For the bearing knowledgeable

[waymont]

Here’s what happened. I bought two Curado 70 mgl reels the week they came out. Used them a ton for about two years. Never ran the spool bearings dry, one drop two times a season. Just got back from a two week fishing trip, where they both were used every day, caught lots of fish. Took them out today and both are showing signs of the spool bearings being worn out. They were bought from different stores. Happen stance?

any ideas? I ordered replacement bearings from Shimano.

[JustJames]

Don’t quote me I’m not claim to be an expert just my observation.

Last time when I talk to Shimano, they mention “bearing is considered for replaceable part for major service” they are cheap and easy to replace so Shimano doesn’t expect them to last a lifetime or cheaper to replace than cleaning. Shimano brush grease on top of bearing to prolong bearing life (not pack with grease).

Two years old bearing with only 2 drops of oil per year, plus heavy used and a lot of fish(a lot of loaded and spin), that sound fair to me. Maybe next set of bearing you can add a drop of oil every month to prevent evaporation and water intrusion. It might last longer.

Some of my bearing got worn out too, I checked by clean/flush them then spin them dry, if a lot of noise they got replace. 

[FishTank]

56 minutes ago, waymont said:

Here’s what happened. I bought two Curado 70 mgl reels the week they came out. Used them a ton for about two years. Never ran the spool bearings dry, one drop two times a season. Just got back from a two week fishing trip, where they both were used every day, caught lots of fish. Took them out today and both are showing signs of the spool bearings being worn out. They were bought from different stores. Happen stance?

any ideas? I ordered replacement bearings from Shimano.

 

I have several Shimano reels that have seen heavy use, some with bearings that lasted 12+ years.  So just how do you know that they are bad?  Have you soaked them in cleaner and relubed?  I would take them out and test them on the tip of a pencil (or something equivalent) to see if you feel anything going on with them.  Typically, even under heavy load/use, most bearings last longer than 2 years. 

[waymont]

12 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Don’t quote me I’m not claim to be an expert just my observation.

Last time when I talk to Shimano, they mention “bearing is considered for replaceable part for major service” they are cheap and easy to replace so Shimano doesn’t expect them to last a lifetime or cheaper to replace than cleaning. Shimano brush grease on top of bearing to prolong bearing life (not pack with grease).

Two years old bearing with only 2 drops of oil per year, plus heavy used and a lot of fish(a lot of loaded and spin), that sound fair to me. Maybe next set of bearing you can add a drop of oil every month to prevent evaporation and water intrusion. It might last longer.

Some of my bearing got worn out too, I checked by clean/flush them then spin them dry, if a lot of noise they got replace. 

That's what the person at Shimano I talked to said too. 

1 minute ago, FishTank said:

 

I have several Shimano reels that have seen heavy use, some with bearings that lasted 12+ years.  So just how do you know that they are bad?  Have you soaked them in cleaner and relubed?  I would take them out and test them on the tip of a pencil (or something equivalent) to see if you feel anything going on with them.  Typically, even under heavy load/use, most bearings last longer than 2 years. 

I took them out soaked them in acetone for 6 hours, blew them out with compressed air, and spun them on a bearing gauge. 3 of the 4 were making noise, and a rough after cleaned.

[FishTank]

10 minutes ago, waymont said:

I took them out soaked them in acetone for 6 hours, blew them out with compressed air, and spun them on a bearing gauge. 3 of the 4 were making noise, and a rough after cleaned.

 

 

Strange but I guess it is totally possible.  

 

I have seen this before on some reels I worked on before were the guy took pretty good care of his reels but the spool bearings had heavy wear.  He was casting T-rigged soft plastic with braid but when he would cast he would turn the reel on it's side, causing some odd wear to the spool, the brake racing, and the spool bearings.  I would have to replace them just about every other year but his other 3 reels were fine (all various Curados). 

 

 

[JustJames]

52 minutes ago, waymont said:

That's what the person at Shimano I talked to said too. 

I took them out soaked them in acetone for 6 hours, blew them out with compressed air, and spun them on a bearing gauge. 3 of the 4 were making noise, and a rough after cleaned.

