Torsa with a locked up arm

This Shimano Torsa was in storage for a while before it was treated with some heavy weight lifting down at the south pacific recently. The Torsa gave a shock to the owner when we were already on the fishing vessel setting up our tackle for an entire week of heavy popping and jigging. The handle refused to crank no matter what drag setting was applied on the lever drag. It felt as though like something has jammed up the main gear therefore not being able to turn the handle at all.

After a few tries with line pulling out from the spool and randomly changing the lever drag settings, the handle was starting to slowly come undone. Weird thing yet is that the crank felt very heavy with  friction applied even when the lever drag was set to free spool.

Several cranks later, the friction seem to have disappeared and the Torsa was back to being functional again. Luckily, the reel was working fine throughout the entire week of heavy lifting and I'm tasked to rip this Torsa open for checks upon returning from the trip.

Shimano Torsa ready to be examined. No jams upon returning from the trip.

No signs of trouble with the crank case cover removed. Note the dry outer crank shaft bearing.

All dried up inside, never been serviced since new. Bearings are running very dry and dirty.

Dry and dirty. Note the crank shaft inner section with some rust stains and dried grease on the anti-reverse gear plate.

First sign of the jammed up handle incident. Red, a mixture of rust, grease and dirt filling up the inner crank shaft bearing. Blue, all dried up outer crank shaft bearing. All bearings were rolling rough with dirt, rust and dried up grease.

The culprit was easily identified. The inner crank shaft bearing sustained some rust over time from previous trips and was kept in storage for long periods allowing the rust to spread around the entire bearing. On top of that, the grease was already running dry while the rust seized the bearing together with the crank shaft. Hence the locked up handle at first, sticky later and free rotating after the gunk and dirt being mashed into the current mushy state.

Further dismantling of the entire reel didn't reveal anything alarming. It needs a proper clean up for sure.

More dried up bearings found, no dirt, still smooth. Ultra sonic cleaning in the works for most of these metal parts.

Heavy duty carbon fiber based drag disc permanently attached to the spool with some signs of wear from the pressure plate.

Spool shaft bearing cleaned and packed with new marine grease.

Another 2 more spool shaft bearing also cleaned and packed with marine grease for maximum protection and smoothness.

Spool shaft bearings loaded back into the spool.

Brushed and contact cleaned main and pinion gear with no serious signs of wear.

Crank shaft cleaned and some polishing needed to remove stubborn rust stains from the inner bearing seizure.

Contact cleaned and generously rubbed down with marine grease. Inner crank shaft bearing's fully revived, packed with new marine grease showed no signs of roughness from rust damage. Some seriously heavy duty bearings in the works here.

Pressure plate fitted back over the spool.

Main gear's fully lubed and ready to make contact with the pinion gear.

Outer crank shaft bearing's fully packed with marine grease before the handle's locked back in place.

Thoroughly cleaned and ready for action or storage.

The owner bought this reel new way back and used it several times for big game jigging and was rinsed and dried before storage after each trip. The assumption is that rinsing is enough to get rid of any salt residues off the reel before storage. What was not factored into the assumption is that there may be traces of salt inside the reel (not water proof design) which may cause rust build up as well as spreading into other areas of the reel even while in storage.

To ensure reels live long and prosper, they need to be checked or prepped when new as they infamously comes with factory (stingy) level of lubrication and protection. And for long periods of storage, give it a once over clean up and service so there's little to no chance of rust damage during storage.

Metanium salt water NOT-OK

I've been fishing with my pimped-up-salt-prepped Shimano Metanium for a while now taking on mostly salty bruisers at locally stocked ponds. I was very diligent in rinsing and cleaning up the reel immediately at the pond after every bashing session. At home, the reel was also set to dry indoors for a few days and occasionally in air conditioned rooms for faster drying times.

The Metanium is a very light baitcaster and casts very well without much fuss all day long. Occasionally, it will produce a squeak or 2 and will eventually go away as I've prepared the internals with plenty of corrosion protection grease coating. No complains what so ever really. Until I discover some rust stains on the spool shaft when I was switching spools, at less than 3 months of usage, I had to strip down this Metanium for checks.

Nice red and hot outside. I wonder what colour is it inside.

Apologies for the blurry pic, the insides are plenty green and fresh still.

