Okuma V55

[ijlal]

Hi

I recently replaced my long jigging companion, a Daiwa Emcast Sport 6000 with an Okuma V-System V55 reel because the Daiwa is big and heavy. On the first trip, the little V55 handled 10-30lb amberjacks pretty well but the handle has developed a significant play. There is also a grinding sound that has started coming indicating worn main gear. I have had the much cheaper ($59.99) Daiwa for at least 7-8 years and have yet to face a major problem. Being an Okuma advocate, I am thoroughly disappointed

Any ideas what I might do to get some life out of this reel before it dies altogether?

Thanks!

[Dynamo]

"Any ideas what I might do to get some life out of this reel before it dies altogether?"

No idea. When I have a dying spinner, I usually buy a new one. Its not worth a potential lost fish to me, at least. I have the same Daiwa, (a 5000 model, however), and its performed very well. I've had it for years, smooth drag still, used it on the pier snagging rays to surfcasting on the beach. Heavy as you said but robust. A saltwater dunk is all it needs, looks out of the box too, I'm surprised to say. I'd fish the Emcast  until you can afford something a little more high-end. Funny, bout the Okuma being 100 bucks more expensive. If you can I'd try returning the Okuma for a Penn Battle. Just my two cents. cheers!

[ijlal]

"Any ideas what I might do to get some life out of this reel before it dies altogether?"

No idea. When I have a dying spinner, I usually buy a new one. Its not worth a potential lost fish to me, at least. I have the same Daiwa, (a 5000 model, however), and its performed very well. I've had it for years, smooth drag still, used it on the pier snagging rays to surfcasting on the beach. Heavy as you said but robust. A saltwater dunk is all it needs, looks out of the box too, I'm surprised to say. I'd fish the Emcast  until you can afford something a little more high-end. Funny, bout the Okuma being 100 bucks more expensive. If you can I'd try returning the Okuma for a Penn Battle. Just my two cents. cheers!

Thanks Dynamo!

I live far away from US and other places where these tackle companies do offer warranty. I shall have to keep this spinner till it's unusable. For now, it can be used. I wont lose a fish as the drag is perfect, unless something breaks inside. I have an Okuma Titus Gold 30 two speed reel and an Epix EB60 (Same as Epixor in the US) and am quite content with these two. Have had them for quite some time and trust them. I wouldn't put the rigors of jigging on the Epix, but otherwise it has never given trouble and is smooth as ever. This is the reason I am so disappointed with my new V55. Was just hoping for an idea to minimize wear, so as to keep using it for some time.

[philaroman]

some questions:

1) what's your EXACT model & does it have a screw-on handle w/ 2 different shafts for L/H & R/H?  ...is this, http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/albums/okuma/V55a.PDF  close enough, or do we have to deal w/ this  http://www.reelschematic.com/schematics/Okuma/VS/VS%20VS55%282005%29.pdf

2) what do you mean by "play" -- is the entire main gear/handle assembly shifting side-to-side within the frame?  older Okuma spinners were notorious for that -- some came that way straight out of the box; some developed it; some never did & worked perfectly for years...  I don't think it had anything to do with specific model or price range -- just pot luck with individual reels (maybe it depends on which factory shift made the reel, LOL).

[Bryan Young]

You may have a loose screw.  I would check all the screws around the handle assembly first.

[Dynamo]

No problem! What exactly is wrong w. the Okuma, then? I'd be worried about the handle play and grinding. if you ask me.

[paal]

I would first check what is causing the handle play. Two things come into my mind immediately:

1) Improper shimming of the main gear. These shims are, as you may know, located between the main shaft bearing and the main gear, and affects how the gears are meshing. Improper meshing leads to premature wear, of course...

2) Too much play between the main bearing and the frame. This allows the gears to become misaligned, which accelerates wear (and reduce gearing efficiency, noticed as resistance when cranking under load).

[ijlal]

some questions:

1) what's your EXACT model & does it have a screw-on handle w/ 2 different shafts for L/H & R/H?  ...is this, http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/albums/okuma/V55a.PDF  close enough, or do we have to deal w/ this  http://www.reelschematic.com/schematics/Okuma/VS/VS%20VS55%282005%29.pdf

2) what do you mean by "play" -- is the entire main gear/handle assembly shifting side-to-side within the frame?  older Okuma spinners were notorious for that -- some came that way straight out of the box; some developed it; some never did & worked perfectly for years...  I don't think it had anything to do with specific model or price range -- just pot luck with individual reels (maybe it depends on which factory shift made the reel, LOL).

The exact model is (the older) V55, not the upgraded V55a. There is no separate shaft for right hand conversion. I could not find an online schematic for this particular model.

I found part of the problem was due to a slightly loose handle screw. however, the concern is about the grinding sound that indicates some sort of gear wear. There is also some lateral play in the gear/shaft, which is strange for a reel with 15 ball bearings.

I would first check what is causing the handle play. Two things come into my mind immediately:

1) Improper shimming of the main gear. These shims are, as you may know, located between the main shaft bearing and the main gear, and affects how the gears are meshing. Improper meshing leads to premature wear, of course...

2) Too much play between the main bearing and the frame. This allows the gears to become misaligned, which accelerates wear (and reduce gearing efficiency, noticed as resistance when cranking under load).

I have not had the chance to open the reel up yet, but I am sure the issue is with the alignment of the main gear shaft and the housing. I say this because the grinding sound seems to be coming from a certain set of teeth only. Would you suggest a remedy?

No problem! What exactly is wrong w. the Okuma, then? I'd be worried about the handle play and grinding. if you ask me.

