After about 30-40 hours of use on this Abu Garcia 102i I've noticed a clicking noise starting to arise. I know this isn't an expensive reel, but it is my only setup and I need to get the most out of it. I'd like to know where I should start to try and find where this noise is coming from before any damage starts.... This reel has been submerged in water a few times... Thanks in advance!!

It's almost impossible to tell without seeing the reel. If you want to attempt home repair, make sure to have a schematic in front of you and an organized, well lit work space. Go slow, don't force anything and take notes and/or pics as you go. Grease gears, oil bearings use only specifically designed grease on the drag washers.

Thanks for your reply Delaware... I think I may cause more damage attempting to repair it... If I decided to replace this reel in the near future. What would you recommend? I mainly use Senkos and Rapala X-rap lures on 6lb mono test ... sorry I can't be a little more specific, still new to this right now.. but I don't know the average weight of my lures... but I am currently using a Berkley Cherrywood 6'6" .. Again, thank you for your time

For a budget spinning reel, I like the Pflueger President. They can be found for <$60 on sale. The reel you have may not necessarily have anything broken or wrong with it. You can start by just taking the spool off and turning the handle. This could tell you if the noise is inside or just the spool changing directions as it oscillates.

Odd... all I did was unscrew the Drag knob, cranked it, no noise... put the drag knob back on, cranked it and still no noise... talk about easy fix if this indeed fixed it lol... how weird.. smooth as butter again

Could have been just a little debris from being dunked etc. Glad you're back up and running.