions. But i could be completely wrong. Hopefullt someone will LMK if i am.

anyone else have any opinions on what kind of oil and grease to use?

here is a question? Where does the grease go and what do you oil? Do you only grease the gears?

If RM were here he would say "If you are going to break down the reel to oil it then you need to clean it first, because it doesn't do any good to lubricate a reel over old grease and oil"...

With a clean reel, grease the teeth of the main drive gear and force the grease down into the cuts to the base of the teeth, and oil everywhere else remembering "LESS IS BEST"..

Only one drop oil in the bearings (whether or not they are spool support or crank assembly).

Hope this helps....

so you do put some oil on the bearing like if you flip the reel over and look you can see some bearing's. You can put a drop of oil in there right? Does anyone have any pictures to better show what gets oil and what gets grease? That would be a big help.

What reel? Model and Make...........

I know on my reels if I turn them over I don't see bearings I see the bottom of the reel foot..

like say a revo S or SX or a Quantum Accurist?

Please don't take this as a put down but man from what I've read here , you had better leave well enough alone and have a professional break down and clean your reels.

if you take youor time and do it carefully, you can clean and grease your main gear in your accurist by unscrewing your spool tension knob off and carefully using a toothpick and a brush to apply.

this is super tedious though and ive decided to just let someone do it from now on.

my diawa was easier to get apart... but a complete pita to put back together. so ive stopped that. i basically just oil mine now and sometime mid spring when hes less busy, let a guy do the yearly maitanence.

so bass brat no one ever showed you how to do anything you just picked it up with out any help.

so bass brat no one ever showed you how to do anything you just picked it up with out any help.

After reading all of the above post I have come to the following conclusion.

Do not attempt to break down your reels without the factory exploded view of each reel. You will never get them back together correctly.

That being said the only way to learn is to jump in to it. Just have someone knowledgeable that can help you get them back together.

I carried more than my share to the shop to have them reassembled after I screwed them up years ago. Hopefully someone will let you watch and learn.

Good Luck.

ya i have someone that will show me that is no problem.

ya i have someone that will show me that is no problem.

Great, just make sure they know what they are doing. Lots of people can bench reels and they will work. They just will never be factory as they were before. This leads to early wear and tear, a short lifespan for an expensive reel.

Again, if you have someone that can help, SIT WITH HIM AND LET HIM LEAD YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS.

Good luck