I’ve seen this mentioned a few time by using compressed air or air can to dry the bearing. Those dry bearing gonna spin over 10,000 rpm, doesn’t sound good for bearing with no oil.

[CrankFate]

I add a drop of oil to the spool bearings before every outing. They can be bone dry after one single outing with lots of hard casting. If you’re only oiling twice a season, just get ceramics. They will get enough lube just from the water being thrown off the spool.

[NOC 1]

21 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

I add a drop of oil to the spool bearings before every outing. They can be bone dry after one single outing with lots of hard casting. If you’re only oiling twice a season, just get ceramics. They will get enough lube just from the water being thrown off the spool.

I use the ceramics and just put a drop or 2 of TSI 321 on them a couple of times a year. They are a little noisier that way but they have almost no resistance at all.

[bulldog1935]

I wouldn't fret over OEM spool bearings wearing out, and wouldn't buy replacement OEM shielded spool bearings.  I doubt seriously that Shimano uses quality Japanese bearings.  

 

There are too many good spool bearing options out there.  

A recent parts order from Asian Portal, I threw in MTCW spool bearings for two reels.  

There are several US vendors who import ZPI bearings.  Tackle Trap, Carolina Fishing. 

For BFS, Rorolures has a great store and the best buy on a do-everything spool pin remover.  

 

My spool bearing oil drops are after trips, since all my tackle gets salt attention.  

To me, shielded bearings are to retain their factory lube in drive use, and spools get unshielded bearings and performance oil.  

you can find the rest of this table here

 

The really good Japanese aftermarket reel parts makers - Livre, MTCW, ZPI - their bread and butter is motorcycle racing parts.  

[NOC 1]

4 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I wouldn't fret over OEM spool bearings wearing out, and wouldn't buy OEM shielded spool bearings.  I doubt seriously that Shimano uses quality Japanese bearings.  

There are too many good spool bearing options out there.  

My spool bearing oil drops are after trips, since all my tackle gets salt attention.  

To me, shielded bearings are to retain their factory lube in drive use, and spools get unshielded bearings and performance oil.  

 

I never use shielded bearings either. I don't want oil or grease on my bearings. Those do provide some protection from the microscopically rough surface of the races, but at a cost of also adding rolling resistance. That is why steel or ceramic I always use the TSI 321. It's better to fill in those rough areas like the TSI stuff does rather than just put some goo over them. A fishing reel never spins fast enough for long enough or under enough pressure to need the heat sink properties of oil and grease.

[Bankc]

Bearings will wear out in just about anything.  I can't tell you how many bearings I've had to replace in my lifetime.  Hundreds if not thousands.  Often times, things like washing machines, care engine alternators, A/C fan motors, you name it, fail and people just replace the whole unit when really, it just needs a cheap new bearing.  They usually do that because it's kind of pain to pull the old bearing, locate a suitable replacement, order it, wait for shipping, and reseat the new bearing.  So they'll usually replace the whole unit, because time is money, and it often costs more to do the work than to just replace the whole unit.  But since I do most of my own repairs on just about everything I own, my time is free.  So I'd much rather spend the few bucks on a new bearing than the hundreds of dollars to replace the larger part the bearing is attached to, if possible. 

 

Reel bearings are especially easy to work on.  They usually don't require any special tools.  I've had to replace several over the years.  2 years is a short lifespan, so I'd probably look to replace them with something with a bit higher quality.  I expect to get about 10 years out of a good bearing in a fishing reel.  Though, it might have been dirt that caused your issues.  Soaking and compressed air isn't a great way to clean the internals of a bearing.  You kind of need an ultrasonic cleaner for that.  A trick I used before I had bought one was to take a palm sander and place it on the jar of acetone with a lid on it so the acetone can't splash out.  Don't seal the lid completely, so some air can escape as the acetone evaporates in the heat.  Then just set the palm sander to high, and let it run for about half an hour.  It's not the same as an ultrasonic cleaner, but it does work a lot better than just a plain soak.  

[JustJames]

I just set my up on top of aquarium air pump a few hours or overnight. I can see the bearing spin itself, and acetone turn yellow with lot and lots of debris. After soaking in acetone, I soak and swirl a couple time in 95% alcohol. Shake the excess alcohol or blow with my mouth, let them sit on paper towel, all dry in about 10 minutes.

