Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Shimano Tutorials and Questions => Topic started by: Killerbug on January 19, 2012, 12:55:58 AM

Title: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Killerbug on January 19, 2012, 12:55:58 AM
I have the joy of getting one of these fine reels in for service, and want to share my experiences with you. Shimano Calcutta TE is Shimanos flag ship, and the favorite reel of many esox anglers.  Like my other tutorials I do not go into details with procedures that are common in most reels, like handle, levelvind system etc.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0080xf.jpg)

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0002isr.jpg)

As you can see, this one had taken a heavy toll of abuse, from saltwater I guess .

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0005brh.jpg)

First we remove the handle, like on any other baitcaster.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0009jd.jpg)

Next thing was to remove the spool. Release the spool cover by unscrew the large nob seen here on the
drive side.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0013sp.jpg)
(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0024ab.jpg)

Now unscrew the brake case, by turning it counter clock wise, the spool bearings was in fine condition on this reel regardless of the amount of corossion found in other places, amazing!. That's why I only use high end bearings when doing reels for others, would never fill a costomer luxery reel with the cheap stuff.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0016rz.jpg)

I prefer to remove the side plate compleatly when working on this reel, Remove the screw attaching it to the
frame at lift it off.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0017jh.jpg)

Next remove the left sideplate(on a standard reel the right). Important that the spool is removed, as this part can stick a little. Use this photo as reference when assampling the reel.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0019yq.jpg)

Then lift of the main gear, carefull not the bend the leaves on the anti reverse dog.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0025im.jpg)
(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0026jb.jpg)
(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0044am.jpg)

Remove the driveshaft plate, by unscrew the two screws, then lift it off. The driveshaft bearing was sincerely coroded
and had to be replaced.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0027uh.jpg)

Remove the pinion gear.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0029fp.jpg)

At this stage i swiched my attention to the level vind, on this reel the pawl cap was rusted so it could
not be removed without extensive force, so I left it. But you don't need to compleatly dissample it
for cleaning anyway. TE owners, keep the pawl cap clean and lubed.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0030bh.jpg)

Use some steel wool to remove rust and corossion

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0031xke.jpg)

Now remove the clutch cam retainer, by uncrew the two small screws.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0032mq.jpg)

Now remove the clutch cam, and the click lever(clutch pawl).  Beware to reinstall the clutch spring
exactly as it should!, this means with the having the longest wire strand pointing towards the
frame edge, attaching the shorter end to the pawl.  So do what I say, and not what I did in my first attemt
to rebuild this reel ;)

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0032mq.jpg)

Clean the pinion bearing, it can be gently tapped out.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0037jr.jpg)

Remove the e-clip keeping the thumb bar release in place, and tap this steel bar out. Then it can easily be
removed and cleaned.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0043je.jpg)

Now clean the frame, and we can slowly begin to rebuild the reel. Resample the thumb bar release, and the levelvind, then
grease up the frame under the clutch mechanism.


(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0047cu.jpg)
(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0055sd.jpg)

Pack the pinoin bearing with grese and put it back into the frame. Add some grease under the clutch cam, and mount it toghether with the click lever. Then mount the clutch cam retainer. Put the driveshaft back in place, don't forget to pack the driveshaft bearing with grease.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0056sa.jpg)

Notice some corossion on the frame close to the reel foot, cleaned it and added some graese to protect the spot.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0057qa.jpg)

Clean the pinion

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0058lk.jpg)

Clean the IAR bearing, and the spool bearing on the drive side plate. Give both a drop of oil.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0059fg.jpg)
(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0062vu.jpg)

Then it's time to clean the main gear, as well as the drag washers. On this reel I cleaned the
standard Shimano washers with some lighter fuel.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0070dp.jpg)

Now mount the anti reverse rachet, and the anti reverse dog.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0071nw.jpg)

I greased the the drag washers with a new PTFE polymer based grease I am testing, and stacked them back into
the main gear, add the anti reverse sleeve on top.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0077zo.jpg)

Mount the pinion, and grease the gears.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0078fr.jpg)

Now we can close the driveside, and mount the handle bearing. I pack it with
some of my PTFE grease.

(http://www.esoxhunt.dk/images/dsc0081qn.jpg)

Mount the handle, and the cast control cap, and we are done.




Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: kamuwela on January 19, 2012, 01:03:58 AM
great job thank you for sharing.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: redsetta on January 19, 2012, 01:14:13 AM
Nice work Morten.
Cheers, Justin
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: wallacewt on January 19, 2012, 03:51:17 AM
there are not to many blokes on this site that will ever let their reels get in that state anymore.good job killerbug
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Jayce on January 19, 2012, 06:32:29 AM
Wow Great job dude.

The owner of that reel needs to do regular Preventive Maintenance.
Calcuttas are built like tanks but still need TLC like all things  ;D

Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: alantani on January 19, 2012, 09:38:17 AM
morten, great post, and stickied, but we need to get some carbontex drag washers to you.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Killerbug on January 19, 2012, 11:16:33 AM
Yea, would be cool to add some Carbonex to this Calcutta, but I did not stock any that would fit the TE, I do a 24H
repair service, so mostly I only add them on demand.  Would love to work on the 400 TE one day, preferable one that
is less abused.

@Jayce

The owner told me he had used it for inshore fishing, and he does not regulary rinse it in freshwater after use.  I am not sure if that would have helped
on the insides of the reel though?
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: inhotpursuit on January 19, 2012, 08:46:20 PM
Very nice tutorial Morten rinseing the calcutta's after using in salt water is always a good idea but more importantly stripping and relubeing the new reel is often a good solution to premature corrosion ,all of my shimano reels were insufficiantly greased out of the box, the corrosion on the reel foot could also be cross corrosion from the reel seat on the rod i have noticed on some of my customers rods have cheap alluminum reel seats and corrode very fast which transfers to the corrosion to the reel foot
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: jimbolim on January 25, 2012, 06:39:34 AM
Very nice tutorial! I have a right handed model. it is built like a tank, cast and retrieve very smooth, but not a big fan of its drag system. I swapped it out to carbontex but havent really had chance to put it to use.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Nat on July 29, 2012, 11:30:17 PM
I'm curious about the differences between the TE 200 and the 200b ?

can ya'll help me out ?
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B on July 30, 2012, 02:59:09 PM
Nat,  hope these 2 links help;

Calcutta TE

http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/round_baitcasting/Calcutta_TE.html

Calcutta B

http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/round_baitcasting/Calcutta.html

i think the main differences between the 2 are;

TE less plastic parts(more metal parts), more bearings....and welcome to Mr. Tani's  neighborhood!
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Nessie Hunter on July 30, 2012, 06:48:52 PM
Well done with some Great Pictures!!!

Just me, but I avoid Steel Wool like the plague!!!! 
Removes finish and adds scratches to collect rust/corrosion etc...

I spend extra time to towel and brush (tooth brush) some times with TSI 301, works great for removing the Corrosion etc & green stuff....
If I really need to, I will use the Green Kitchen scrub pads (nylon??)...

You do good work, keep it up....



.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Killerbug on August 07, 2012, 11:48:01 PM
True, there are probably more gentle ways to remove corrosion than steel wool, especially on alu. Thanks for the tip :)
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: kamuwela on August 07, 2012, 11:56:12 PM
depending on the grade steel wool can be used on glass , chrome even paint for a mirror finish
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Killerbug on August 17, 2012, 02:51:39 PM
Quote from: kamuwela on August 07, 2012, 11:56:12 PM
depending on the grade steel wool can be used on glass , chrome even paint for a mirror finish

True, I started using steel wool to remove green ir, on the chrome and painted sufaces on the ABU classics.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Norskov on November 27, 2012, 06:27:34 PM
Excellent Morten! Helped me a lot when upgrading to Carbontex on my Te 401!
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: the_clairvoyant on June 17, 2013, 02:20:36 PM
I don't understand why Shimano uses such a skinny drag washer in the main gear? They could easily fit one with a larger surface area (smaller inner diameter) and improve the drag performance, wonder whats the reason behind their choice
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: captscott on October 16, 2013, 01:01:37 PM
Great job very thorough!  Thanks for posting this! Can anyone confirm if the 401TE is the same to break down and service? That is my next project after I get my Toriums back together!  Thanks!!
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: captscott on December 04, 2013, 02:40:26 PM
Well I finally got around to giving my 401te a full break down and service. Thanks to Kb for all the great tips in this thread. The 401Te is a little different than the 201te, and it is definitely the most complicated reel I have broken down to date but with this thread and the schematic in hand I was able to get it done in a little over 2 hours. Started taking pics to post a tutorial but lost my way and didn't want to confuse myself any further. I have had this reel since 05 and until joining this site never had the nerve to break it down, so it was in pretty rough shape (mostly inshore use, and freshwater trolling shiners for LM bass) the oem grease was dried and caked up, so i gave her a thorough cleaning and put a new set of carbontex washers in and used a synthetic grease called green grease to coat the insides, and gears. Also carb cleaned and reelx'd all the bearings and put it back together.  Wow what a difference!  The reel is so smooth now it's just sick!!! I was never impressed with the drag on this reel, but with the carbontex washers now it is just silky. Can't wait to try this out on some big tarpon and snook this coming summer!!! Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread with tips and tricks, I would not have had the confidence to tackle it without this board.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: exp2000 on March 28, 2015, 03:19:26 PM
Calcuttas are my bread and butter here in Barra Land - mostly 400s. Don't get so many 200s.

