Reel maintenance question?

[Bassboss]

So right before the season started, I tore my reel JML Gold (John Morris Limited edition), bass pro shops bait caster apart, cleaned it with WD40 and and the gears, with a watered down dish soap detergent solution, and a tooth brush.

Took a paper towel, whipped everything down until all the old grease, was gone. Then I took some q-tips and got in all the tight little spots. I didn't oil all the 10 bearings, just the ones I saw on handle side plate, tension knob, spool pinon, palming side plate, and 2 in each the knobs making 8 total. I was wondering if it's normal not to be able at get to all the bearings?

Then I took and lubed it with Abu Garcia Silicote Grease and oil. Caked grease in the Gears, a light film on the drag washers, Q-tipped the the 8 bearings listed, and put a drop of grease on em.

The reel was noticeably smoother, and cast quieter, up until the middle of June. It still casts just as good I got it, but it's just not smooth as it was after I cleaned and lubed it. I used these videos to help me. And basically did everything this guy did, just used different lube.

I was wondering if there was anything I can could do to keep the reel running smoother longer.. Would higher quality products help? Was I missing something I should I have done? Did I clean them gears wrong?

Thanks any help!

[BigBassin144]

I use a solvent to clean bearings and old grease. I wouldn't use WD-40 for that. Get a little thing of lighter fluid from your local wally world. One bottle has lasted me over 2 years. Just make sure you let it dry COMPLETELY or it will screw up the new lubricants you put on.

I also use the AG grease and use Hot Sauce for my bearings (about the only Quantum product I like, lol). I usually only remove and flush my spool bearings. I remove clean the gears with a small toothbrush and my solvent. I usually break down the level wind system and clean it good too.

Upon reassembly, don't over lube. Levelwind assembly has to go back in first if you removed it. I oil the worm gear instead of grease it. For the main and pinion gears, I use enough to evenly coat the gear teeth and put a light coat (just enough to make a fingerprint) on the faces of gears to protect them. Make sure you don't put grease on drags that didn't have it. I also smear a light coat on the inside of the handle plate.

I'm no expert at this and I'm probably too brave in what I disassemble (but hey, if I can't fix it, I can pay someone to, lol). So I'm looking forward to responses from guys like Kevin or Tony who work on a lot of reels cause I'm always disappointed when reels don't feel quite as smooth as they did caked with grease from the factory.

BB

[Bassboss]

Thanks for the help Anthony...

I think I may have found my problem though. I read on another forum that WD40 is not the best de-greaser. It can prevent oil and grease you WANT on the gears and bearings from sticking. This would also explain why I have to tear down the TD exceler every time it gets a little wet to be able to turn the handle!

Also I've heard simple green and alcohol works well to clean parts... would pine sol work to replace simple green?

[BigBassin144]

I don't know if I'd use Pine Sol. While the original formula does contain a small amount of isopropyl alcohol (according to the MSDS), it contains a lot of other chemicals I don't know if I'd use on a reel.

Rubbing alcohol (which is a mixture of isopropyl and/or ethyl alcohol and water) would work. As would Zippo lighter fluid (an organic solvent, naphtha, I believe), like I mentioned earlier. Even nail polish remover (another organic solvent, usually acetone). Denatured alcohol would work too. The purer you can get your solvent though, the better as there is less of a chance that chemical residue will affect your new lubricants.

BB

[pro reel]

WD 40 is a terrible product to use for cleaning a reel. No one knows for sure whats in WD 40, but any combo solvent / lube is not going to be compatible with the new oil and grease. If you use WD 40 to remove caked on grease, then you would need to use something else that would remove all traces of the 40. The only way to get to every bearing is to remove every part, there is one under the crank shaft and some in the line guide tube. I'm not sure how you cleaned the bearings, but just adding oil to them will eventually fill them up and make them worse. it can also wash in grit from a dirty reel. Stainless steel bearings should be soaked in acetone or some other solvent such as lighter fluid, naphtha or lantern / stove fluid. After they have soaked to break up deposits, they need to be flushed out. It doesn't do any good to soak a bearing if you don't rinse it out somehow, and swishing it around won't do that. To rinse them out you can put them in a glass jar of cleaning fluid such as acetone and set that glass jar in an ultrasonic cleaning tank. Thats one of the best ways. The next best way is to use a spray can of brake cleaner or carb cleaner with the extension nozzle to force the fluid to flow through the bearings. After that you need to use dry compressed air to dry them. A can of spray air for cleaning key boards will work. To clean the rest of the reel parts you need to use a good degreaser that's safe. Simple green is cheap and sold in gallon jugs at most hardware or home stores. Mix it with hot water and scrub. Anything else may damage the reel or may not be strong enough to clean it, as in dish soap don't work very well. You say you caked on the grease, well uncake it. You use a brush to push a THIN layer of grease into the teeth of the gears and wipe off the excess. You also need to use DRAG grease on your carbon drag disks, regular grease will ruin them. Cals sells a universal reel and drag grease that's good for gears and drags. You can use drag grease on gears, but you CAN NOT use petroleum product greases on drag disks. You also said that you used abu silicote oil, that's OK, but it is a thick reel oil that gives very poor performance in bearings. Rocket fuel yellow is much better, but must be mail ordered. Hot sauce oil works good, but I hate the red dye. Don't use hot sauce grease, it's a mess and stains everything. Casting performance is all about getting the spool bearings clean and oiled with one drop of a good reel oil. Also, keep the grease from the gears away from the spool shaft and don't let any get inside the pinion gear.
If you simply soak and swish bearings, they may look clean, but they won't be clean, thats a fact, there is no way that the fluid will flush them out this way.
Don't use pine sol, it's not just a cleaner, it has all kinds of other stuff that stays there to polish floors. I know you probably don't have much money to spend, but using household cleaning products may cost you a lot more in the long run. Diluted simple green is one of the only cleaners that has been proven with time to not damage any reel parts. Acetone, lighter fluid and all the other solvents mentioned are to be used on metal parts only. No plastic or painted parts can be cleaned with solvents.

