Reel Bearing Refurbishment/Replacement

[AJFishdude]

Hey all, question here on trying to refurbish/replace reel bearings. So, my primary trout reel is starting to have some serious issues, and with trout season very close at hand this is a condition that is unacceptable. I noticed that it was starting to reel rough/unevenly in my past few trips out, so I popped the case open and put some reel oil inside. Next trip out it seemed to be even worse than before, so I instead completely opened it up and greased all of the gears I could get to. Going out again the problem still remained, so I feel fairly confident it isn't a gear/lubrication issue. What I also noticed is that the reel seems fine at home and within the first 15 to 20 minutes of use on the water, but it then starts to require more pressure to reel and begins to have very uneven action. This leads me to believe that it is an issue with the bearings, due to the fact that it only seems to appear after a short period of use and or the addition of line pressure caused by reeling with a lure in the water.

Based upon that explanation, my questions would be, does it sound like a bearing issue to you guys, and is it worth trying to refurbish/replace the bearings? I know that there are at least three bearings which are primary suspects. However, I only paid $50 for the reel initially, and I am wondering if it is even worth the time/effort to try to completely strip it down, sort out the problem, replace the bearings, etc.

[Onmygame]

Treat your reel as you would any other precision instrument - such as a car engine or wrist watch.
Dirt is a huge enemy, and simply adding reel oil to your reel if dirty would be akin to adding oil to your engine in lieu of changing it.
You've mentioned that it performs normally at home, but not on the water where you attribute the weight of the lure as being the resisting force. It may be that the temperature change, or colder environment is causing the lubrication to gum up the gears. Or the gears could be stressed, assuming them to be either nylon / teflon.
Take your reel apart and soak the pieces in white gas / kerosene for a bit and then dry them out before reassembling and adding a liberal amount of a good reel oil (no WD-40)
The culprit may not be visible to the naked eye - but this will eliminate maintenance as the issue one way or the other
IF this doesn't restore the reel to proper performance - (which is sometimes even better than original due to cheap grease used by mfr) then instead of maintenance you have a repair scenario where you have parts that need replacing - if not the entire reel itself.
onmygame

[BentRod]

Having dealt with my share of reel problems, you're description sounds more like a pinion gear issue. Dirt could be the cause, but the gears themselves could be getting worn and causing the issue. Replacing or adding grease will temporarily fix the issue, but it'll only last a short period. Something to consider.

[Bodofish]

You should be able to feel any backlash in the gears and look on the worm for signs of wear. I guess I'm missing it, did you say it was a spinner or a level wind? The first thing to do is take it apart completely and clean everything. I'm not a big fan of solvents as they're very bad for you. Water and detergent or simple green should do the trick. Bearings are easy. You can always take them down to the local bearing shop and buy replacements or if you're handy with the dial calipers you can buy them off Ebay with no trouble at all. The last thing to look at is the drag. I'd be willing to bet, that's where the problem is. Most of the manufactures have kits to redo their drags and pretty cheap too. If you're into it and you like the reel, have at but you did say it's a $50 reel.

[AJFishdude]

I guess I'm missing it, did you say it was a spinner or a level wind?

I actually forgot to include that....it is a spinning reel.

[Amx]

spinning reel: check the area where the rotor goes into the main housing. Could be tight/dirty/ need smoothing inside the bore. Mine had a tight clip and the reel repair guy didn't catch it, I ended up fixing that myself.

[AJFishdude]

Thanks for all the advice. I ended up buying a another reel, that way I can take the appropriate time to try to fix my older one without missing out on the beginning of the season.

[goodtimesfishing]

Sounds like excess oil. Even if you get every speck of dirt out of the reel, you will still have problems if there is too much oil. VERY EASY to over oil. Also remember to use oil where oil goes and grease where grease goes....they are NOT interchangeable.
If it turns out to be a bad bearing or other part, check out (replacementpartsdotcom) for replacement parts.
Good luck.