hello, all. first off, just want to say this is an awesome site and it has already answered many questions for me, and i am very grateful. hopefully i'll be able to return the favor some day in the near future.
i recently took apart only the top half of my stradic (in order of removal: spool, rotor, clutch bearing) and applied grease liberally. i didnt actually take apart the clutch bearing itself- i simply unscrewed it from the main body. i greased everything i could: the ball bearing located beneath the clutch bearing, the metal sleeve that goes around the top portion of the pinion gear and separates it from the clutch bearing, and also the exposed portions of the metal rods within the clutch bearing. however, after putting it all back together, i noticed the reel did not seem as smooth as it was before i had greased it. the retrieve went from being oiled and silent to more of a dry/rubbing one (imagine rubbing your dry hands together... that's the sound i'm hearing). the reel's retrieve is still smooth, but seemingly the grease is making it sound like some of my older spinning reels. where could this dryness/rubbing be coming from? im okay with a reel that is noisier if it doesn't affect the reel's performance, but did i apply grease somewhere i shouldn't have? perhaps i accidentally got some grease onto the spool shaft where it goes into the pinion gear? or is the reel simply noisier because grease is just thick?
thanks for your time!
okay, looks like i got ahead of myself with the whole 'grease everything' concept. apparently it's not a good idea to grease/lube the clutch bearing? if so, is there a good way to clean this up, ie flush it with soap and hot water or something? sigh, i really hope i dont have to buy a whole new clutch bearing.
G'day pepperist,
You're on the right track now - clutch bearings only need a light oil, such as TSI301, Inox, ReelX etc.
Drop it in some white spirit or similar and use a small toothbrush to clean it all out.
An aerosol product like WD40 can also be helpful to get in behind the rollers.
Good luck, Justin
Roller or one way bearings need to allow for movement of the rollers back & forth So they can CLUTCH the shaft and allow it to only turn in ONE direction...
Grease is to thick most times to allow for this movement. Oil only..
I am not sure how that would cause the sound you describe though???
Perhaps the rollers are rubbing the shaft to hard as they can not move away???
Grease on the shaft through the Pinion is fine....
Many time less is more.
You will find that Grease Migrates to places its not wanted.....
We all have to adjust for issues that come up when we start doing reels...
Time is a great teacher...
But do get the grease out or you will eventually lose the one way function...
Alan uses Spray Brake Cleaner (automotive) and cans of air (Computer stuff) to clean bearings and blow them out.
Sounds like a good way to do it...
Then light oil TSI 321, Oust, ReelX Etc..
.
carb cleaner, then gentle compressed air, and corrosion x.
many thanks for the replies. i guess i dont have to worry about carb cleaner affecting the plastic in any way?
nessie hunter, i dont really understand the sound myself. i dont see how a greased clutch bearing could make a reel noisier. if i correctly understand how the clutch bearing works, the metal rollers roll in both directions when the anti-reverse is switched off, and when the anti-reverse is switched on, the metal rollers only roll in one direction. perhaps the greased metal rollers rolling within/rubbing the plastic of the mount is producing the sound? im not so sure. just looking at how it's designed with the metal sleeve on the pinion gear and the clutch bearing in place, i feel like the anti-reverse should be nonexistent and it should slip every time, because the clutch bearing's rollers barely touch the circumference of the sleeve, so though the rollers might not roll in one direction, it seems that the metal sleeve/pinion gear would be able to turn in that direction anyway, sliding against the non-rolling rollers, so to speak.
oops, yeah, careful with shimano plastic parts. i've had trouble with the thumb bars.