Shifting stiff or stuck rotor nuts

[Lorcan]

Greetings all from The Netherlands. I've got a few old and crusty reels I've been meaning to service for ages now. Fred has upped the ante by sending me some parts.

I have a couple of DAM Quicks (220P and 110N) and Shakespeares (2200ii and 2210ii). The Shakespeares aren't engineered as well as the DAMs but they're not bad (almost all metal parts).

With all I gave an issue I'm sure many of you have faced: rotor nuts that really don't want to move. I know how they should turn to open (normal for the DAM and reverse threaded on the Shakespeares) but turning them is another matter.

Any suggestions for loosening them from members who've probably serviced more reels than I've had hot dinners?

Cheers, Lorcan

[foakes]

Hi Lorcan —-

Not clear what tools you are using.

I use good nut-drivers.  Occasionally I will need to resort to a socket to "break" the initial movement.  I keep the extension short, and sometimes also use a "T-Bar" for extra leverage.

All DQ rotor nuts are removed counter-clockwise, except the earliest versions of the 265 Microlites, which remove clock-wise.  Many of the Shakes come off clock-wise.

A trick also is if you know for sure which direction the nut threads are —- try "tightening" just a bit.  This will sometimes break the fusing, and allow a normal removal.

When and if reels are used in salt water, and not serviced properly, any of the parts can become stuck.  But they will all come loose if the right amount of tool & pressure come to bear.

Glad to help further, just keep us informed.

Best, Fred

[Lorcan]

Thanks Fred. I've tried the retightening but the Shakespeare 2210ii is already very tight. 14mm socket. But am looking for one with a sharper edge since these nuts are shallow. Currently leaving some penetrating oil on it. On all of these reels the old grease was somewhere between candle wax and cement.

[Midway Tommy]

I always remove the main shaft prior to loosening/removing the rotor nut, and always use a socket because I can achieve better leverage. I never use an open end or adjustable wrench, or even a nut driver for that task. That's just always been my preference. Interestingly, out of all the hundreds, or even thousands of rotor nuts I've removed I've never run into a problem one except the time when I had to grind down the socket wall because the rotor nut was shallow and the rotor had a recessed area that accommodated the nut.

[Lorcan]

Thanks Tommy. The penetrating oil seems to have done its job after a couple of hours. With a snug fitting socket and the tightening trick the rotor nuts moved fine and the first reel is in pieces. Next step cleaning out the ancient grease. Cheers, Lorcan

[oldmanjoe]

  Tibe bit of information for the sockets .  13 mm and 14mm socket are grind down on the face of the socket , to get rid of the bevel for the shallow nuts .  This gives you full engagement on the nut . 
      You can grind the outside to get into the cup if needed .
Before and after picture .