okuma makaira 8 II rebuild - 3/4/2011
i would not have believed it unless i saw it with my own eyes. even now, it's still a little hard to believe. i fished with the makaira 10 II last august and commented that a narrow version of the makaira 10 would make a great reel. keep the same side plates and base. all you'd need is a narrow frame, a narrow spool and a shorter spool shaft. that would be it!
i understand that there are 6 functional prototypes. the only one in the US is #004. for this tutorial, i will be using the part numbers on the makaira 10 schematic #1090KM03901100, dated 11.02.09.
from this angle, it is indistinguishable from the makaira 10 and 15.
a few years ago, i would not have considered a clicking drag knob assembly (key #600) to be critical. i do now. the clicking drag lever assembly (key #605) is nice, but not critical. i like it, though.
you have your choice of plugs (key #108) or lugs (key #108-1). older fishermen (like me) will appreciate this option.
straight out of the box, this reel had only 15 seconds of freespool. we will fix that. let's start by pulling the left side plate screws (key #930-1196) using a no. 10 torx bit.
the left side plate assembly (key #300) already has a nice coat of corrosion x HD and the screws are already greased.
now pull the right side plate screws (key #930-1196).
unscrew the drag knob assembly (key #600).
four pieces, quick and easy.
there's nothing to do with the left side plate (key #300), so let's set it aside.
the body foot (key #102) has four screws with blue stuff on it. let's grease the screws and move on.
that's it for the frame (key #100). set it aside with the left side plate.
now for the spool assembly. the spool (key #400) has four screws (key #930-096) holding the water proof cover (key #405). out they come!
remove the two screws (key #930-1052) holding the ratchet gear (key #401).
spread out the parts.
WARNING! there are four small springs (key #204-4) on the left side of the spool. either tack them down with a bead of grease or set them aside in a happy place so you can find them later. otherwise, you could lose one and spend 10 minutes looking for it.
set aside the thrust bearing assembly (key #910-430). i do not belive that this bearing affects freespool but will opt not to pack it with grease at this time. if this bearing fails, then we will know that this decision was wrong.
remove the drag washer retainer (key #608).
the drag washer assembly features a carbon fiber drag washer (key #611) sandwiched between two stainless steel key washers (key #612). the drag washer already has a coat of cal's grease. if you find excess in your reel, clean it away with a clean cloth. excess grease might slow down freespool. the pinion guard bearing (key #910-447) measures 6x15x5mm. let's pack it with grease and reassemble the drag washer assembly.
now for the main shaft assembly (key #718). note that the makaira 8 has only 8 belleville washers (key #609), not the 10 bellevilles listed in the makaira 10 schematics.
the best way to improve freespool is to clean out the spool bearings (key #910-447). see
bearings for a full discussion of bearings. these spool bearings are high quality ezo bearings from japan and measure 6x15x5. no shortcuts here. we are going to pry out the shields and clean them with carb cleaner and gentle puffs of compressed air.
the bearing has grease on one side but is dry on the other.
both spool bearings will be cleaned with carb clean and compressed air, then dunked in TSI 301. more about this stuff later.
now, this is what i'm talkin' about!
i've reassembled the spool up to the thrust bearing. the bare spool with the open bearings spins for 25 seconds.
install the main shaft pin (key #717) before we lose it.
install the drag assembly.
install the water proof cover (key #405) and screws (key #930-096).
install the high speed pinion gear (key #702) and low speed pinion gear (key #702-1) as a unit. a quick check gives us the same 25 seconds of spin time.
set the spool assembly aside.
if you currently own a makaira 8, 10, or 15 two speed that is working well, you can most likely skip this part of the tutorial and reassemble your reel. we are going to inspect the right main side plate bearing (key #910-446). it measures 8x19x6 and it turns out that this bearing in this particular reel is fully packed with grease. if the bearing in your reel fails or you have to pull the drive shaft for some reason, read on. otherwise, you are basically done. skip to the end, button up your reel and go fish. now for those that want to plow through the rest of this, onward!
remove the gear box cover (key #912).
this anti-reverse system is unique to okuma. take careful note of the postions of the anti-reverse pawls (key #201), the bushings (key #211), and the springs (key #217).
also note well the positions of the right (key #723-1) and left (key #723-2) silent springs.
zip out the pawl screws (key #930-605) and set everything aside.
WARNING!!! remove the c-retainer (key #1-901-0012) but make sure it does not take flight. the one you see in this photo was recovered after it popped out and took a 6 foot hop into the middle of my garage.
WARNING!!! remove the right (key #723-1) and left (key #723-2) silent springs and the silent spring bushing (key #723) as a unit. do not pull the springs off the bushing because you may loosen the spring and it may not work properly.
remove the hold plate screws (key #930-605).
remove the hold plate (key #207) and hold plate bushing (key #215) as a unit.
remove the low speed drive gear washer (no key #), it is not shown on the schematic.
remove the low speed drive gear (key #700-1) and teflon washer (key #920-412) as a unit.
remove the high speed main gear (key #700). this is the exposed side. the other side is flat.
remove the teflon washer (key #920-441) for the high speed main gear.
ok, we could (and probably should) stop here, but you may as well see the handle assembly. remove the clutch shift drive pin (key #507-2).
remove the first drive gear shaft washer (key #920-025).