[Deleted account]

21 hours ago, waymont said:

Here’s what happened. I bought two Curado 70 mgl reels the week they came out. Used them a ton for about two years. Never ran the spool bearings dry, one drop two times a season. Just got back from a two week fishing trip, where they both were used every day, caught lots of fish. Took them out today and both are showing signs of the spool bearings being worn out. They were bought from different stores. Happen stance?

any ideas? I ordered replacement bearings from Shimano.

Both reels acting up the same way at the same time leads me to believe it may not be a bearing issue.

[garroyo130]

3 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I just set my up on top of aquarium air pump a few hours or overnight. I can see the bearing spin itself, and acetone turn yellow with lot and lots of debris. After soaking in acetone, I soak and swirl a couple time in 95% alcohol. Shake the excess alcohol or blow with my mouth, let them sit on paper towel, all dry in about 10 minutes.

 

Its on top of the dryer for me ... the heat helps stuff loosen nicely too

[waymont]

13 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Both reels acting up the same way at the same time leads me to believe it may not be a bearing issue.

I'll report back when I get my bearing in the reels.

[The Bassman]

Hasn't the MGL 70 only been out since last year? I got one early this year as soon as I could source one.

[waymont]

5 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Hasn't the MGL 70 only been out since last year? I got one early this year as soon as I could source one.

Yup, I have last season, and this season on them so far.

[craww]

Just get new ones, theyre cheap. The shimano ones are actually better or as good as most of the ones you can buy elsewhere in real-world fishing... just lube to your specifications. Alot of the brands that have popped up look a WHOLE LOT like the ali baba stuff you can buy in bulk for cheap...Doesnt mean theyre bad- but in my experience some just spin better than others no matter how much you fool with them.

[waymont]

1 hour ago, craww said:

Just get new ones, theyre cheap. The shimano ones are actually better or as good as most of the ones you can buy elsewhere in real-world fishing... just lube to your specifications. Alot of the brands that have popped up look a WHOLE LOT like the ali baba stuff you can buy in bulk for cheap...Doesnt mean theyre bad- but in my experience some just spin better than others no matter how much you fool with them.

I already ordered new Shimano bearings, waiting on them now.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Soaking bearings more than 10-15 minutes is a waste of time. Better to agitate and replace the fluid as needed. Shimano are good stock bearings but you can get just as good for half the price elsewhere. No need to fast spin a dry bearing. A good clean bearing will spin quietly and come to rest smoothly, not a sudden stop. 

[waymont]

My issue was one bad bearing in the 8 speed reel, I replaced it with Shimano bearings, and it's good as new now. The other 7 speed reel was just in need of a cleaning. Soaked the bearings, and replaced them, and now good as new.

 

I decided to do a massive reel purchasing, and just put both up for sale in the flea market if anyone is interested.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

[Deleted account]

On 6/16/2021 at 7:35 PM, bulldog1935 said:

There are too many good spool bearing options out there.  

There may be hope for you yet...  

[Bass Rutten]

On 6/18/2021 at 2:04 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Soaking bearings more than 10-15 minutes is a waste of time. Better to agitate and replace the fluid as needed. Shimano are good stock bearings but you can get just as good for half the price elsewhere. No need to fast spin a dry bearing. A good clean bearing will spin quietly and come to rest smoothly, not a sudden stop. 

Bearing newb here, can you recommend some of those shimano bearing equivalents for half the price?

[MassYak85]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:32 PM, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I just set my up on top of aquarium air pump a few hours or overnight. I can see the bearing spin itself, and acetone turn yellow with lot and lots of debris. After soaking in acetone, I soak and swirl a couple time in 95% alcohol. Shake the excess alcohol or blow with my mouth, let them sit on paper towel, all dry in about 10 minutes.

Curious why the alcohol? Pure acetone is far more volatile than alcohol and should have no problems drying.

[JustJames]

6 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Curious why the alcohol? Pure acetone is far more volatile than alcohol and should have no problems drying.

Just a piece of mind I guess.
I actually use nail cleaner, can’t get pure acetone around here and don’t want to leave any residue on bearing. it might not be necessary process just a few thing I do to complicate myself a little bit more.