They are a nice reel. I particularly like the B series and they are still available. Definite improvement over the original design. They have been so successful that perhaps Shimano is afraid to discontinue them.

Just finished a CTE400 that has seen a bit of abuse. Will need to order a new Drag Star and Handle for it!

The metal Pawl Cap seizing on the metal Line Guide is a typical problem with the TEs. You can use miniature vice grip pliers to persuade it utilizing a strip of rubber for protection. If that doesn't work you have to get out the gas torch but be careful of plastic parts like the clutch bar and nylon worm bushes.

The B series has a composite line guide so does not suffer from the same problem. I view it as a more practical design and an improvement in a number of ways.

I do not like the new D series reels. Only done one so far - the guide bars sit in blind holes in the one piece frame and these act as salt traps. I had to use the gas torch and vice grips to unseized these from the frame. Mind you the owner did fish from a kayak. So if you get one of these, be sure to keep up the TSI or corrosion-X to these recesses or you will wish you had.
~

Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: ChefShawn on March 01, 2016, 05:21:49 AM
Is there pics for this ?
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: barkley1956 on May 31, 2016, 01:50:48 AM
I have a CTE 400 to work on but I cannot see the pictures in the tutorial. Any suggestions on how I can view them? Thanks!!!
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: morfius on April 25, 2017, 03:16:58 AM
Quote from: barkley1956 on May 31, 2016, 01:50:48 AM
I have a CTE 400 to work on but I cannot see the pictures in the tutorial. Any suggestions on how I can view them? Thanks!!!

I have the same problem
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Bryan Young on April 25, 2017, 03:41:01 AM
Quote from: morfius on April 25, 2017, 03:16:58 AM
Quote from: barkley1956 on May 31, 2016, 01:50:48 AM
I have a CTE 400 to work on but I cannot see the pictures in the tutorial. Any suggestions on how I can view them? Thanks!!!

I have the same problem
Not sure how to fix it unless Killerbug reposts them.
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Shark Hunter on April 25, 2017, 03:43:35 AM
morfius,
Sometimes things like this happen when the picture hosting site is down or the members account has lapsed.
Posts of my own do this, then later they can be viewed when the site is back online.
No sure what the case is, but
There is nothing I can do to correct it at this time.
Daron
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: morfius on April 25, 2017, 03:50:57 AM
Quote from: Shark Hunter on April 25, 2017, 03:43:35 AM
morfius,
Sometimes things like this happen when the picture hosting site is down or the members account has lapsed.
Posts of my own do this, then later they can be viewed when the site is back online.
No sure what the case is, but
There is nothing I can do to correct it at this time.
Daron

Thanks Daron.  I appreciate the quick reply.  The reason why I commented and flagged it is because I am trying to rebuild my  Calcutta 300TE and need a visual tutorial.  I've been searching around and haven't been able to find one.  I posted a thread, but it hasn't shown up on here for some reason.  I can find it in my profile, but not in the forum.  Can you help me regarding that?  I signed up here a long time ago, but I'm still a noob when it comes to navigating around. 
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: Shark Hunter on April 25, 2017, 04:01:34 AM
This one?
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=21466.0
All I could find was some pictures on Bloody Decks.
They were posted by steelfish. An outstanding member here.
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/shimano-calcutta-300-400te-tutorial.203148/
Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Shimano Calcutta 201 TE
Post by: morfius on April 25, 2017, 05:05:42 AM
Quote from: Shark Hunter on April 25, 2017, 04:01:34 AM
This one?
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=21466.0
All I could find was some pictures on Bloody Decks.
They were posted by steelfish. An outstanding member here.
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/shimano-calcutta-300-400te-tutorial.203148/

Thanks!