bent drag washer?

DKanak · June 07, 2006, 11:10:07 PM

Hello again, friends of this fine fishing forum!

I decided to disassemble that old Heddon baitcaster I mentioned in my previous post. I cleaned it out reel well

(is that even funny?). Anyway, after I greased and oiled the various parts, I noticed that one of the washers on the drag system was bent. Might this be normal? The drag on this reel has never seemed all that impressive, kinda stutters a bit - I thought baitcasters were supposed to have superior drag systems. If it's indeed a damaged washer, can I just take it to the hardware store and pick out a similar one?

Thanking you in advance,

Dan

pegleg · June 08, 2006, 05:33:27 AM

Some older reels I've had used a bent washer as the last one in the stack. Guess it was to keep pressure on the stack??

Warpath · June 08, 2006, 05:34:54 AM

Dkanak,

Just in my experience, it would be wise to replace the drag washer with a one soecifically for reels. A lot of good tackle stores carry that stuff.

But, sometimes you can simply flip the washer overand it may fix the problem. The washer is obviously bent in one direction because someone tightened the drag too much and/or left the drag engaged heavily when the reel was not in use. It is a wise thing to loosen your drag each time you are finished fishing for the day. It will save you on the drag washers for sure.

Eric

DKanak · June 08, 2006, 03:02:36 PM

thanks for the replies. It's not damaged, I learned. It's called a "wave-lock" washer.

Pferox · June 08, 2006, 07:19:31 PM

Make sure the wave lock washer is installed in the right direction for your reel.

If it is put in backwards, you will get un-smooth drag action.

DKanak · June 08, 2006, 11:01:07 PM

Thanks Pferfox69.

I thought about that as I was reassembling it, but came to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter. I guess I was wrong. I took the reel out to the lake today and, well, didn't catch any fish on that pole so I didn't get a chance to really test the drag. I'll check it by hand tomorrow.

Funny thing though: I seem to be getting worse casting distance after cleaning it out real well and adding new grease and oil. I followed a guide and added either oil or grease to specific parts in the recommended amounts. The oil i used is a Zebco reel oil. The grease however isn't specific to fishing reels - i couldn't find any that was. Being impatient, I purchased some "White Lithium Grease" from the hardware store. Did I make a mistake using this grease?

silversalmon · June 09, 2006, 01:43:04 AM

Sounds like you need the help of ConnieK, resident reel expert and a great friend to the site. The Lithium grease, that may be a little thick for we use it on aircraft. This could be the casting distance problem

Pferox · June 09, 2006, 03:50:33 AM

I agree, you are proly using a thick grease and it is slowing down the reel.
You can try disassembling the reel again and wiping out the excess grease, leaving a thin coating on it and see if that works, if not proly have to degrease it and use a more suitable reel grease.

bassmaster350 · June 09, 2006, 01:44:24 PM

well that dont sound to good

topcat · June 09, 2006, 01:51:54 PM

I agree with....Sliversalmon and Pferox.....sounds like you used to heavy of a grease...

Topcat

DKanak · June 09, 2006, 01:56:41 PM

Well, I found a local pro shop that sold reel grease. I bought some Quantum Hot Sauce. I've got the reel disassembled now on my desk and I'm about to clean off all that grease oil once again. My strategy will be soap and water first, then lighter fluid. Any better ideas? I've heard carb cleaner for the metal pieces: bearings and drag wheel, but I'm in an apartment and don't have appropriate ventilation.

Another important question comes to mind: do I grease the drag plates? Newer reels have teflon plates that act as lubrication. This reel, being from the 50's, likely lacks that feature. Should I add a little grease between the drag plates? How about the washers? I've done lot's of research on the internet and seem to get conflicting information.

Pferox · June 09, 2006, 01:58:47 PM

Greasing drags depends on the reel and how it was manufactured, how were they when you got it?

I've seen some soaked in oil, some greased and some left dry.

bassmaster350 · June 09, 2006, 01:59:49 PM

might have to make me think on that one

bassmaster350 · June 09, 2006, 02:00:39 PM

the carb cleaner should work for bearings but dont leave them soakin for to long

bassmaster350 · June 09, 2006, 02:03:50 PM

Speakin of cleanin i need to get a hold of my citica

conniek · June 11, 2006, 04:24:45 PM

hmmm, well, let's see here. a good cleaning is always a must and if i were you, i would use a butter boat and some simple green and hot water and an old tooth brush and i would go to work. Take reel completely apart down to frame and begin scrubbingh each and every part. It is not a good idea to use any chemicals to clean reel as some reel parts are coated with a material that makes them look like silver or so and actually plastic underneath., The chemical may not eat part up now, but could in the long run or melt the plastic. Clean those bearings in a bottle cap of lighter fluid, soak them until all the crud is out of them, air dry,apply one drop of oil per bearing, spin bearing by your ear on a pencil or screwdriver and if the bearing is good and clean, it will spin freely for a long time. IF it doesn't, repeat process over again several times and if still no free spin, buy new bearing, Hot sauce is ok, but use sparingly, it is a good rust inhibitor for reels used in saltwater, another excellent product is Reel X. It is almost unbeatable. as for the grease, if you can get some at walmart use it, but sparingly. with reels, the old saying'if some is good, alot is better' does not apply to fishing reels.Super Lube is a very good grease because it is teflon based and won't run in heat and won't coagulate in winter.
on the drive gear stack up of washers, some do not require grease, depends on material it is made of.apply grease to baseof teethon drive gears so when the gears mesh, the grease isn't thrown all over inside of reel. use a tooth pick. Remember this, grease the gears, oil the bearings. Never oil the drag washers
If still unsure, contact the reel manufacturer, They will always give you good information.Hope i've helped a little bit. Good luck. conniek

DKanak · June 11, 2006, 08:05:50 PM

thanks for the reply, connie. After cleaning all the washers on the drive gear, I reinstalled them dry and it still "chattered". So, I went out and got some emory paper, brasso and pulled out my Dad's Dremel. I sanded the washers using 80 grit then 150 grit (should've bought a finer grit paper). I managed to polish them pretty well, but no where near a mirror finish. It worked though. I start school tomorrow, so I won't be able to finish the job for awhile. All in all, the reel's working so much better and I've learned a lot about baitcasters. Thanks again to everyone on this board.