UCSD fishing team needs help with Okuma spinning reels

[fishucsd]

Richard welcome to the forum.   As Rudy has stated, first acquire some basic tools, open ended wrenches, an assortment of screw drivers, dental pick, and others as described in the Tools and Lubricants section.  You will need some grease, oil and degreaser.  A digital camera is also highly recommended.  Take lots of pictures as you take the reels apart, keeping one unopened for reference.  Once you get them apart, Dawn brand dish washing soap will help get rid of the grease and sand.  There is at least one bearing that will need to be opened and thoroughly cleaned out and re greased.  grease for this bearing is good as it wont affect free spool. (There is a tutorial on how to open it.)  During reassembly make sure all internal parts get a LIGHT! coat of grease to stop salt water corrosion.  The drag washers just need to be wiped off, not sure if they are carbon fiber or not, but if they are CF then Cal's Drag Grease can be applied. 

You are jumping into the deep end with these reels, I would highly suggest you take some time and read some of the tutorials in the Spinning Reels section to get familiar with these reels, you may find one that is similar to yours.  Take your time and take lots of pictures during disassembly to help you during reassembly.

If you get stuck just call out and anyone here will help you through this.  Dont expect the first couple of reels to be  quick, and the first will probably take a couple hours.  Not sure if we have any members in the San Diego area to lend a hand, but maybe they will chime in.

Bill

Hi Bill!! Yes, all the basic tools you've suggested me such as the open-ended wrenches and assortment of screw drivers i think are going to be invaluable for our club and its future!! also what would i use the dental picks for?? are they the regular tooth picks or are they some type of specialized tool? thank you!

Yes, i kinda made a mistake when i didn't take any pictures with my phone before i started dismantling everything i was saved by the fact that all the screws were the same size LOL

Hmm interesting, i knew Dawn was strong but not THAT strong haha, i'll look and see if i have any for the sand

Got you! only ONE bearing needs to get taken out for clean and regreasing, my reel is only rated for 2 bearings (photo attached) so i'll try to be extra careful

LIGHT does it, thank you! and entirely not sure i've seen the drags on this reel but i'll let you know. If i get stuck...our next twilight trip will have to be an overnight trip to help me fix these reels Thank you Bill! and i will try my best to be patient with these things

[fishucsd]

Hi Richard, glad you dropped in, you're in the right place for answers.

A schematic for that particular reel can't be found to my knowledge on internet searches..  I've only serviced three Okumas and remember you have to get that nut removed and the rotor completely off for access to at least one more screw enabling you to remove the cover plate to access the gears. 

Hi Festus!! thank you for your helpful words haha i'm slowly starting to realize what a treasure trove this place is.

YES OMG! i couldn't find a schematic for this thing for the life of me haha, i appreciate you doublechecking for me Festus!! This screw if it kills me is gonna get off this reel... i just gotta get the right tools for it

Mhmm, so there is one more screw after this main brass one? thanks for the experience haha

[fishucsd]

When you pay thirty bucks for a rod and reel combo you cannot expect too much.  Two to three outings in saltwater is probably about the average life expectancy.  Servicing the reel before the first use will help.  You will learn how it goes together before the corrosion starts to set in and you can grease all the screws.  I can't help on the particulars but hope you have the best of luck with them.  WD-40 is a decent solvent and cleaner but you need a proper reel oil.
-steve

HI STEVE!!! i'm so lucky to have you on my first post! i've seen your advice on all the top posts i've read

Sigh, hopefully i can bring some life to these reels as they were what I invested into to last us for a couple of YEARS . well... i'm hoping Mr. Alan Tani can do some of his secret magic on these haha.

I should've opened up these things to double check before we went straight to the salt, but you know the anxiousness of college fishermans haha. Yes, so in that case, i'll just spare my dad's WD-40 for another day and get some real reel oil as you and others have recommended

i'll keep you updated!!

[fishucsd]

That Okuma is *similar to* (but not identical), to the reels I use on the beach. It's still "spitting rain", today, but, tomorrow, I'll try to shake loose enough time to do a "short" break-down on one, and post some pix ( I have to work outside, as my wife would go ballistic if I tore it down in the RV !!). They really are "bone simple" reels.....no frills, at all, and quite simple to work on. As Steve mentioned, they are "designed" to be a "limited use', or, "throw away" reel, but, with a bit of care , they will hang in there, quite a while.  rinsing / blowing the sand and salt off after each use is very important to ANY reel, but even more so on a "cheap" one.

