Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I took my saltist 50 apart last night and greased all the moving parts with marine bearing grease. I took the sealed bearings out and put them in a zip lock bag full of ATF +3 and took them out once the bubbles were gone.  I wiped them down with a clean cloth and reinstalled.  I put the reel back together and it's very smooth cranking but I only get a second or two of free spool.  If the drag is backed off all the way and lever disengaged, the spool still spins.  Any idea how to check this?

You have too much oil on the bearings. If you want that spool to really spin, You need to remove the ATF and after cleaning, apply only a small amount of oil.
You will probably have to remove the shields, or at least one side to accomplish this.
Everybody will have their own opinion, but I use brake cleaner to clean out the old oil.

ATF is not for roller bearings. Get the correct reel oil or at least machine oil. With the bearing filled with oil it is restricting the free movement of the bearings similar to packing with grease which would give much longer lasting protection.

Ok thanks.  I've read on several sites swearing atf +3 is great stuff for bearings on reels. Some even go so far as to say it's the same as hot sauce.  So shoukd I just buy some corrosion x and call it a day?  Once I get the right stuff just a drop per bearings correct?  Same for the other bearings? 

Don't forget that you will have to tear down the reel much more often if you are oiling the bearings. When greasing the bearings it only requires cleaning & packing the bearings yearly or every other year. Remember to clean them before oiling them each time. One drop-Three drops just don't flood them. Try some TSI 321.

I'd rather just grease the bearings but isn't that how I'm losing free spool? Also how do I grease sealed bearings? I'm leaving the drags alone this season as they seem smooth.

Grease does not cause you to lose free spool it just isn't as long spinning as with light oil. If you flip it with your finger & it doesn't spin then you have lost free spool. If it spins less revolutions with grease then with oil that is just more drag on the free spool. You just can't have it all without some sacrifice. To pack the bearings with grease you can remove the shield from one side , clean them & repack them. It isn't neccessary to replace the shield. Or you can buy a bearing packer from AT & force the new grease in & the old grease out right through the shields. Your choice.

Read this post about bearings from the boss himself.
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=13.0

Thanks guys. I guess I just don't have my terminology down.  And thanks for posting the link. I found it after I made the last reply.  I saw that my bearing are in fact not sealed but just have a shield.   Think I'd rather just buy a grease repacker so that I don't have to pry off shields and possibly ruin bearings. I took the reel back apart and cleaned up the excess grease.   It spins much better now.  I'd rather have the protection of grease instead of the speed of oil.  There are some big fish around this year and I'd rather have a reel not burn up on me.  There are 100+ lb bluefin tuna out there in so Cal right now destroying gear.  Thanks again

Sounds like you are on the right track.

Keep in mind that if the reel is being used for live bait fishing we generally prefer Oil and the shields removed.

If its a troller then definitely grease.

An oiled bearing casts light baits better and makes it easier for the bait to swim. The downside as you have found is that you have to get more oil in there more often.

Just a little more info to help you make your own decision. 

Thanks.  My senators are definitely getting straight grease.  This saltist 50 pulls double duty as a heavy bait/slow trolling rig.  My lighter reels will definitely get oil in the bearings.

I serviced my daiwa sealine 40 that reel gets heavy use too so being on the safe side I greased those bearings and sleeves too.  I just left a light coating of grease on the spool spindle.  The reel is much smoother cranking wise  now but it seems tighter.  It seemed to loosen up a bit after cranking on it for a minute or so but still not as loose as another sealine I haven't serviced yet.  I'm assuming this is normal because of the extra friction of the bearing grease?

Quote from: Monster1 on June 23, 2016, 06:32:05 AM
I serviced my daiwa sealine 40 that reel gets heavy use too so being on the safe side I greased those bearings and sleeves too.  I just left a light coating of grease on the spool spindle.  The reel is much smoother cranking wise  now but it seems tighter.  It seemed to loosen up a bit after cranking on it for a minute or so but still not as loose as another sealine I haven't serviced yet.  I'm assuming this is normal because of the extra friction of the bearing grease?

Yes. And it is partly why manufacturers do a poor job greasing their bearings (or using ones automatically greased when manufactured).

The customer fondling reels at the counter wants them to turn over as freely as possible as a measure of perceived "quality". If the reel's bearings are greased the reel will last 10X longer than one with none, but at the counter may be perceived as a lesser build.

That's good to know.  Thanks for the help guys. I've got more confidence in my service ability now. 

Quote from: Monster1 on June 22, 2016, 08:35:41 AM
Thanks guys. I guess I just don't have my terminology down.  And thanks for posting the link. I found it after I made the last reply.  I saw that my bearing are in fact not sealed but just have a shield.   Think I'd rather just buy a grease repacker so that I don't have to pry off shields and possibly ruin bearings. I took the reel back apart and cleaned up the excess grease.   It spins much better now.  I'd rather have the protection of grease instead of the speed of oil.  There are some big fish around this year and I'd rather have a reel not burn up on me.  There are 100+ lb bluefin tuna out there in so Cal right now destroying gear.  Thanks again

Monster, depending on how many reels you plan to service, it might be cheaper to buy new bearings than a bearing packer you'll only use once or twice.

Sid