[Bassboss]

Thanks for the help kevin. I'll Clean it with liter fluid today, and grease it up. I'll get some hot sauce soon.

[pro reel]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

Thanks for the help kevin. I'll Clean it with liter fluid today, and grease it up. I'll get some hot sauce soon.

Don't use lighter fluid on any plastic or painted parts. Thats why we use diluted simple green on those parts, it cuts grease without hurting the plastic or paint. You don't want to use the simple green on bearings though, because it's water based and you might not get it all dried out.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by pro reel

Don't use lighter fluid on any plastic or painted parts. Thats why we use diluted simple green on those parts, it cuts grease without hurting the plastic or paint. You don't want to use the simple green on bearings though, because it's water based and you might not get it all dried out.

Thanks for the heads up. I only used the lighter fluid on metal parts, like gears, bearings and washers (not felt drag washers), and used alcohol to clean the plastic, and frame of the reel once I got all the guts out. I also used it to rinse the bearing which I blew with compressed air (like for a key board). I was shocked at how well the lighter fluid worked to clean the gears a such. I got SO MUCH left over grit and grease in blow.. I was stunned at how dirty they relay were after just a few months fishing. Once I got everything BONE DRY, I put a little grease on the gears as suggested, and little oil on the bearings, a drop per drag washer, and some in the worm gear (which I couldn't figure how to get out btw, so I cleaned it best I could from the outside). In addition to putting grease on gears, I also put it here.

Also I wanna know what you think of this...

In hopes of making the reel a little smoother, I put a bearing (one from an older Quantum reel that never, ever.... ever, gets used) in the crank shaft right above the anti reverse, and took the clicker for the drag star to make room for it... I doubt I really miss it that much. Do ya think it'll have any adverse effects on the reel?

Anyway, the reel feels tons smoother (not out of the box smoother), and I got it rigged and ready with a texas rigged baby brush hog. Hopefully it's smoothness will last this time.

Thanks so much for the help yall I really counldn't have done with out it!

[rrw4258]

ProReel, what are your thoughts on a reel cleaner, such as the Ardent Reel Kleen degreaser? I have been using it for a couple weeks now, and I am still undecided on it. Anything good or bad about the Reel Kleen.

Ryan

[Tavery5]

Ryan, Simple Green and Acetone are your friends when it comes to reels. Use a dilluted mixture of Simple Green to clean everything plastic, and clean everything metal and flush bearings with the acetone. An ultrasonic cleaner makes a big difference in the ability to get bearings properly clean. I have seen guys use the Ardent stuff, but it is expensive compared to the items listed above.

[pro reel]

There is nothing in the ardent kit that you can't put together yourself cheaper. The cleaner they sell is expensive for the amount you get. Hot water and simple green will do the trick for most reels. I use an actual parts cleaning solvent meant for parts cleaner cabinents. It's expensive and comes from an industrial supply place. I know that it safe on everything. I use it to get the bad gunk off of really nasty reels. My ultrasonic cleaner has a strong mixture of hot water and simple green. I use that after I scrub off the worst stuff. The best things a guy can pick up is a cheap set of artists paintbrushes that are semi stiff. I use a set that i get from hobby lobby thats 8 brushes for 5 bucks. I use them until I wear them down to nothing. I also use stiff toothbrushs, the el cheapos. When I first started cleaning reels I used old cake pans and a wire bascket for straining food. I still use that basket, but now it's in my parts cleaner instead of a cake pan. I used coffee cans to hold the hot cleaning mixture and poured some in the cake pan, dipped brushs in it and scrubbed, then poured it over the reel and had another to dip them in to rinse. I also would have a can of clean hot water to do a final rinse. I now have the US tanks to and the parts cleaner to do most of that and a dry air supply from a compressor and a desicant drier to make sure I don't spray water vapor into bearings.