tld star 15/30 and 20/40

Started by alantani, December 07, 2008, 04:34:05 PM

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alantani

go to the shimano website and pull up the schematics.

http://fish.shimano.com/media/fishing/SAC/techdocs/en/Conventional/90TLD15_30S-ARB_v1_m56577569830570229.pdf

http://fish.shimano.com/media/fishing/SAC/techdocs/en/Conventional/90TLD20_40S-ARB_v1_m56577569830570230.pdf

here's your reel.  looks vaguely familiar, doesn't it.





let's start with the left side.  remove the four left side plate screws (key #114).



inside the left side plate assembly (key #211) is a click spring (key #67) that needs a light coat of grease.  you will also find a spool shaft bushing "b" (key #57).



the bushing is 4x11x4 mm. 





we're going to upgrade this to a bearing and lube it with corrosion x. 



remove the spool (key #110) and find the right spool bearing (key #482).



this bearing is 6x12x4 mm.  we'll clean it with carb cleaner and compressed air, then lube it with corrosion x.



a light coat of grease goes on the ends of the spool.



remove the rod clamp assembly and grease the bolts. 





install the spool (key #110).



install the left side plate assembly (key #211) and left side plate screws (key #114).  these few steps are all that are required for routine maintenance of this reel. 



now for the right side.  remove the handle nut plate screw (key #128) and handle nut plate (key #2).



remove the handle nut (key #129) with a 10mm wrench.



remove the handle (key #414).



remove the handle washer (key #78) and star (key #79).



remove the two right side plate screws "b" (key #109).



remove the four right side plate screws "a" (key #81).



remove the right side plate assembly (key #209).



here's a close up of the gear assembly.  take particular note of the size and strength of this stainless steel main gear and pinion gear.  these are much more heavy duty than the gear sets found in equivalent size trinidads and toriums.



the washer stack is oriented "()()|B|", with four drag spring washers (key #92), a bearing thrust washer (key #91), an 8x16x5 mm bearing (key #483) and a star drag washer (key #80).  remove and set them aside.



now carefully remove the stainless steel and canvas drag washers, one at a time.  i've cleaned them and lined them up for the photo.  from left to right is the drive shaft washer (key #100), the drive gear (key #133), the eared washer "b" (key #98), key washer "c" (key #97), drag washer "i" (key #96), eared washer "e" (key #95), drag washer "d" (key #94), and key washer "f" (key #93).   



carbontex drag washers from smoothdrag.com are not available as of 1/2008.  if there is sufficient demand, that may change.  here are the approximate dimensions of the drag washers. 



and here is a set of penn ht-100 drag washers pulled from my inventory that offer the best fit.  from  left to right, they are the #6-309, #6-116. #56-440 and another #56-440.



apply a coat of cal's drag grease to all four of the carbon fiber drag washers.



use an old toothbrush to apply a light coat of grease to the carbon fiber baseplate.  install the #6-309 drag washer and the drive gear (key #133).



install the remaining metal and carbon fiber drag washers.



install the drag spring washers (key #92) oriented "()()".



install the bearing thrust washer (key #91).



grease and install the drive shaft bearing (key #483).



install the star drag washer (key #80).



apply a light coat of grease to the inside of the right side plate assembly (key #209).



install the right side plate, noting the "up"  position of the yoke plate (key #259) and "forward" position of the clutch lever (key #132).



wiggle the clutch lever back a little and the right side plate should seat properly with a snap!



install the four right side plate screws "a" (key #81).



install the two right side plate screws "b" (key #109).



paint a little grease on the drive shaft (key #102).  this is a common area for corrosion.



now, decision time.  you have the stock handle (key #414) on the left and two handles that have stock arms and custom grips.  these custom grips are made for me by a local machine shop.  the tapered grip (key #414M) in the center is prefered by most people.  the larger grip (key #414L) is my favorite.  since it's my reel, we'll go with the larger grip.



install the star drag (key #79), the handle washer (key #78), and the new handle (key #414L).  put a little grease on the handle arm around the drive shaft.



install and properly align the 10mm handle nut (key #129).



install the handle nut plate (key #2) and screw (key #128).



done!