Pinion support's inner bearing's a little dried up but smooth, new packing of marine grease will do as a barrier from salt water ingestion into the bearing and also the crank case.

Custom cut carbon drags still moist with drag grease, which somewhat reduced the jittery drag behaviour a little bit. Some test still needed for a different sized carbon drag discs.

The insides were in good condition with plenty of grease left as protection. The surprising part is that the outer pinion support bearing's all rusted up real good. This pinion support bearing sits inside of the crank case with the free spool support bearing seated further outside of the crank case covered with the mechanical brake knob cover with rubber seals.

Top left, note the bearing seated inside with plenty of rust stains. Bearing's all jammed up. Top right, pinion support bearing all rusted up while the free spool bearing's stuck too with some rust stains on side of the bearings. This calls for ultrasonic cleaning.

With one round of cleaning done, all grease have been thoroughly removed hence giving me a better picture of the actual rust damage. Lo and behold, both pinion bearing and free spool support bearing's rusted up good inside.

With the seals removed, you can clearly see that both bearing retainer cage have sustained quite a bit of rust damage while the pinion support bearing sustained rust damage on a few of it's balls.

So here's the thing, this reel's been rated by Shimano being 'salt water ok', if I remember correctly the claim which was printed on the catalogue. You can clearly see that both the bearing's a little different in colour assuming that the free spool support bearing's the S A-RB variant while the pinion bearing's the conventional A-RB type. I've also done a simple test on the durability of S A-RB bearings previously and have shown that the S A-RB bearing can withstand serious salt water corrosion.

To understand the extent of this issue, I've also had complains from our local Shimano pro-tester sharing with me about the same issue faced only after one salty session with the same Metanium model. Another buddy of mine only fished fresh water with the Metanium and in under 3 months, the same problem occurred. A customer from a neighbouring country had the same issue within 6 months of fresh water bashing.

I'm keen to find out 2 things. How did the reel ingest water which also caused this rust issue internally?

First, I've never dunked this reel in salt water before and have only rinsed it with fresh water after each bashing session. Secondly, the brake knob side's nicely protected with a rubber seal. My only theory is that the gaps between the frame and crank case cover is pretty much where most water is being ingested into the crank case. Given the fact that the case design has small outlet ports for water to pass through around the base in the event that water do get in. I'm guessing that both while fishing and rinsing after may have contributed to water ingestion and retention within the crank case, more specifically within the 2 bearings that's most exposed to water from the inside.

For water ingestion, my solution was rather simple. I've decided to NOT rinse or flush the entire reel after fishing but to have very low running water pass through only on the spool itself where most salt water gets trapped especially using braided lines. Or if need be, I would remove the spool from the body and rinse only the spool. I would then just wet my hands to wipe off any dirt of salt water around the entire reel body taking care not to have water flowing near the gaps. Toweling dry after that helps too.

With the above regime in place, I've successfully reduce water ingestion into the crank case significantly as I've open up the reel checking for water ingestion and found none after a few session.

The second part which I'm baffled is that Shimano's S A-RB bearings isn't as durable anymore, or maybe this batch of bearing's a lemon? Either way, it's a bit puzzling as to why would the S A-RB bearing succumb to rust in such short periods of time. Shimano? What's up with this?

Rust busted up bearing out of the picture, RP Custom hybrid ceramic bearings in. Pinion bearing's revived after rust removal but a little rough now.

Ready for some action once again.

Casting with this Metanium is now even better with the hybrid ceramic bearings. The only difference is that it's a little louder and a tweak on the brakes+thumb behavior change is needed as the spool spins up to speed very quickly.

Seriously Shimano, what's up with this batch of S A-RB bearings rusting up so easily on an amazing reel like the Metanium?

Conquest Rust Bust

This is a trusty veteran Conquest that's been through countless hours of battle despite it's tiny size. It's been in action non-stop for about a year or more without any issues and it's starting to hint to the owner that it needs to be juiced up asap. It's starting to squeak and rough riding, which usually means way past overdue for a check up.

Having this tiny reel in hand never seize to amaze me at how small this reel truly is. Pictures cannot do justice as to how compact and solidly built this reel is known for. The initial impression build up quickly died with the squeaky crank and overall roughness felt. I suspect we'll have a blast busting some rust while servicing.