Thank you so much Mr. Arlyn!!! i honestly would appreciate that so much if you could PLEASE post a short break down on of your similar Okumas!! I think all of us or especially my UCSD club members would steadily enjoy reading it 

I hope your wife understands the stakes though!! haha jk nothing but respect to Mrs. Crow.

Yes these reels are dispensable but I really hope with the proper care I learn from yourself and others, I can make these cheap reels last until the time i graduate and future gens can enjoy but that's wishful thinking

[festus]

Here's a video that might help.  Your reel is different, but probably similar enough to get an idea.

[festus]

And Dennis up in Jersey does another Okuma.  Pardon me if you've seen them already.

[philaroman]

Actually, the nut is not reverse threaded. however there are two holes (picture attached) so is there a proper one to screw it back onto? as to prevent regular reeling in unscrewing the actual nut? THANK YOU

when you reassemble, hand-tighten the nut; then, add 1/4 turn w/ a tool
(if sockets, LONG ones; if monkey wrenches -- offset/bent, so you clear the raised rotor edge)
then, use whichever hole lines up w/ a flat side -- the other will be on a point (see your own photo)
DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN!!! ESPECIALLY w/ GRAPHITE!!!

[Donnyboat]

Well there you go Richard, the videos, that Festus,( Chester ) have placed on here for you covers it all, just remember, reel oil, is only a light synthetic oil, you can buy it in a 500Ml container @ most auto shops for much less costs, I transfer it into a serynge as I need it, also CALS grease, it has teflon in it to handle heat much better than most greases, thats why they recommend it for Drag washers, specialy carbon fibre, washers, it keeps them cooler, & also gives the reel drag a smooth start up, it is to costly to use on gearing, I use Yamaha marine grease, you can thin it with some oil, as Alan Tani said, yamaha marine grease never dry`s out like a lot of the old type greases, now man we want to see photos of the fish, please keep us updated, & good luck, & merry Xmas to everyone, cheers Don.

[Reel_Hacker]

Richard,

I usually just grease spinning reels. I don't use oil in spinning reels except for the handle knob.

I take them apart and clean them out with carb cleaner or mineral spirits depending on how dirty it is. If packed heavily with sand, I would rinse and then carb spray out all the oily sand.

The drags I grease with Cals drag grease or if when I can't find it, I would very lightly rub some marine grease on them (Yamalube blue).

The videos that others have posted here are a good reference for that reel you have. I couldn't find a schematic for you. Most spinning reels are very similar in configuration.

I am in SD also and fish that area you fish at all the time. If I'm around, I can always help you out on that. I like to service all my reels especially the beginner budget reels that I let people borrow when they fish with me to last a few life times, LOL. Some actually have lasted 6+ years of continued use by everybody including kids. I have a few Okuma Safinas like that.

Take care and Happy Holidays!!

[Brewcrafter]

The folks above have given plenty of sound advice and experience - I have learned much from them and you are in good hands on this forum.  And don't get discouraged if you have to do multiple assemble/disassemble/reassemble exercises - the only people that has never happened to are ones who have never taken apart reels  .  One other thought that may seem REALLY obvious but I wanted to throw out there - finish this first reel before you get ambitious with the others.  That way if you get it back together and something doesn't seem quite right, you can take apart one of the other "untouched" reels alongside of it for comparison to make sure that every little washer, spring, etc is in the right place with the right orientation.   It's not a perfect solution - as one of the Ohana pointed out above, it's not uncommon to find the same year and model of a given reel assembled slightly differently or using slightly different parts (using up the last parts of a previous model run, for example) but it is a good way to double check if things don't seem quite right.  Heck, there's folks here that can have 10 reels exploded on the workbench and all 10 go back together flawlessly - but I'm not one of them!  Good luck with your reels, your club, and the fishing! (Now that I think about it, my daughter is going to be looking at "school shopping" in a year or so - UCSD suddenly seems to have an edge) - john

[Reel Newbie]

Nice to see that a fishing club has sprung up in the UC system, you guys have it nice being so close to the ocean. It's that or UCSB with a beach right in front of campus. I can't say the same for UC Riverside, it takes me 5 hours to go to the LA coastline by bus. To add insult to injury that I can't go fishing, the food sucks here and there's not much to do. Doesn't stop me though, I'll still get up at 5 in the morning to go fishing in Balboa beach.

