A nod to Alan...

[chris73]

Placed my first order with Alan.

Total gentleman, super to deal with, spoke with me on the phone to secure my needs.

If anyone is on the fence about this site or this man, don't be. I have not dealt with such a businessman in a long time.
Oh yeah, he's really cool and friendly too! 

-Chris

[alantani]

you're welcomed.  so you got everything working ok?

[chris73]

Everything is great. Thanks again.

BTW my Tekota 500 is crunchy. The handle bearing has some corossion. How do I pull it out? Brute force?

[alantani]

soak it with a penetrating fluid overnight, then try to wiggle it free.  also, you can use the star to lift it off. 

[chris73]

Soaked it with wd-no luck. Use the star??? How?

[alantani]

crank the star counterclockwise and use it to "lift" off the handle.  gotta be careful here.  with enough force, you can strip the threads.

[chris73]

Well, the bearing popped out. It shot out, hit the wall and exploded.

Can I order a new bearing or did I probably lose other parts as well?

[alantani]

let's take an inventory and see if you have anything missing.  http://fish.shimano.com/media/fishing/techdocs/en/TEK500_v1_m56577569830498841.pdf  i can get you a bearing.  alan