There certainly is a problem buddy.

[ijlal]

You may have a loose screw.  I would check all the screws around the handle assembly first.

Thanks Bryan. The rotary play was indeed because of the loose handle screw, but more serious problems, as stated above, remain.

[paal]

I would first check what is causing the handle play. Two things come into my mind immediately:
1) Improper shimming of the main gear. These shims are, as you may know, located between the main shaft bearing and the main gear, and affects how the gears are meshing. Improper meshing leads to premature wear, of course...
2) Too much play between the main bearing and the frame. This allows the gears to become misaligned, which accelerates wear (and reduce gearing efficiency, noticed as resistance when cranking under load).

I have not had the chance to open the reel up yet, but I am sure the issue is with the alignment of the main gear shaft and the housing. I say this because the grinding sound seems to be coming from a certain set of teeth only. Would you suggest a remedy?

Improper shimming can be fixed by getting a number of shims, a big cup of coffee and an undisturbed evening This thread explains the shimming process: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=778.0
Note from BigTs trials how small a tolerance is needed for proper gear meshing...
BTW, I to have had a V-system that had improper shimming from the factory.

I've also had gear misalignement due to excessive tolerances in the frame (bearing 'cups'). This can be remedied by e.g. using aluminum foil or aluminum tape. This thread shows some cases of this: http://jignpopforum.com/index.php?/topic/860-reel-bearing-slop-bearing-vs-reel-cup/
Remember to check both handle play and rotor play. When you check rotor play, IAR should ideally be disabled, otherwise the clutch rollers will come into play and assist in stabilizing the rotor. This stabilization will only work when the rotor is at standstill, and not when you are cranking. Your reel does not have the switch to turn off IAR, so I think for you it's better to check if the pinion bearings seems loose in the frame when you disassemble the reel.

By the way, Alan Hawk does a really thorough review of the largest V-system reel, a good read for reel enthusiasts
http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/okvs8.html

[philaroman]

paal gave you the run-down on re-shimming, which is probably your problem & a MAJOR pain in the sphincter (albeit, you don't need to order parts)

the second schematic I posted: http://www.reelschematic.com/schematics/Okuma/VS/VS%20VS55%282005%29.pdf is allegedly the original v55 (without a parts list...), but you never know w/ Okuma -- they're pretty sloppy w/ schematics, specs, minor parts, etc.  Years ago, I really wanted to try "Being an Okuma advocate", as you say, but quickly gave up on the idea.  It's a shame -- they have good big drags & make good major parts, for the price...  then, they take those good parts & somehow manage to slap them together into mediocre reels.  IMHO, the best way to get a good Okuma spinner, is to buy some broken/parts reels in the same platform/size range & make yourself a Frankenstein or two, with a nice parts library left over.  I'm pretty sure v45 has the same frame/gearbox with smaller rotor/spool & the old black Salina 45/55 is the budget version with mostly inter-compatible parts.

[ijlal]

Thanks Paal and Phil for a detailed shimming procedure. I shall post how it turns out.

[ijlal]

"Any ideas what I might do to get some life out of this reel before it dies altogether?"

No idea. When I have a dying spinner, I usually buy a new one. Its not worth a potential lost fish to me, at least. I have the same Daiwa, (a 5000 model, however), and its performed very well. I've had it for years, smooth drag still, used it on the pier snagging rays to surfcasting on the beach. Heavy as you said but robust. A saltwater dunk is all it needs, looks out of the box too, I'm surprised to say. I'd fish the Emcast   until you can afford something a little more high-end. Funny, bout the Okuma being 100 bucks more expensive. If you can I'd try returning the Okuma for a Penn Battle. Just my two cents. cheers!

Thanks Dynamo!

LOL Dynamo, thanks buddy, but I am not being that pessimistic just yet. The reel will definitely die if I continue using it like this, but still has a lot of life left in it Hopefully, the shimming, as described by Paal and Phil will revive it.

As for the Emcast, it may have been manufactured (in China) to more stringent quality standards than the Taiwanese Okuma, (which is doubtful,) but it is definitely not the better reel of the two when it comes to performance. Last weekend I went offshore again and had a ball of a time catching groupers and amberjacks with the VS. As long as the little Okuma is alive, I have kept the good old Daiwa as a backup.

[limitdown]

My Makaira 50W is built like a tank and I love it, but Okuma spinners are quite disappointing.

I had the same problems with my V55 after just one fishing trip. The gears were no longer smooth when spinning. I took out, cleaned and inspected the drive gear, pinion gear and the elliptical transmission gear. Sure enough, there was unusual wear in the teeth of the drive gear. Luckily I owned the reel for under 1 month so TackleDirect replaced it for free.

If you're past warranty, you can buy the 3 gears and replace them yourself. I think the 3 together should cost less than $15

These are the part numbers.

Drive Gear 27000217
Pinion Gear 27020258
Transmission Gear 27050133

Another problem I found is in the design of the roller assembly. Let me try to describe the problem the best I can. The roller often tilts, causing it to get hung up in the bail arm. It seems like it just needs some correctly shaped spacing washers in two places. So despite having 2 ball bearings in the roller assembly, the roller oftentimes doesn't spin, which causes serious line twist and wind knots.

I noticed this when I got my first reel, and then again with the brand new replacement. This is a design flaw and not a maintenance issue.

[Dynamo]

(Quote) "Thanks, Dynamo!"


My pleasure ! I don't know how my Emcast is still working. I have had other spinners more expensive, but the Daiwa is the only survivor. I have a feeling that I'll be fishing it for a long time still!