WARNING!!! remove the drive gear shaft c-retainer (key #1-901-006). make sure this one doesn't take flight, either!
remove the second drive gear shaft washer (key #920-025).
keep track of the parts.
remove the handle/drive shaft assembly as a unit. note that there are no bearings in this assembly. avet, accurate and daiwa have bearings here. penn, shimano and okuma makairas do not. for a full discussion on servicing the two speed shifter, refer to the okuma andros post. we came here for the right main side plate bearing and have been sidetracked long enough.
re-install the drive shaft assembly by reversing the above steps.
the right main side plate bearing (key #910-446) measures 8x19x6mm.
it is fully packed with grease, meaning that all of the work on the right side plate was unnecessary.
well, i still like blue grease better, so it will be repacked (hey, we came this far!) and re-installed.
ok, enough gawking! back to work. re-install the high speed drive gear's teflon washer (key #920-441).
re-install the high speed drive gear (key #700), counterbore side out.
re-install the low speed drive gear (key #700-1) and teflon washer (key #920-412) as a unit, with the washer side down.
re-install the stainless steel washer (no key #), not shown on this schematic.
re-install the hold plate (key #207) and hold plate bushing (key #215) as a unit.
re-install the hold plate screws (key #930-605).
re-install the left (key #723-2) and right (key #723-1) silent springs and the silent spring bushing (key #723) as a unit. note that the left and right designations as assigned as if the springs were being viewed from the outside of the reel. the springs will not work if they are reversed.
re-install the c-retainer (key #1-910-012). remember that this is a no-fly zone.
re-install the anti-reverse pawl springs (key #217), then the bushings (key #211), then the pawls (key #201) and the screws (key #930-605). verfy that the pawls are functioning properly (springing in) before proceeding. by "proper function," i mean that the pawls would simply "click" if the silent springs were not engaged. ok, they work fine? good! now re-install the ends of the silent springs and verify that THEY function properly. good, let's move on.
re-install the gear box cover (key #912).
now take a moment to survey your work. if you skipped the service portion for the right main side plate bearing, you would go from servicing the spool, then straight to this point. mostly what we've done is look around. time now to get this reel back together.
re-install the left side plate assembly (key #300) and screws (key #930-1196).
reinstall the spool assembly (key #400) and make sure the main shaft pin (key #717) is properly seated.
shimmy the right side plate assembly (key #200) and re-install the screws (key #930-1196).
push the drag lever (key #605) down to the free position.
with the lever in the free position, re-install the drag knob assembly (key #600) so that is nests into the drag lever assembly (key #605).
give the drag knob assembly (key #600) a couple of turns to make sure it is seated properly.
done! it's funny, the spool must be happier inside the reel. it now delivers 70 seconds of freespool!
now, some side bar comments. first, for those interested, the makaira 10's that i serviced last year went on one trip with me and three trips with other guys. the still spin for 60 seconds. looks like the TSI 301 is for real.
second, i took the makaira 8 to my local shop with a big spool of 50 pound stren braid. evan praskin is a buddy of mine that works there and he was nice enough to spool up the reel for me.
he's a great kid and really packs 'em tight.
i would have liked to have had 4 football fields worth of line (400 yards), but i am very happy with three and a half!
the reel easily bottomed out the 25 pound chatillion scale at the shop and had virtually no side load. i believe these numbers mean that the okuma makaira 8 II has the highest power to weight ratio in it's class. add an anti-reverse system with zero possibility of failure at any drag setting, a clicking preset knob (that you can still tighten with the reel in gear at 24 pounds of drag), a 2:1 granny gear on the bottom that allows you to still crank the handle with 18 pounds of drag, an option for lugs and easily interchangeable handle grips, and this reel gets my vote for best in it's class.
in an e-mail to okuma last september, i wrote ....
.... you already have a makaira 10 II that holds 400 yards of 65 pound spectra and a 3 foot topshot of 40, 50 or 60 pound flourocarbon. it is my hope that a makaira 8 II would hold 400 yards of 50 pound spectra and a short 3 foot topshot of 30, 35 or 40 pound fluorocarbon. both reels deliver the same 24 pounds of drag at strike with no side load. clearly these reels deliver a higher drag range than would be needed for their current line capacity. or do they? 15 years ago, who knew about spectra? yet, with it's introduction, line technology improved five fold nearly overnight. and what of reel technology? still lagging behind until now. the makaira jumps only slightly ahead of the spectra that it holds. the next generation of fishing lines could easily leap ahead of reels and you would be right back where you started. or would you? 20 years from now, the makaira 8 II might still find favor among fishermen, while the makaira 10 II and 15 II fall by the wayside. the situation could be analogous to the penn 4/0 senator line, where the narrow spool baja special 113hn is still highly prized, while the standard spool 113hl and wide spool 113hlw sit and collect dust.....
it's still a little hard to believe. alan
3/4/2011
