Curado K - Not reeling smoothly

[BJP1991]

Own a Curado K = about 1.5 years old.

 

After having it stored all winter (drag loose, casting tension knob also loose during storage) - it is very tight to reel. It still has that "smooth" feeling but the effort to put in to reel is far more than it should be. 

 

When you take a baitcaster that is loosened up, you should be able to turn the handle and let it spin a few revolutions without any assistance. This reel cant even do that anymore.

 

Any recommendations on where/how to clean this reel to fix this problem? What causes reels to feel "gummy" or not be as smooth reeling (dont care about casting) as they once were?

[Jig Man]

I would start by putting a little oil on each of the shaft bearings and see if that helps.

[basser27]

48 minutes ago, BJP1991 said:

Own a Curado K = about 1.5 years old.

 

After having it stored all winter (drag loose, casting tension knob also loose during storage) - it is very tight to reel. It still has that "smooth" feeling but the effort to put in to reel is far more than it should be. 

 

When you take a baitcaster that is loosened up, you should be able to turn the handle and let it spin a few revolutions without any assistance. This reel cant even do that anymore.

 

Any recommendations on where/how to clean this reel to fix this problem? What causes reels to feel "gummy" or not be as smooth reeling (dont care about casting) as they once were?

Is it rough to reel with no lure attached? My curado k gets a stiff feeling when I crank in something with a lot of resistance like a spinnerbait, but that is normal. 

[garroyo130]

Make sure you arent tangled at the rods tip top ... speaking from experience 

 

uh a friend's experience

[JustJames]

Did you make sure drag not too loose when spin the handle? Also make sure spool tension is not too tight. A drop of oil on both spool bearing might help, after that crank the reel a good few minutes to loosen up dry grease. Also worm gear might dry up, heavy oil or grease might be needed. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Handle spin time means nothing. After a yr and a half of use it’s time for a deep cleaning. Research and dive in or send it in. Just judging from the OP I suggest the latter. Let me know if I can help. 

[CrankFate]

Not sure if it has anything to do with this issue, but I am not a big fan of storing baitcast reels with the drag backed off. The reason I don’t like backing the drag completely off is that it can cause the drag stack, main gear or sleeve to become unseated or improperly seated. I know people say it helps everything dry out, but I don’t see any reason to risk that happening, unless you like taking reels apart to reseat everything.

[OnthePotomac]

Don't know the speed of the reel in question, but Shimano recommends their ACT2 (same as Cal's) be used on the micro gears to maintain smoothness.  With regard to a fear of drags and or the drive gear becoming unseated if the drag is backed way off, it cannot happen.

[garroyo130]

1 hour ago, OnthePotomac said:

Shimano recommends their ACT2 (same as Cal's) be used on the micro gears

Do they really require different grease or is this Shimano just recommending their own? 

[JustJames]

@garroyo130do you think shimano would say to use Okuma grease or Cal grease? Ppl has been using Shimano Star drag grease for years. I, on the other hand, tried different grease (corrosionX) since I found that Shimano Star drag grease aka ACT2 is brake apart too easily.

[garroyo130]

2 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

@garroyo130do you think shimano would say to use Okuma grease or Cal grease? Ppl has been using Shimano Star drag grease for years. I, on the other hand, tried different grease since I found that Shimano Star drag grease aka ACT2 is brake apart too easily.

I use yamalube on my reels but didnt know if micro module wanted something different

[JustJames]

11 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

I use yamalube on my reels but didnt know if micro module wanted something different

IMHO, I don’t think it matter much as long as you can apply grease into those tiny teeth (trim paint brush help). 

[BJP1991]

3 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

Don't know the speed of the reel in question, but Shimano recommends their ACT2 (same as Cal's) be used on the micro gears to maintain smoothness.  With regard to a fear of drags and or the drive gear becoming unseated if the drag is backed way off, it cannot happen.

 It's the 8.1:1

 

Regarding the microgears - I assume the reel needs to be disassembled to access/lubricate those?

 

Nothing feels rough at all - the reel still feels smooth - however it feels tight, meaning it takes more effort to turn the handle and get the spool turning than it should. It also carries no momentum, meaning if I start reeling and try to let the handle spin like you can do with a good lubed up baitcaster - it just stops the second I take my hand off it. 

 

Recommendations on what parts to oil vs what parts to grease?

[garroyo130]

5 minutes ago, BJP1991 said:

 - it just stops the second I take my hand off it. 

Is it even casting like that?

[PhishLI]

Reel in the line then tape the line to the spool. Open the side cover and disengage the brake blocks. Close the side cover. Depress the thumbar and spin the spool. If it doesn't spin freely then the problem is with the spool bearings. If it does, a brake block might've been stuck, unlikely, or the issue lies in the gearbox, probably.

[LCG]

I would start by loosening the spool tensioner, then remove the spool and see if there is any dirt in there, check the brakes on the spool. Drop some oil in the bearings and spool tensioner cap, one drop is plenty. 

 

If that doesn't fix it you may have to open up the reel to see what's going on internally or send it off for repair. 

[OnthePotomac]

Drag grease is just a lot heavier.  I also used Yamaha Blue Marine until I went to real fast reels and switched to ACT2, or Cal's.  Two years now and have never experienced it breaking down.  It is their recommendation so use as you wish.