Reel Repair by Alan Tani

remove the main gear, then pull the pinion gear and bearing out as a unit, then lightly tap out the gear. 

Thank you for the lightning-fast reply Alan! 

Found a TLD 15 at a yard sale for $1. Lots of boat rash but will take it apart and clean and lube

Quote from: alantani on December 07, 2008, 05:21:36 PM
the shimano tld 15's were the first lever drag reels that i started working on.  it seems like ages ago, but it was really just a few short years.  in that time, i've learned a tremendous amount about lever drag reels.  what were going to do is put in heavier belleville pressure washers to increase the drag range, clean out the bearings to increase freespool time and decrease the risk of corrosion, and install a greased carbon fiber drag washer.  here's the schematic....

http://fish.shimano.com/media/fishing/SAC/techdocs/en/Conventional/TLD_15_ARB_v1_m56577569830570243.pdf

here's a brand new tld 15 spooled up with 65 pound braid.



remove the preprogram dial (key #9), the lever shaft body (key #11) and "O" ring (key #10), and drag control lever (key #12).  Note that there is no spring.



remove the lever quadrant (key #191) and screws (key #19, 20 and 21).



there are 5 side plate bolts (key #24) to remove.



separate out the frame, spool and side plate.



add a little grease to the click pawl (key # 231) and click spring (key #57)>



install the rod clamp.  grease the bolts first.



remove the cooling shield (key #186), drag plate assembly and drag washer (key #68).



remove the click gear (key #48), screws (key #49) and cross pin B (key # 50).



here's the main shaft (key #200) with all washers, springs and bearings in place.



and here it is disassembled.



i've cleaned out and relubed the bearings (key #42 and 170) with corrosion x.  if you have an older reel with shielded bearings, take the time now to pry out the shields and throw them away. 



i've reassembled the left side of the main shaft using the heavier pre-load springs (belleville's) from the shimano tld 20/30 two speed, part #TT-0040A.  to accomodate the extra width of the new belleville washers, i've removed one of the thrust washers on the end, spacer A (key #47). 



install the click gear (key #48) and screws (key #49).



grease the inside of the spool and new carbon fiber drag washer.  you have your choice of either the penn #6-25 or the avet jx drag washer. 



and remove all the excess grease.



install the bearings (key #170) and pressure release spring (key #202), the drag plate assembly and cooling shield (key #186).




install cross pin B (key #50).



slide the spool assembly back into the frame.  now, this is important.  if the spool does not slide back and forth easily inside the frame, pull the spool out again and rotate the main shaft (key #100) 180 degrees and slide it back in.  this works!



install the pinion gear (key #198) and set the spool and frame assembly aside.



here's a shot of the right main side plate bearing.  we need to pull this out and pack it with heavy grease. 



remove the handle lock (key #2) and screw (key #1).



remove the handle nut (key #3) and handle (key #206).



remove the gear shaft shield (key #5) and thrust washer (key #6), and line everything up.



let the main gear (key #197) drop straight out.



pull the right main side plate bearing (key #28) and pack it with grease.





install the bearing, lube and install the main gear.



push the dog (key #26) back until the main gear drops into position.



install the gear shaft thrust washer (key #6) and gear shaft shield (key #5).



install the handle (key #206) and handle nut (key #3).



install the handle lock (key #2) and screw (key #1).



install the right side plate assembly and screws (key #24).



install the lever quadrant (key #191) and screws (key #19, 20, and 21).



install the drag control lever (key #12) in the free position.



install the lever shaft body (key #11) and add a little grease.



install the pre-program dial (key #9) and you're done! 



these modifications accomplish several things.  first, it eliminates the risk of drag failure from the canvas drag that comes stock in this reel and all the other single speed shimano lever drag reels.  a sticky drag washer is the leading cause of structural damage to any reel.  second, cleaning out the bearings will improve freespool and the castability of this reel, as well as decrease the risk of corrosion if the bearings have shields.  open bearings are now found in all shimano reels for a good reason.  and lastly, the increased drag range means that this reels can be loaded with 65 pound spectra and topshots of 30, 40 or 50# mono.  all this in a 3/0 sized package!  this reel benched out a 15 pounds of drag at strike before loss of free spool, and had a freespool time of 35 seconds at that 15 pound strike setting.

I purchased a couple of used TLD 15s and I'm just clarifying something.  On tearing down my 15....I have 3 spacer A (#47) that is between click gear (#48) and the preload body (#45).  So when I get the new Tld 20/30 preload springs, do I remove only one or two of the spacer A (#47)??  Looking at my schematic it looks like there are only 2 spacer A(#47) but hard to tell.  Thanks!   I love tinkering with these old reels!! 

I purchased a couple of used TLD 15s and I'm just clarifying something.  On tearing down my 15....I have 3 spacer A (#47) that is between click gear (#48) and the preload body (#45).  So when I get the new Tld 20/30 preload springs, do I remove only one or two of the spacer A (#47)??  Looking at my schematic it looks like there are only 2 spacer A(#47) but hard to tell.  Thanks!   I love tinkering with these old reels!! 

Also how do I get the extra washers for the Tld 20/25 and the 2spd 30??

You may have to remove only one. They are shims to be added or removed as needed.           Rudy

I know the belleville stack on the TLD20/25 should be combined stack measurement equalled 4.61mm per Alan. What should the correct stack measurement be on a TLD 15? I only live bait fish with my TLD15 using only 2.5-4 pounds of drag but some of my older reels the drag is not as linear, meaning it goes from nothing to almost 3 pounds in a short amount of throw. Thanks for any help.

before you start changing the belleville stack around, figure out what you need for drag and see if the reel will deliver that drag setting.  you may be pleasantly surprised!

I got a TLD 15 from a tackle shop for servicing. My first mistake was not trying the reel out to see if everything worked. Anyway I stripped the reel down .cleaned and lubed the gears. This reel is not hard to service at all. Put everything together and now the reel stays in freespool all the time,even when the drag lever is engaged. I can move the spool left and right no matter how hard the drag is applied. The drag lever body looked a little worn so I ordered a new one along with a new pinion gear holder.. I`m under the impression the the pinion gear puts pressure on the spring in the spool. I don`t see how the drag knob increases pressure on the spool. Could it be a drag lever problem. It looks a little worn in the slot where the body lays.I need some advice .I even turned the drag bodt 180 degrees and it didn`t matter. All bearings were cleaned.

Check the brass cam that nests inside the drag lever, it may have rounded out in the middle and is rotating with the drag lever.

Respectfully, it will be challenging to provide a good outcome servicing a reel if you don't understand the function of the drag.

Is it possible that the "lever shaft body", key 11, could be installed upside-down?

I've just put a new clicker on a TLD15. Should be the simpliest reel ever. Gave it a clean and reassembled with oil and grease where needed. But now the reel doesn't work as it should. If it pull the lever all the way down to freespool, the spool like grinds to the cage ? If I just pull the lever up a couple of millimeters its freespool as normal. Also from nowhere it got the tillting issue from my service ? What could have gone wrong ?

there is a washer that goes under the button of the clicker knob.  the washer goes on the outside of the left side plate.  any chance that the washer is on the inside?

I assembled the clicker like on my TLD10 and the TLD15 schematic looks the same. If I disassemble the clicker again, the reel works normal 🤔

it still sounds like a spacing issue.  have you figured out there the rub is?