Spinning Reel Maintenance

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Hey guys. I need some tips on cleaning/maintaining my spinning reel. This is my first time doing this and I don't want to mess it up. Its only a cheapo Shakespeare reel but its been sounding a bit rough and its all I got so I want to keep it in good working order. Plus I figure its best if I learn on a cheap reel rather than an expensive one. I found a youtube video showing how to take it apart and he showed how to oil/grease it but he didn't mention anything about cleaning it out. I had an old reel that didn't work anymore (the gears would grind and when I opened it there were lots of metal shavings) so I took that apart just to see how it was done. There was a lot of gunk and buildup. Im assuming this is just old oil and grease but it looked kind of gritty too. Should I just apply the new oil and grease over the old or should I clean this out and if so whats the best way to do it? Also any ideas on what would cause the gears to grind like that so I can avoid this in the future? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[LgMouthGambler]

Pretty much gonna do the same thing as you would a baitcaster, take it apart, clean all old grease and oil, and then reassemble. Pay very close attention to how all the parts are are placed, and take pictures if you need to. What I like to do if unfamiliar, is while taking every individual part off, lay them down in a line in order they came off (slightly assembled if needed if you feel a level of difficulty of remembering how they were put together). Then clean them in order placing back in place in line (always make sure they faced the same way, top/bottom). Then you can reassemble it.

[SirSnookalot]

If it's an inexpensive spinning reel it may not be worth the effort to work on it. I fishing only spinning, down here in Florida my reels are in use 12 months of the year with well over 300 days a year, that's a lot of fishing and a lot of fish. I do next to nothing for my spinning reels and they have been in great shape for 3-4 years. All I do about every 6 months or so is put a drop of oil in the handle bearings and some lube on the spindle. I no longer use oil, A Shimano tech of all people turned me on to "Corrosion Block" a number of years a go, this stuff is magic. Even though this is fresh water the humidity down here can cause corrosion.

When it comes to a more expensive reel, professional service is my choice, I get 3-4 day turn around time, cost about $16-$20 and I have recourse if the job is done incorrectly, which has never happened.

[tugsandpulls]

i only have one spinning reel i use for inline spinners and its a cheapo so ill just use it till it dies if you plan on kepping your reel i suggest you take it to get it serviced ive took plenty of reels apart and could never get them back together just right esp the lil springs ( i have big hands)

[BobP]

One problem with inexpensive spinning reels is that they are often built with extra shim washers, put in at the factory to get everything to fit together right and work smoothly. Often, the shim washers are not on the reel diagram you get with the reel and so you need to be very careful to document where every washer came from when you disassemble the reel or it won't go back together properly. Bottom line, I just throw some more lube in the case on cheap spinning reels. When it stops working altogether, trash it and buy another. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $20 to get a $50 reel serviced if you get it back and it doesn't work much better than when you sent it in.