The pinion bearing is probably the first covered thing that will get splashed with seawater on a baitcaster. So it is normally the first bearing I want to clean after each trip, together with the 2 spool bearings.
The wisdom of Shimano's engineers however seem to have turned a wicked streak when they decided to place the pinion bearing under layers and layers of other parts for the DC7, such that to service this bearing after each saltwater outing, means to totally strip down the reel just to reach this.
I initially packed this bearing with grease, hoping to avoid having to do a massive dismantling of the reel every weekend after I use it. That worked, but made the reel feel too tight to crank. I'm now thinking of replacing this bearing which already has almost 5 years of service, into a fully ceramic bearing just for its corrosion proofness.
Can anyone help with the dimensions of this bearing? I surely don't want to have to take the reel apart only to measure the bearing and then have a box of loose parts waiting for a replacement bearing to be found.
Thanks.
LL
you're probably the only one that has been that deep into one of these reels, besides shimano themselves. full ceramic sounds like a good idea. go for it!
if you're antares is the same/similar to a calais 200dc check this schematics for the calais;
http://fish.shimano-eu.com/media/fishing/techdocs/en/07CL200DC_v1_m56577569830600909.pdf
and if it's part bnt3621the dimensions are, in mm, ID 8 x OD 12 x W 3.5, this is per boca bearings.
hope this helps, tight lines!
Thanks guys, I got impatient and stripped the reel to measure. Posted the link to how it looks in a topic called Antares DC7 assembly or something to that effect. I've included ball bearing dimensions in the post too.
LL