To Replace or Not

thunnus69 · November 12, 2012, 02:11:41 PM

Tore down a friends Penn 30tw. All bearings had pressed in sheilds. All but one moves smoothly as if they were still packed well with grease. The one spool bearing in question moves freely but feels as though it's dry and there is an audible "click" to it and it feels a bit rough when I move it compared to the others. This may be a dumb question but.... since I can't open it without destroying the shield, should I replace the bearing or assume that since it's shieled it will probably be fine.
Help.

saltydog · November 12, 2012, 02:23:33 PM

I would remove the shields,pack them with grease and put them back in.At least the one that is sounding not so good.

Keta · November 12, 2012, 03:38:51 PM

The rough bearing is dammaged and should be replaced.

kamuwela · November 12, 2012, 04:59:47 PM

on trolling reels i remove one shield then install the bearing with the shielded side facing out to protect from water intrusion. replace the bearing in question it is no good.

Nessie Hunter · November 12, 2012, 06:32:17 PM

Get one of Alans Bearing Packers..
You can re-pack the bearings with Shields ON. (right through the shields).
Works great and saves a ton of time on reels...

If the bearing is rough, it is probably toast and needs replaced...
Keeping them packed with the Pressure Packer will keep that from happening again..

.

alantani · November 12, 2012, 07:24:34 PM

for a spool bearing, i like them open because i want the spool to spin freely. if it's rough already, i would replace it. you can try to clean it out, but that will only make it chatter more. if the noise doesn't bother you, and if you are only trolling anyway, then you could pack it with grease and then call it a day.

unless you are looking for great freespool, it probably doesn't matter that much.

bb2fish · January 16, 2013, 07:24:55 AM

I damaged a shield on a spool bearing. Do I need to replace the bearing or is it OK to leave it unshielded? The bearing itself runs smooth.
Would it make a difference which end of the spool goes unshielded? It's now manually packed with Yamaha Blue Grease.

kamuwela · January 16, 2013, 08:24:02 PM

leave it dont replace it, you can always face the shielded side out. if you are trolling then pack it with grease and youll be fine. the ones i worry about are the side plates, leave those shielded. i am still trying to get a packer for the larger bearings so i could pack them without removing the shield.

bb2fish · January 17, 2013, 12:28:47 AM

Maybe I didn't explain myself very well. The bearing shield that I damaged was on the handle side of the reel, where the spool shaft goes into the bridge. So, I'm guessing you call that the sideplate (?) It's a Penn 321GTi. I decided the shield wasn't damaged too severely, so I put it back on. I don't know how to remove these bearings yet (still lots to learn).

Bryan Young · January 17, 2013, 12:43:43 AM

Quote from: kamuwela on January 16, 2013, 08:24:02 PM
leave it dont replace it, you can always face the shielded side out. if you are trolling then pack it with grease and youll be fine. the ones i worry about are the side plates, leave those shielded. i am still trying to get a packer for the larger bearings so i could pack them without removing the shield.

Kamu,

I left a set with Lois for her and you to try out. I don't think she is using it. You may want to ask her for it.

Bryan

Bryan Young · January 17, 2013, 12:47:01 AM

Quote from: bb2fish on January 17, 2013, 12:28:47 AM
Maybe I didn't explain myself very well. The bearing shield that I damaged was on the handle side of the reel, where the spool shaft goes into the bridge. So, I'm guessing you call that the sideplate (?) It's a Penn 321GTi. I decided the shield wasn't damaged too severely, so I put it back on. I don't know how to remove these bearings yet (still lots to learn).

If the shield is damaged, pull the shield off and pack it with grease.

Those bearings are difficult to remove since they have been peened in.

If you look at the pic, you will see those little tabs holding the bearing in the bridge plate.

To get those out, I use a dremel to remove those tabs then the bearing can come out.

Hope this helps.

Alto Mare · January 17, 2013, 01:02:35 AM

You know, that bridge is nice and beefy, but that bearing has to be the most senseless design I've ever seen. I guess they want you to purchase the hole bridge when the bearing fails $:-\$ . Those bridges are not cheap.

Bryan Young · January 17, 2013, 01:17:37 AM

Sal, I've replaced the bearing to save a few buck for our customers. Takes a bit of work, but it's possible.

I will also braze the gear sleeve post instead of buying a new bridge when the post spins. Saves a few bucks and I haven't had any return yet.

New would be easier...that's for sure.

Keta · January 17, 2013, 01:26:04 AM

Quote from: Alto Mare on January 17, 2013, 01:02:35 AM
Those bridges are not cheap.

I have several you can have real cheep. Replacing the bridge is often the deciding factor for scraping these reels for me.

Alto Mare · January 17, 2013, 01:58:02 AM

Quote from: Keta on January 17, 2013, 01:26:04 AM
Quote from: Alto Mare on January 17, 2013, 01:02:35 AM
Those bridges are not cheap.

I have several you can have real cheep. Replacing the bridge is often the deciding factor for scraping these reels for me.

Lee, if your message was ment for me, I thank you but I don't need one. I don't have any of those , I think I'm allergic to graphite, my hands don't feel right when I hold one $:-\$ .