Servicing Baitcasters

[smr913]

I am interested in learning more about servicing my baitcasters. Not for a profit but just as a hobby to keep me busy on the road. I have never done this before, but I have looked at the expanded view that comes in the box and it is a little daunting. What kind of tools and supplies do I need and can anyone point me in the direction of some literature or some good videos covering this? The reels I am interested in are the Curado 200e7, Chronarch 200e7.

[J Francho]

A #1 and #0 Phillips head. T-pin with a 90° bend in the tip. Micro flat head screw driver. I think it's an 8mm nut driver (someone help me confirm that one!). Needle oiler, and Bantam Oil. Shimano Star Drag Grease and a 1/4" paint brush with the bristles trimmed short. Small glass jars for acetone and/or alcohol to clean the bearings. Baby food or salsa dip jars work well. Muffin pan for the parts. Paper towels. Chemical resistant gloves. Degreaser like Perfect Soilution. Dish soap - Dawn or Palmolive works great. Micro fiber towel for drying the parts. Tweezers. Small set of smooth surfaced pliers. Anything else I missed?

[roadwarrior]

How 'bout $18-$20 and send them to you ot DVT?

[Long Mike]

A #1 and #0 Phillips head. T-pin with a 90° bend in the tip. Micro flat head screw driver. I think it's an 8mm nut driver (someone help me confirm that one!). Needle oiler, and Bantam Oil. Shimano Star Drag Grease and a 1/4" paint brush with the bristles trimmed short. Small glass jars for acetone and/or alcohol to clean the bearings. Baby food or salsa dip jars work well. Muffin pan for the parts. Paper towels. Chemical resistant gloves. Degreaser like Perfect Soilution. Dish soap - Dawn or Palmolive works great. Micro fiber towel for drying the parts. Tweezers. Small set of smooth surfaced pliers. Anything else I missed?

Magnifying light. Steady hands.

[smr913]

RW, that is an option and I will be doing that to have my reels upgraded and super tuned. I am interested in learning this from a strictly educational point of view. I don't want to have to spend $18-$20 (x5) every time I want to clean my reels and lubricate them.

Thanks for everyone's input.

[roadwarrior]

I know, I was just kidding...

I'm not mechanically inclined. I might be able to disassemble a reel, but then I would

end up sending a bag of parts to someone with the skill set to put them back together!

[BassCats]

Part one and part two. Basic cleaning and yearly maintenance

[smr913]

That is what I am afraid of as well, lol. There is a reason I majored in Economics and not Engineering. I just want to make sure I have my ducks in a row before I start messing with anything. The expanded view of the reels alone make me a bit nervous.

BassCats, I will check those out when I get back to my hotel. That looks like what I was needing. Much thanks!

[jj'sbassinforfun]

I own over 20 reels(I can't afford to send them out for service!) and also service my sons along with several friends. I was a little timid on tearing into them and I am mechanically inclined. I found keeping the parts in the exact order during tear down helps to keep me on track. Once you get in them, They aren't all that complicated. Watch the vid's and if your still shaky, Pick up a cheap tag sale reel to practice on.

For the most part the average angler only needs to do a service once a season, But lubing the spool bearings should be done every couple of outings. Also smearinng some light grease on the outer race where the centrifical brakes rub on. My exception is on my crankbait reels that get a solid workout all day. Long casts and burning baits back to the boat are he!! on a reel. I service them a couple times a season to keep them smooth and casting as far as possible. Also keep an eye on the line guide paw/rack and add some grease as needed.

I'll add a tooth brush for cleaning the gears and some Q-tips for absorbing unwanted oils if you use too much(don't whip -Just use it to suck up the oil). Some cheap gloves if you prefer not to get greasy. I also keep a magnet handy for finding dropped screws. A magnifying glass if your challenged at seeing small items.

If your going to Send a reel out for supertuning, Be sure to ask what lubes are used and where so you can keep it running smooth. Try not to mix lubes, Specially on the spool bearings. If you need to change to a different lube, Be sure to flush out the old lube first.

[shootermcbob]

I am interested in learning more about servicing my baitcasters. Not for a profit but just as a hobby to keep me busy on the road. I have never done this before, but I have looked at the expanded view that comes in the box and it is a little daunting. What kind of tools and supplies do I need and can anyone point me in the direction of some literature or some good videos covering this? The reels I am interested in are the Curado 200e7, Chronarch 200e7.

Sent you a pm.

[BASSHUNTER1961]

To disassemble your reel and clean it like in the above video is very simple, and should take no more than an hour. I took my new 201E Citica down last night just too check out the innards, and it was a very simple process.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Pretty sure the handle nut is a 10mm. Keep in mind that the schematic is mostly a parts list and does necessarily show order of assembly or orientation of parts. Bearing retainer clips and C-clips tend to take flight. A series of photos taken during disassembly can come in handy later.

[J Francho]

Tooth Brush, Q-tips, 10mm - thanks. Flying by the seat of my pants posting

For e-clips, get a big, clear plastic bag - a giant Ziploc brand works well - and pop them off inside. They won't fly far that way.

[J Francho]

Just watched the videos....meh. That's a start, but it's not a professional clean, just regular maintenance. A pro cleaning looks like this in the middle of the process. Every single part disassembled and completely degreased.

[smr913]

Thank you everyone for your insight. Can't wait to get started on this project. I will make another post after I give it my first go around (hopefully this weekend.) Thanks again!

JF- I was starting to feel confident until I just saw that last picture, but it gives me something to work toward as my confidence grows. Thanks for the pic.

[cody161]

I like to call the e-clip and c-clips Jesus clips, because when they go flying you say, "Oh Jesus where did that go?"

[J Francho]

JF- I was starting to feel confident until I just saw that last picture, but it gives me something to work toward as my confidence grows. Thanks for the pic.

What you probably can't tell in that image is that the parts are all broken into sub assemblies. I use a muffin pan to keep these sub assemblies sorted, and in order. Last part off is the first part back on. That was a Chronarch above, here is a Daiwa Big Bait Special in a pan, clean and ready for reassembly:

[ClackerBuzz]

there is nothing more satisfying than being able to open/clean ur own equipment and knowing you can fix it if something goes wrong or upgrade parts. start easy and do a basic cleaning ie don't take apart the line guide assembly or take out bearings first time. and like francho and dvt said, put the reel in a plastic bag when ur ready to pop the c-clips. i learned the hard way when mine flew across the room. i 'swept' my wall to wall carpet with 3 magnets in my hand but apparently it went straight to c-clip heaven.