Replace a drag washer

[mudgecko63]

I have a Daiwa 2 Speed LD20 reel, where the drag washer is glued in. It has come time to replace it, how thick is the washer and how do I go about achieving this without having to purchase a new spool? Thanks for any help.

[alantani]

there is no easy way to do this.  if there is corrosion on or around the drag washer, take the an old dull pocket knife and try scraping off the corrosion with the blade held at a 90 degree angle.  the goal is to remove the majority of the corrosion and "raise the grain" of the carbon fiber sheet.  once that is done, apply a liberal amount of teflon drag grease (cal's or shimano), rub off the excess with a clean rag, and then reassemble the reel.  if the drag is smooth enough, then call it done and take the win.

rarely, there is corrosion underneath the drag washer that causes "high spots" in the washer.  this will make the drag "sticky."  unfortunately at this point, you might have to chisel off the old drag washer, scrape off the corrosion, clean the metal surface, apply epoxy and glue a new drag washer to the spool.  the problem now is to find a drag washer.  daiwa may be able to sell you one.  smoothdrag.com did not list a replacement drag washer, but they do sell sheets of carbon fiber that you can cut to size.  you would have to measure the thickness of the original drag that you peeled off the spool to get a best match. 

and lastly, just buy a new spool, then grease the new drag and never worry about this problem again. 

can you post some photos?

[Keta]

A little bit of grease cures this problem and I hate glued on drag washers.