o.k. this is from a clean up of one of my shimano symetre reels i did the other day. i tried my best to go through every thing very clearly. also, please note that this is just how i do it. if you do something different or think something i have done here is wrong, then please,by all means, please share the info or tips
first, some general pointers:
1. NEVER be forceful, parts can be easily damaged. be especially careful with ball bearings; be exerting to much pressure on either the inner race or outer race can ruin the bearing....easy does it. also, never over tighten screws!!
1A. screws used on reels tend to be very soft. so, use the right screw driver! usually a size 0, 1, or 000 phillips head.
2. alway have the reel's schematic in front of you. if you have lost it, they can easily be found online. (see
http://www.americananglersfishing.com/index.php/topic,5015.0.html )
3. pay close attention to the orientation and location of parts as you remove them. also, laying removed parts out in a similar order to how they were removed will help (see pics 13 & 14).
something i like to do is to take pics with my digital camera as i break a reel down so i'll have that as additional reference.....the schematic is a great and very necessary tool, but you sometimes cant tell everything from looking at one!4. work in a clean environment. i like to work in a clean room over a white towel. the parts are easy to see and the towel will prevent most of the grease,cleaner, and gunk from getting on the table you are working at(and getting you yelled at when you stain something with reel gunk!!
). as well, small parts wont roll on a towel.
5. don't over-lube, it's wasteful and performance inhibiting(especially in casting reels).
5a.
don't use cheapo lubricants....they will only gum up and hinder performance as well as cling more tightly to debris that may enter your reel.
alright, here we go:
pic1:
these are the tools i used. i used reel butter for this one because i thought it would be easier to see. usually i use abu garcia reel grease for spinning reels: it is cheap and good.
pic2:
pic3:
here is the spool already removed. you can see dirt and debris on it so i'll clean and relube it.
pic4:
here, i've removed the drag keeper clip. you can use a small flathead screwdriver for this. tip: while removing ANY potentially 'springy' object (like this clip(this also applies to e-rings!!)) from your reel, be sure to have a finger placed in a way that would prevent the part from flying off. trust me on this!! these parts seem to 'evaporate' if they fly off...lol! now that you've removed the clip, it's time to remove the drag stack. place the spool upside down on the table and, using a very small flathead screwdriver, gently push the drag stack out. be sure to note the order in which the stack is made! now, clean up each piece of the drag stack. be very gentle with the fiber washers. be sure you have removed all debris from the drag stack parts and it's housing. the housing for the drag stack can be cleaned with a pressurized reel cleaner then dried well with a rag and some q-tips.
pic5:
next, i use shimano star drag grease to LIGHTLY coat the metal drag washers and VERY LIGHTLY coat the drag housing. then, put the drag stack back together; remember that there are (2) slotted washers that have to line up properly to slide on the spool shaft.
also, keep in mind: NOT ALL DRAGS GET GREASED!!!! this is very important, hard disc drags almost never get greased.
pic6:
first, i remove the rear protector....easy enough.
pic7:
now, remove the spool washers and spool support. these are VERY freakin' stubborn....but they will slide off the spool shaft. be careful not to scratch up the shaft though.
pic8:
next, remove the retainer screw and rotor nut. the rotor nut should be very easy to remove with a pair of needle nose pliers or a small adjustable wrench. after these two parts are removed, the bail should come off....again, careful is the word; if it seems difficult to remove the bail at this point, closely examine the underside of the bail to be sure something else doesn't need to be removed in order to pull the bail off. also, be sure to locate parts from this step and the previous step in their own little area of your work space. keeping parts of each different mechanism or 'area' of the reel together in their own space is helpful during reassembly.(i.e. pic14)
pic9:
here she is with the bail removed.
pic10:
now, remove the friction ring
pic11:
remove the side-plate screws. on this reel, one of the screws holds a part called the oscillating guide retainer. parts like these are where a digital camera can really come in handy as it is not really shown clearly on the schematic.
