curado roughness

[barroncooper]

out of the box I noticed a little roughness and noise from my curado.  i wrote it off for a while thinking that a few trips would properly break it in.  after 4 or 5 trips the symptoms were still there.  I broke the reel down did a thorough cleaning and de-greasing and re lubed the drive and pinion with some shimano ace star drag grease.  i soaked the bearings in naptha and relubed them lightly with shimano oil and reassembled.  It's absolutely perfect now.  It's as smooth as my calcutta 200gtb now.  I had heard that the factory started using a lighter weight grease during initial assembly.  Can someone confirm this.  If you're a prospective buyer and have heard about some roughness,  it's totally remediable.  I loved this reel when I first got it, but after the simple maintenance, I want 3 more.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I can't vouch for what the factory uses, but drag grease is not the best choice for the gears. The high tack will attract dirt & grit. On the next cleaning try Super Lube or another high quality MP grease.

[lightsout]

Couldn't agree more. I experienced the same symptoms you described. Out of the box the retrieve felt "strained". After a thorough cleaning relubing I couldn't be happier. Saturday was a bluebird day without much going on, so I decided to put it the E7 through it's paces. I was amazed at how well it threw unweighted plastics (with a heavy action rod!).

Initially I was a little discouraged, but I can honestly say I would rather use this reel than any other in my arsenal.

[J Francho]

While I agree that lithium grease works great on gears, I don't think there's any real appreciable difference between that and something like Shimano Star Drag or Cal's grease. If dirt is getting inside the crank side plate, and actually fouling the interior workings, then I'd question the operating environment, and perhaps recommend a reel suited for saltwater use.  Its also important to note that when heat is an issue, you want something that will handle it, and drag grease is up to the task.  Probably nothing anyone would run into in typical bass fishing, though.

As far as the OP's issue, I'm a little confounded.  AFAIK, they have been using Star Drag Grease on gears and worm drive, but perhaps I'm wrong and they are using Permalub.  It seems crummy that you'd have to break a brand new reel down to get it work properly.  My advice has always been the same with brand new reels: fish it like you stole it while its under warranty, lubing bearings at usual intervals.  Once the warranty is up, have it professionally serviced.

[barroncooper]

I can't vouch for what the factory uses, but drag grease is not the best choice for the gears. The high tack will attract dirt & grit. On the next cleaning try Super Lube or another high quality MP grease.

what grease on earth is not high tack

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I can't vouch for what the factory uses, but drag grease is not the best choice for the gears. The high tack will attract dirt & grit. On the next cleaning try Super Lube or another high quality MP grease.

what grease on earth is not high tack

Sorry, high tack is a relative term left over from my years working in the oil/lube industry.

[21farms]

this is interesting to me. i bought a curado e and thought it was great. then, one day i tried out my fishing partner's curado e which was bought within a month of mine...i absolutely could not believe how much further it could cast or how much smoother it felt...both our reels are stock.

[J Francho]

I can't vouch for what the factory uses, but drag grease is not the best choice for the gears. The high tack will attract dirt & grit. On the next cleaning try Super Lube or another high quality MP grease.

what grease on earth is not high tack

If you actually handled the two lubes mentioned, you'd know exactly what he means by "high tack."  Drag grease is WAYYYY sticky, LOL.

[barroncooper]

I can't vouch for what the factory uses, but drag grease is not the best choice for the gears. The high tack will attract dirt & grit. On the next cleaning try Super Lube or another high quality MP grease.

what grease on earth is not high tack

If you actually handled the two lubes mentioned, you'd know exactly what he means by "high tack." Drag grease is WAYYYY sticky, LOL.

I understand that, but in the context of how he said high tack grease will attract dirt, what grease would not attract dirt or what grease would not let dirt stick to it.

[barroncooper]

dirt and fouling definitely was not the issue. the inside was squeaky clean.  I think the issue resided in the weight of the lube used and the amount.

[BobP]

If my gears are smooth, I use regular grease (Superlube PFTE).  If I put in a new gear set or suspect one of the teeth has a burr on it, Shimano Drag Grease will usually quiet it down until the gears have had a chance to 'run in'.

[skeeterman24]

I just got my 1st curado, i'm going to have to get the reel butter out before i put line on it.