now for a few comments.  for purposes of checking the drag only, i loaded this reel up with straight 40# mono.  i kept on cranking down on the star and got an easy 20#'s of drag.  just looking at the frame, i'm guessing that the graphite frame could handle that much pressure with no problem at all.  and unlike the shimano trinidad and torium, i see no anti-reverse problems with 20#'s of drag.  i think this reel could easily handle 300-350 yards of 60# hollowcore spectra, a short 40-50# topshot, and up to 20#'s of drag. 

with greased carbon fiber, the drag washers should last forever.  with the bearings cleaned out, it should cast just fine.  the graphite frame is nice because it is non-corrosive.  and this reel is going to be one of the easiest to service.  simply remove the left side plate and you have easy access to both bearings. 

there you have it.  high speed, easy to upgrade, easy to maintain, spectra worthy with 20#'s of drag, handle upgrade options, and a small well balanced frame.  for a graphite star drag, this reel gets my vote for best in it's class
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

basto

I have never found a 30 pound class reel as trouble free and reliable.
DAM Quick 3001      SHIMANO Spedmaster 3   Jigging Master PE5n

Joker

I followed this tutorial to service and rebuild my 15-30. What a pleasure.

Here in Cape Town, South Africa we need to wade quite a bit to get to the fish. This little reel works wonders.

Well done Alan.

I LOVE
it when
MY WIFE
lets me go fishing

Craig N

By the looks of it, the simplicity yet durable design of these reels make them a great place for me to start building my saltwater lineup.  As for replacing the bushing for a bearing in the left sideplate...do you recommend simply ordering a 4x11x4 abec 5 stainless bearing from a place like boca bearing? I checked out their website and they list the 15/30,20/40 star reel, but do you think the bearing that comes up in that search is for replacement of the bushing, or for replacing bearings that shimano installed at the factory.  Thanks, as always, for your help and great tutorials.

-CN

redsetta

G'day Craig,
These are great reels - you can't really go wrong.
Regarding the Abec bearings, they're likely to be the replacements, ie 6x12x4 & 7x17x5.
No problem, though.
Dawn at Smooth Drag has the 4x11x4 and the replacement set (#76 - sizes as above).
The set is $17 and the 4x11x4 is likely to be around $10.
Pricing and product list here: http://www.smoothdrag.com/price.html
Ordering info here: http://www.smoothdrag.com/order.html
Hope that's of some assistance.
Justin
Fortitudine vincimus - By endurance we conquer

alantani

dawn can put together a set of drags and bearings for you.  she also has a great handle upgrade. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

Craig N

Thanks guys.  I already have the drag washers on their way...looks like I better call back and have them send the bearings as well.  Much appreciated!

-CN

Craig N

The full service with the bearing install went great.  It took me a few minutes to get the hang of smoothly removing the bearing shields, but now I have it down pretty well.  Now I just have to go fish with them!!

Thanks again
-Craig

alantani

craig, can i tempt you with a stainless steel handle arm and a 4/0 or 6/0 kolekar grip?
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

johnn1211

I might be intrested in a handle upgrade.
I'm looking at a 15/30.
On the Speedmaster IV that I have, the handle is all chrome, knob is black.
The 15/30 I'm looking are black with a black knob.
Which is older?

Thanks again Alan, I've learned a bunch frome this site.

alantani

the knobs are black in all of the reels.  the older ones have black anodized aluminum arms.  the newer ones have arms that are chrome over brass.   a
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

Tim McNeely

That's a heck of a set of guts! How does the 15/30 compare to the Daiwa 20SHA, size wise? I see they weigh nearly the same, but the shimano holds a heck of a lot more line. I'm about to get another set of reels, to back up my 20SHAs (which I love), and the 15/30s look like they'll last forever, but I don't want a huge brick of a reel.

basto

#12
Imagine how strong this reel would be if someone made a metal frame for it.
DAM Quick 3001      SHIMANO Spedmaster 3   Jigging Master PE5n

doradoben

I did the change from left side plate bushing to bearing that is shown in the tutorial on my 15/30. Although good before, the freespool is now excellent..

FishGolfDrink

#14
After reading this tutorial it inspired me to purchase and upgrade a tld star 15/30. It's been an awesome reel for bottom fishing down here on the gulf coast. I did Alan's upgrade recommendations:

carbontex drag
replaced left side bushing with bearing
Alan's handle, went with the largest size





.... this thing can jack jaws and rip the face off fish.







I definitely recommend this reel and these upgrades!