Greasing Reel Gears

[bigbassin']

Having never done this before, should I be getting grease all over the gear and in every little crevice? Or is it like oiling the bearings where just a few drops is all that’s needed?

[webertime]

Only a glaze on the contact points.  More grease=More dirt attracted

[Angry John]

I use enough to lightly coat but not enough to squish out the sides.  If your just doing it for the first time put some on, put on the side plate turn the shafts a dozen or so times and take it back appart and inspect.  If a bunch has squished out to the side you have used to much.  Contamination of the drag stack is possible and not desired at all.  Application with a clean brush works well for me to prevent overdoing it.

[rippin-lips]

I grease 1/2 of the main drive gear. After spinning the driveshaft by hand it makes its way around the entire gear. 

[BobP]

When you coat the gear teeth, use a small brush to get grease down into all the valleys of the teeth.  I grease the pinion gear the same way.  If your main gear contains your drag stack and you run the drag greased, coat the outside bottom of the gear case and the inside surface of the main gear case where it contacts drag washers.  That grease should be DRAG GREASE, not regular grease.  You can use drag grease for all of this but I prefer regular grease for the teeth and pinion gears because it seems to run a little smoother.  Drag stacks coated with regular grease don’t work consistently for very long.  Apply grease SPARINGLY.  No sense in having grease slung all over the guts of your reel.

[OkobojiEagle]

17 hours ago, BobP said:

You can use drag grease for all of this but I prefer regular grease for the teeth and pinion gears because it seems to run a little smoother. 

My experience is drag grease stays on the gear teeth longer than the blue grease I've used in the past... also, cross contamination to the drag stack isn't an issue.  If for some reason you are greasing the frame bearings, use the blue grease for these, or better still, a heavy oil such as 90wt. lower unit oil.

 

I've found a small flux brush with the bristles cut back to about 3/4" works well to apply grease to gear teeth.

 

oe

[OnthePotomac]

Simple greasing is to use Shimano ACT 2, which is their drag grease, on gears (especially micro gears) and drags.   If you send reels to Shimano they come back greased this week according to Bantam 1 at Shimano.  I have not been doing that, but will begin doing so.  I was using Yamaha Blue  Marine and Super Lube on gears for years. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

6 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

Simple greasing is to use Shimano ACT 2, which is their drag grease, on gears (especially micro gears) and drags.   If you send reels to Shimano they come back greased this week according to Bantam 1 at Shimano.  I have not been doing that, but will begin doing so.  I was using Yamaha Blue  Marine and Super Lube on gears for years. 

Your current system is perfectly acceptable. Don't feel compelled to change unless you just like to tinker and experiment. 

[OnthePotomac]

I do like to tinker.LOL