pic12:
here it is, side-plate removed! now, carefully remove the ball bearing and drive gear. be careful here: the ball bearing has adjusting washers under it; the schematic says there is only one, but on this reel there are two
pic13:
now we start the fun stuff! while removing these parts, refer to pic14 for part placement in work area.
o.k. remove screw{1} then the spool shaft{2} should easily slide forward out of the reel. then, remove the oscillating guide plate and screw{3}. next, slide out the oscillating guide shaft{4}.
now {5}, {6}, and {7} should come out easily. next carefully remove {8} bearing. as for part {9}, don't remove it at all(trust me, you only want to remove this if you have to).
pic14:
reference
pic15:
the gray thing on top is your roller clutch assembly(does the whole anti-reverse thing). be careful removing this. there are (3) screws that hold the part this reel and (1) that holds the assembly together(the black screw on this one). ONLY remove the (3) that hold the assembly to the reel. you do not want to disassemble this part if you don't have to....it is a buggerbear, loads of tiny springs and other fun stuff.
pic16:
o.k. remember the adjusting washer(s) (part {1} in pic) in pic12? well same applies here: the schematic says there is one, and on this reel there are actually two. so, remove them, then remove the metal sleeve {2}. noting carefully it's orientation in relation to the reel; this is very important as it is the inner-sleeve to the roller clutch that controls your anti-reverse(another great time for the digital camera)!!
pic17:
now the pinion gear and bearing can be removed. note that {3} in the pic is NOT on the schematic at all; it is important to remember where it goes as it protects the ball bearing and the reel frame. be careful of small parts like part {2} in the pic. it is the anti-reverse cam ring and your a/r switch will not work without it; it is very tiny and will 'evaporate' if you loose sight of it!!! notice the spring (part {1} in pic): unless your very confident in your ability to deal with very tiny/STRONG springs, don't remove it; they can be a real hassle, so don't take it out unless you have to..
pic18:
the reel is now ready to begin scrubbing/relubing. i like to blast old lube and debris from the parts and frame with a compressed reel cleaner, then scrub away old grease and debris with a toothbrush and q-tips. once frame parts are cleaned and dry, apply lubrication to bearing housings and anywhere parts make contact with frame. also make sure to lube where internal parts contact each other.
pic 19
now, here is what i do for the ball bearings. i place the bearing on a tapered object(a hemostat in this case) so that i can check how well and clean the bearing spins. fresh out of the reel, the bearing will probably not spin very freely. check the bearing for grinding sounds or bad spots here. next, blast it with compressed reel cleaner on both sides. the bearing SHOULD spin very fast now. if it seems like there is debris in them, you can also soak the in mineral spirits for a while to help remove any old lube or debris. after the bearing is cleaned, dried, and it's 'health' is confirmed(by again rolling it on tapered object), apply a few drops of oil or a light grease to the bearing and work it in by spinning the bearing. note: if you use a oil, the bearing will be faster but will require more regular maintenance. IF you find a bearing is bad, you can find and purchase bearings for fishing reels are very easily.
now, after cleaning all parts thoroughly, the reel is ready for reassembly. for re-assembly, work in reverse order of the disassembly.
couple more things to note:
pic20:
here notice that all the gears are well lubed but not over-lubed! turn the gears to be sure that lube coverage is sufficient; that would be that each tooth of the gear is well coated as the gears mesh. also, i like to put a light 'film' of grease on part surfaces where they may contact one another and where inner-frame the contacts internal parts. for shafts during reassembly: i usually apply a little grease and cover the shaft with a thin film. any excess lube found during reassembly can be easily removed with a q-tip.
pic21:
alright, it's probably obvious...but just in case:
the little gnub you see on the oscillating gear rides inside the slot in the oscillating slider. be sure to lubricate slot appropriately.
also, i did COMPLETELY disassemble the reel and if any of you are interested, i'll post pics & procedures regarding the things i didn't go into here. i avoided showing the things that are really stubborn and can be 'cleaned around'.
phew!!! all that looks a lot worse than it is; really not that bad it just takes a little time and patience.
thanks for looking. please post any questions or suggestions!!