Knowing how broke we all are when tuition is about 30k a year, I'd just get the basics of reel maintenance, marine grease, oil, screwdriver with interchangeable tips, precision screwdriver, adjustable wrench, pliers, q tips, paper towels, wd40, dish soap, old toothbrush, and lighter fluid/ paint thinner/ white gas/ carb cleaner would be the absolute essentials. I'd say you could get all the necessary items for about $20 give or take. Use dish soap for lite cleaning, wd40 for light grease removal, and the last 4 solvents for heavy-duty cleaning(metals only for white gas and carb cleaner). You should start off disassembling in a parts tray, most new spinners are mostly the same internally and come back together fairly easily, but take pictures because sometimes there will be an extra shim somewhere and now your reel makes noise. Then start picking out as much grease as you can with a screwdriver, then to q tips and then q tips soaked in solvent. That should clean most of the reel body. The metal parts such as gears and bearing should be scraped clean then soaked in a little solvent and finished with a scrub with a toothbrush and dish soap. Bearings should be soaked in their own clean solvent and not touch water. Let all the parts dry and sort them out on a towel based on the schematic/disassembly order. Grease gears and moving parts liberally but not excessively. I use the cheapest blaster marine grease($4) and air tool oil ($4)there is at Lowe's. For these cheap reel bearings, I would prefer packing with grease and thinning with a little oil. It will be stiffer to reel if you only put grease in the bearings and it might feel weird. I do the same grease and oil thing for the main shaft. I would also try to pack the side holes where the handle goes to try and keep our as much sand/ spray there might be after you finish reassembly. That reel will probably have a felt washed drag, just wipe and oil those. These reels do not warrant a cf drag swap. If I'm not wrong these cheaper reels will have a silent ratchet anti-reverse with teeth that grab onto the rotor's inner teeth. I would just lightly wipe those parts with a greasy paper towel. The general consensus is that grease attracts dirt, but protects better than oil. Don't pack the reel with grease, it will be sluggish and a pita to clean the next time. Lightly grease the screws. Oil the line roller and handle knob, as was said, and check the bail mechanism to see if there is any sand in there. Grease that as well during a service, and oil for maintenance. A few things to watch out for, cross-threading is a PITA with graphite framed reels. Screw left until you feel a click and then screw the screw in to make sure it won't mess up the threads. Also the drag clicker, if the spring has fallen out, a lighter spring or pen spring will work. Get it oiled up if it isn't.

This is mostly general practice, don't lay your reel in the sand, don't let it get dunked, always rinse rods and reels afterward with plenty of low-pressure fresh water, and oil line roller regularly. Also, wax your rods and store reels with their drag loose to prevent drags from sticking. If you treat your reels well, they can last a good while. I have a Shakespeare reel from my childhood that I still sometimes use and it was from a $30 combo that was booth more than 10 years ago. If you maintain them, even the cheapest reels will last. Pic below.

Otherwise, good luck down there. What do you catch in sd? If you need to know anything else, I've still got some tips and tricks in the back of my head behind all the breadth courses, but not as much as what some of these old-timers have. A nice site is Pier Fishing in California. Ken Jones's collection of knowledge on that site will help you out a lot. I'm on there too, and the forum and species list are very useful at times. Anyways, take care man and good luck out there.

Edit: grammar and left out info

[Bryan Young]

Welcome.

Have you tried looking at https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=2675.0?  It's not the same Okuma reel but should be close enough.

In fact we have a whole section for spinners with many of the brands but may or may not have tutorials depending on the popularity of the brand and time of our members to take the hours and hours to post a tutorial.

We're you able to get the rotor off?

[alantani]

chances are that the bearings have seized up.  if that's the case, it might actually be cheaper to have the reels serviced by okuma.  800-466-5862.  at the very least, the might be able to send parts.  good luck!!!!

[fishucsd]

And Dennis up in Jersey does another Okuma.  Pardon me if you've seen them already.

Hey Chester!! Happy holidays, and the first video you sent was the very first video i watched haha.

Gonna keep those vids in my backpocket once i head out to the hardware store after Christmas! Thanks for the help again

[fishucsd]

Actually, the nut is not reverse threaded. however there are two holes (picture attached) so is there a proper one to screw it back onto? as to prevent regular reeling in unscrewing the actual nut? THANK YOU

when you reassemble, hand-tighten the nut; then, add 1/4 turn w/ a tool
(if sockets, LONG ones; if monkey wrenches -- offset/bent, so you clear the raised rotor edge)
then, use whichever hole lines up w/ a flat side -- the other will be on a point (see your own photo)
DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN!!! ESPECIALLY w/ GRAPHITE!!!

Yes indeed!! Thanks Philaroman, long sockets it is!

I'll try to line up the hole lines, but if it doesn't do i'll just unscrew it and put it in the other hole

YES, i'm pretty sure these aren't CF so i'll be gentle tightening these graphite babies