Replacing Shimano Bearings? Worth it?

Started by bucketmouth 87, November 27, 2017, 03:44:18 PM

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bucketmouth 87

Cyber Monday strikes again!  All of the online sales and my mind instantly goes to my fishing gear.  What are your opinions on replacing bearings on your Shimano reels.  All reels are stock and i have never upgraded a reel. I have the following

Curado I
Chronarch Ci4
2-Chronarch E's

I've noticed that my I and Ci4 have lost some casting distance but my E's seem to cast the same as the day I got them.  I'm not looking to spend money on things if it will not significantly increase performance.

Thanks for your input

SFL BassHunter

I can't speak for Shimano reels, but I have had the stock spool bearings replaced on two of my Daiwa Tatulas, a Type R and a CT. Put ZR Bearings in them and man what a difference. I thought the reels were amazing stock, when I got those ZR bearings in not only was I able to cast lighter lures easier, but I also got a good bit of distance out of them.
Now like I said, I am not sure about Shimano.

But I highly recommend ZR bearings.
PB: 6lbs 5oz / 24.25 inches.
Rods/Reels Dobyns, 13 Fishing, Cabelas Arachnid, Daiwa Tatula CT, Tatula SVTW, Tatula Tactical, Tatula Type R
Florida Bass Fishing

bucketmouth 87

Quote from: rickdelprado on November 27, 2017, 03:51:47 PM
I can't speak for Shimano reels, but I have had the stock spool bearings replaced on two of my Daiwa Tatulas, a Type R and a CT. Put ZR Bearings in them and man what a difference. I thought the reels were amazing stock, when I got those ZR bearings in not only was I able to cast lighter lures easier, but I also got a good bit of distance out of them.
Now like I said, I am not sure about Shimano.

But I highly recommend ZR bearings.

Thanks for the response.  Ill have to look into ZR bearings. I think about doing this every year when the temp starts to drop....its not even December yet how in the heck is cabin fever already setting in.

SFL BassHunter

Quote from: bucketmouth 87 on November 27, 2017, 04:13:31 PM
Thanks for the response.  Ill have to look into ZR bearings. I think about doing this every year when the temp starts to drop....its not even December yet how in the heck is cabin fever already setting in.

They aren't all that expensive. Something like 15-20 bucks. You can try on one reel and see how it goes and if you like it do it on the others. That is what I did with the Type R. After that I decided to have it done on the CT I bought.
PB: 6lbs 5oz / 24.25 inches.
Rods/Reels Dobyns, 13 Fishing, Cabelas Arachnid, Daiwa Tatula CT, Tatula SVTW, Tatula Tactical, Tatula Type R
Florida Bass Fishing

SteelHorseCowboy

Upgrade! Upgrade everything!
I'm an endless tinkerer, the only reason I don't tinker more is because of shortness of tinker money.

Mike Cork

Two things help casting performance of a Shimano reel that has several hours on it. First is cleaning the spool shaft and the internal boar of the pinion gear. This alone will make you think it's brand new.

Next is flushing and re-oiling the stock bearings.

The reels you have listed already have a good bearing in them. Upgrading will increase distance and light weight casting but IMO not enough to offset the cost.

I recommend you stay away from ceramic bearings. They tend to disappoint anglers, they do increase functionality, but they are very noisy.

Fishing is more than just a hobby

Dobyns Rods - Monster Fishing Tackle
Cork's Reel Service

bucketmouth 87

Thanks for the info.  I guess I should look into teeaing into the reels. Im always nervous they won't go back together right.  Good to know on the ceramic.  My ci4 screams and I can't stand it

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FloridaFishinFool

Add oil and they aren't so bad. Run dry and they will scream!
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

bucketmouth 87

Quote from: FloridaFishinFool on November 28, 2017, 03:21:25 PM
Add oil and they aren't so bad. Run dry and they will scream!
I'm wanting to say I read only to oil the breaks everytime.  Is that true or what else should I be oiling every trip?

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Capt. BassinLou

Quote from: bucketmouth 87 on November 28, 2017, 06:53:32 PM
I'm wanting to say I read only to oil the breaks everytime.  Is that true or what else should I be oiling every trip?

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Bucket mouth, you don't oil breaks. You oil bearings, and oil them when needed depending on how much you use the reel. Most anglers only need to oil their bearings 1-3 times a year

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Mike Cork

Quote from: bucketmouth 87 on November 28, 2017, 03:15:29 PM
Thanks for the info.  I guess I should look into teeaing into the reels. Im always nervous they won't go back together right.  Good to know on the ceramic.  My ci4 screams and I can't stand it

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You can reach the two spool shaft end bearings without tearing into the reel, I'll have to verify on the pinion gear bearing or third spool bearing, varies by model.

Cleaning the internal bore of the pinion gear can also be done with out tearing it down. Wrap some cotton around a tooth pick and run it through the pinion gear several times. Once you pull the spool out, your looking at the pinion gear inside the handle side of the frame.

Fishing is more than just a hobby

Dobyns Rods - Monster Fishing Tackle
Cork's Reel Service

Oldfart9999

Quote from: bucketmouth 87 on November 28, 2017, 03:15:29 PM
Thanks for the info.  I guess I should look into teeaing into the reels. Im always nervous they won't go back together right.  Good to know on the ceramic.  My ci4 screams and I can't stand it

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If you do decide to get into them keep the parts list handy and take pics as you teardown and lay the parts out in order they came off the reel. If you want to have them done and done right I recommend sending them to Mike(Corks Reel Service), he is very thorough. Kevin at Pro Reel is excellent also, I know Matt(LMG) knows his stuff and FFF also. There are good people here and if you have an issue you'll be able to get all the help you need.
Rodney 
Old Fishermen never die, their rods just go limp.