[barroncooper]

I just got my 1st curado, i'm going to have to get the reel butter out before i put line on it.

skeet I'd advise against reel butter.  I used to use it and it turns black inside the reel.  mine didnt start performing like it does until i started using shimano products.  I know that there are others that will do just as good or better, but a few posters got me worried about warranty issues.

[roadwarrior]

Well, it sounds like things have or will work out,

but I still don't understand why you didn't just

exchange the reel for another?

:

[J Francho]

This is one reason to buy from a brick and mortar....you can inspect the reel you're purchasing before buying.

[ksbasser]

I seriously doubt that the type of grease Shimano used had anything at all to do with your problem. I also seriously doubt that the drag grease you used did anything to help the reel, but I certainly don't think it will hurt it. Dan T. once told me that Shimano techs regularly used drag grease in spinning reels, but they don't have to pay the high price for it that everyone else does. It's a very sticky grease, therefore it could actually make some reels seem sluggish depending on the parts you use it on. I hope, for your sake, that your original problem was caused by some contaminate from the manufacturing process or simply to much grease in some areas. If in fact the problem was a less than perfect set of gears, then the problem will return as the drag grease dissipates from the gear teeth and gets flung off. If a new reel feels less than perfect, it should be exchanged. After you have owned it for a bit, and are sure that it's in tip top "stock" shape, then you can improve it further with a cleaning and re lube using better quality lubes and smaller amounts. The single biggest improvement would be from thoroughly cleaning the spool bearings and then adding one drop of premium reel oil, or for absolutely amazing casting results, you can lube the spool bearings with extreme Reel +. With heavy use you might need to do that occasionally during the season.

[barroncooper]

Well, it sounds like things have or will work out,

but I still don't understand why you didn't just

exchange the reel for another?

:

I probably should have but I didn't think it was bad enough to do so. It wasn't as smooth as my new 200gtb's but very few reels are.  I thought maybe it just needed some break in time.  It seems as though it's fixed for now.  with now load on the spool it was perfectly smooth. but when pulling a big double leaf spinner bait you could hear and feel the meshing of the gears.  still can kind of but not nearly as bad

[barroncooper]

I seriously doubt that the type of grease Shimano used had anything at all to do with your problem. I also seriously doubt that the drag grease you used did anything to help the reel, but I certainly don't think it will hurt it. Dan T. once told me that Shimano techs regularly used drag grease in spinning reels, but they don't have to pay the high price for it that everyone else does. It's a very sticky grease, therefore it could actually make some reels seem sluggish depending on the parts you use it on. I hope, for your sake, that your original problem was caused by some contaminate from the manufacturing process or simply to much grease in some areas. If in fact the problem was a less than perfect set of gears, then the problem will return as the drag grease dissipates from the gear teeth and gets flung off. If a new reel feels less than perfect, it should be exchanged. After you have owned it for a bit, and are sure that it's in tip top "stock" shape, then you can improve it further with a cleaning and re lube using better quality lubes and smaller amounts. The single biggest improvement would be from thoroughly cleaning the spool bearings and then adding one drop of premium reel oil, or for absolutely amazing casting results, you can lube the spool bearings with extreme Reel +. With heavy use you might need to do that occasionally during the season.

that all makes sense

[cart7t]

but...but....  it's a Shimano.  Not working right out of the box? 

Aren't those handmade by God himself?   :-?

[roadwarrior]

but...but.... it's a Shimano. Not working right out of the box?

Aren't those handmade by God himself? :-?

I think His Son pitches in, too!

:

[RDCALDWELL]

I agree about the curado.

[rubba bubba]

I agree about the curado.

Could you be a bit more specific?

[ksbasser]

but...but....  it's a Shimano.  Not working right out of the box? 

Aren't those handmade by God himself?   

LOL

I actually have some Shimano reels. I quit using them because I just didn't think it was very sporting. Every time I showed up at the lake , the fish just started jumping in the boat in a mass act of surrender

[BassThumb]

I just picked up a pair of Curado 201E7s and they both had a bit of a hiss to them when compared to one that was used last year and cleaned and lubed twice. It sounded like it was coming from where the spool met the body. I opened them up and put a drop of Shimano oil on the spool bearings, and they quieted down immediately. They seemed really dry from the factory, but I guess thats why they give you the oil with the reel right?  I don't remember the older Curado D's needing oil straight from the box.