Kayaking is hard on reels

I finally got motivated to service my two salmon reels. Probably because they had both stopped working.

I was kind of grumpy about it at first: lots of fiddly little parts and some tricky reassembly steps. But I felt happier when I got to the second reel: even though it is from a different manufacturer there is enough similarity that it went a lot faster and I was able to diagnose exactly what was wrong. Time will tell how they hold up, but right now both reels are working great.

Any tips for cleaning reel parts the next time I need to do this? I'm thinking I should get a nice screwdriver set so I don't mar any screws.

Which reels? I’ve followed Alan Tani’s online info to service my Shimano Tekota reels. Excellent, detailed instructions…

https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=357.0

My old abu revo toro sometimes would look like your second pic.. sometimes probably worse. Thorough saltwater/sand dunking and neglecting to rinse or clean would freeze up the anti-reverse roller clutch?

I cleaned it with some reelX that I had lying around and there has since been a very significant and noticeable extension in usage time with less issue. Less corrosion in other areas also. Don't know if ReelX has any of the lauded components of corrosionX, or it's just the oil stuff itself, but it's worked quite well for me considering.. my 2¢

Is that a Lexa? I’ve been meaning to tear both of mine apart for service, or send them into Daiwa. I “totaled” one already because that bearing deep in the housing behind the drags and gears totally seized into the housing and couldn’t be removed. I’m trying to keep these two running for a while but I’ve been procrastinating… now I might need to pony up and just do it.

Just clean up order up some bearing kit, maybe washers some reel grease… clean n lay out bits in order as u remove them.. clean and reassemble backwards order with the bits nothing too it.  Or send them in depending if manufacture still services them.

No real tips here. You’re on the right track with picking up some quality tools. Also make sure you have a work space that will prevent small parts from rolling away. Maybe lay out some microfiber towels around your work space.

I like to give my gear a freshwater rinse after use. Pop the spool off and give it a good rinse and a few drops of oil.

I rinse my stuff heavily with a garden hose when I get home, sometimes, I'll soak in a bucket of fresh water, then allow to dry and spray with WD40

inevitably, the reels will go in the saltwater, and definitely get some heavy splashes.

The reels are Lexa LC 300HL and Tekota 401HG LC. I had skimmed the Lexa tutorial on Alan’s excellent site, but the model is different so some parts aren’t the same. The trickiest part for me was that the non-drive cover plate has to be installed with a clockwise twist that locks it into place while simultaneously meshing 3 different sets of gears. Easy once you have done it but I didn't see it mentioned in the tutorial. The big thing for me is how much faster assembly is after you are familiar with the reel and don’t have to puzzle over the instructions for each step. I see an advantage to standardizing on a small number of reel models and knowing them well.

I’ve been using ReelX and have no complaints. I also sprayed the outside of my reels with HD corrosion-x when they were new, which may have helped.

I rinse with a hose after every use, but I often end up in rough conditions so my reels get completely soaked with salt water.

Does vinegar work well for removing corrosion from brass? Or just brush and scrape?

I take a picture with my phone of every step so if I forget how it goes back together I can just refer back to my pictures.
I've gotten good at taking apart my Shimano TLDs and last year I did a quick cleaning of my Avet with no troubles.
Just have plenty of space, keep things contained, and work slowly without distractions.

Not sure this is recommended but I occasionally put my whole reel quickly under a freshwater bath and crank, clicker on then off, freespool and hand spin then dry off...rinsing with pressure can push salt deeper...at least this is what the Seigler guys suggest unless I'm wrong...happy freespool to you stealth slayer...

Try jewelry cleaner Vs Vinegar….. clean and polish. Jewelry stuff should be sufficient .

Try jewelry cleaner Vs Vinegar….. clean and polish. Jewelry stuff should be sufficient .

What if gets doused with gelatinous fishy gill blood, should still do the trick...I have some of that stuff...

Just the small metal bits like bearings bronze and SS gears.

Eddie your fish kill bag is meant for fish, not ur reels… lmfao

Just the small metal bits like bearings bronze and SS gears.

Eddie your fish kill bag is meant for fish, not ur reels… lmfao

Ah yes...must focus...when things go off there is blood everywhere...hopefully not my own...

I recall Marv(schicken) used to fill a small bucket with water and a bit of salt-x. Plop in reels, radio, terminal tackles, etc.