SteelHorseCowboy

Oiling the brakes sounds like a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure it actually says in my Curado's manual to clean the brakes and add a light film of oil to the cone. I know that polishing and lightly oiling the brake plate on any Ambassadeur and on my Caenan seems to work in the reel's favor giving it smoother control, longer casts and reduces noise.

Has everyone read ProReels post/article on reel brakes and noise? It's a good read, I'll see if I can find it and link it.

Bucketmouth, I've found a "new" bearing oil I'm going to be trying out. Some stuff I've heard about and it's been around for years but I've only just recently found it. Pretty cheap, cost $2.50 at ACE hardware I believe, called Zoom Spout. Paraffin based, formulated for turbine bearings, and supposed to "never" get gummy (years of firearms experience tells me ALL lubricants will get gummy eventually).

FloridaFishinFool

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on November 29, 2017, 06:35:06 AM
Oiling the brakes sounds like a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure it actually says in my Curado's manual to clean the brakes and add a light film of oil to the cone.

You are correct SHC. A light coat of oil, not grease is recommended.

Technically shimano recommends oiling each brake shoe itself and the brake case. Below is a shimano maintenance guide. There are 9 photos on page 1. Photos 5 and 7 counting from the top left to right shows the recommended process.

Here is a link to the shimano reel maintenance guide where it is recommended:

http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/customer-service/reel-maintenance-instructions/_jcr_content/bodycontent/download/downloadFile/file.res/Maintenance%20Tips-%20Baitcasting%20Reels.pdf
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

SteelHorseCowboy

Mine came with one in the box, along with a schematic.

SteelHorseCowboy

Bucketmouth, I tore into my Curado last night. Soaked the bearings, and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF GREASE that came out of those tiny bearings. And that's AFTER I wiped the excess grease off the outside of them.

I soaked them in a clean shot glass and then blew them out with compressed air. I'm letting the glass sit for the day to evaporate the mineral spirits and hopefully get a picture of the amount of grease left behind.
The amount of grease that came OUT of these bearings, was almost as much as I use when I service any one of my reels. Bear in mind too, that's just what was left in the glass, doesn't count any miniscule amounts that may have blown out when I hit them with compressed air.

After doing that, I lubed them with the paraffin  based lube I mentioned earlier.
Smooth as out of the box with casting and retrieving, but much further casting distance.

bucketmouth 87

Awesome.  Thanks for the feedback.  That sounds like an option I should explore

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cojab

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on December 01, 2017, 11:15:09 AM
Bucketmouth, I tore into my Curado last night. Soaked the bearings, and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF GREASE that came out of those tiny bearings. And that's AFTER I wiped the excess grease off the outside of them.

I soaked them in a clean shot glass and then blew them out with compressed air. I'm letting the glass sit for the day to evaporate the mineral spirits and hopefully get a picture of the amount of grease left behind.
The amount of grease that came OUT of these bearings, was almost as much as I use when I service any one of my reels. Bear in mind too, that's just what was left in the glass, doesn't count any miniscule amounts that may have blown out when I hit them with compressed air.

After doing that, I lubed them with the paraffin  based lube I mentioned earlier.
Smooth as out of the box with casting and retrieving, but much further casting distance.

I was checking out a Curado K the other day at BPS. That reel is super smooth but it seemed like it wasn't really freed up. What your saying is exactly how I was describing it to someone. It felt like the bearings had grease in them slowing them down. Kind of like the difference between a clean new wheel bearing and the same bearing after greasing it.

I am going to end up buying a K but that is on the list of things to do when I get it. Flush those bearings.
TTK has spoken.

SteelHorseCowboy

Quote from: cojab on December 01, 2017, 01:07:53 PM
I was checking out a Curado K the other day at BPS. That reel is super smooth but it seemed like it wasn't really freed up. What your saying is exactly how I was describing it to someone. It felt like the bearings had grease in them slowing them down. Kind of like the difference between a clean new wheel bearing and the same bearing after greasing it.

I am going to end up buying a K but that is on the list of things to do when I get it. Flush those bearings.
Yep, do that. Wish I'd done it as soon as I'd bought it. I've spent the last few weeks... I wouldn't say disappointed, but surprised. My Caenan's not near as nice and has been able to out cast it.

SteelHorseCowboy

This is the grease that came out of 6 ball bearings. The actual amount of grease is probably about half of what you can see here, as it's still diluted and runny from the mineral spirits. The grease was a translucent white, no idea how it turned almost completely white. This is after it sat for about 24 hours.
One ounce shot glass.

Sandman7925

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on December 02, 2017, 07:28:05 AM
This is the grease that came out of 6 ball bearings. The actual amount of grease is probably about half of what you can see here, as it's still diluted and runny from the mineral spirits. The grease was a translucent white, no idea how it turned almost completely white. This is after it sat for about 24 hours.
One ounce shot glass.

Dang. That belongs in the axle of your boat trailer. Not your reel bearings.


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cojab

Thats a waste of a perfectly good shot glass ;D
TTK has spoken.

cortman

On the subject of bearings I have to weigh in with some recent personal experience. I like ZR bearings just fine, they are an upgrade from stock but I just tried ZPI spool bearings and good gosh they are amazing. That LH Tatula SV I sold just recently could spool, EASILY, with a bare 3/8 oz chatterbait on 15 lb. monofilament. The performance from those bearings and that reel was just insane.

SteelHorseCowboy

Quote from: cojab on December 02, 2017, 07:11:47 PM
Thats a waste of a perfectly good shot glass ;D
Well I quit drinking a few years ago for the most part. It got to the point where I didn't have a choice. I gave away my nice tumblers but the shot glasses are too perfect for holding small parts and cleaning solvents when I'm tinkering.