This Conquest came with a specific instruction to maintain the mechanical 'light feel' and therefore dictates how this reel would be serviced and tune up. So here goes.

Poster shot before diving in for some rust bustin.

Owner gave it a bit of natural pimpin, wooden knobs to match. New bearings that came with the knobs just need a bit of salt water protection.

Spool support bearing on the centrifugal brake side also showed no signs of rust or roughness. A clean up and light oil application is sufficient.

First rust bust, mechanical brake side knob and bearing doesn't look so good. Rust seem to have chewed the bearing up good. Some deep pitting found on the crank case (bottom left, red pointer) and rust particles found all over the crank case (bottom right, orange pointer)

Rust seem to have covered the spool shaft with some light damage. Some rust removal solution rubbed in, followed by polishing and buffing to fully remove any traces of rust. Luckily, there are no major pitting on the shaft.

Seized bearing covered in rust. Needs some elbow grease scrubbing and a few rounds of ultrasonic cleaning to see if the bearing can be revived. (Right) Mechanical brake knob internal was a straight forward brush down and bearing nicely brushed, un-jammed and ready to be dunked into ultrasonic bath.

The drags were also well worn with plenty of debris on the entire crank case mixed in with rust particles. (Red pointers) Pinion support bearing seem to have sustained some rust damage and lightly fused with the pinion shaft. The bearing seem to be spinning a bit rough but fine, possibly light damages internally. Pinion shaft just needs a nice scrub down and also ultrasonic cleaning to remove tough bits.

The pinion support bearing shields are removable thus visual inspection of the inner balls for rust is possible. Light rust found mostly around the inner races. Balls are rolling fine, just dirty inside. Nothing major.

Main shaft support bearing's also rusted up real good. More elbow grease scrubbing needed. Looks nasty but infact, the bearing's still spinning smooth. Most likely damages are on the surface of the metal bracket.

Another rust bust here on the worm gear support bearing. Rust particles tarnished the plastic drive gears, easily cleaned. Bearing seized but a few turns after rust removal shows no major damages.

2 rounds of ultrasonic bath needed for this. All parts flipped about for the second round of cleaning.

Initial impression out of the ultrasonic bath looks promising for all the rusted bearings. Light lube test on all bearings indicated that all bearings are fit for battle except for the free spool support bearing on the mechanical brake side has some permanent damage resulting in some serious roughness and occasional seizure.

Before and after elbow grease scrubbing and ultrasonic cleaning. This bearing passed the fitness test, survived to fight another day. Light grease coated for that 'light feel' instruction.

As for the pinion shaft, close up inspection of the rust infested part didn't reveal any permanent damage to the shaft. Fit for battle once again.

No damages or premature wear on the gear teeth surfaces. Built to take some serious beating.

With the 'light feel' instruction in mind, only a few bearings can be packed with marine grease for maximum protection against rust. Some others need lighter grease in order to maintain that 'light feel'.

Fully exposed worm gear needs thorough grease coating as well as the pawl compartment nicely packed in.

Light grease needed for the spool's inner support bearing. No heavy stuff here for that 'light feel'.

Above as before, bottom shows after thoroughly cleaned drag system. Main gear looks tattered but they are merely cosmetic stains and not a deal breaker. Drag discs are made durable for light drag, not all out stopping power like carbon fibre discs. Upon cleaning, they are back at their best with smooth and firm stopping power.

All surfaces brushed, degreased and contact cleaned in preparation for a new coat of marine grease. One way bearing's perfectly fine too without a hint of rust. Some pitting found around the free spool support bearing compartment.

All surfaces coated with marine grease for protection. Pinion support bearing's packed with marine grease which doesn't affect the 'light feel'. Main shaft support bearing with light grease to maintain 'light feel'.

Drag system layered in with light drag grease. Gears lightly coated with Shimano's heavy grease for that signature creamy smooth and light feel.

Mechanical brake side spool support bearing took a while to arrive as it was a unique size to this 50 size bait caster. Mechanical light feel was achieved with a few quick cranks to spread out all the grease coating on all mechanical parts.

Plenty of rust bust and yet survived to fight more battles with the exception of one unfit bearing that needs to be replaced. It is now fully restored to its full glory and would keep up with the solidly build feel in hand and creamy smooth mechanical feel that it's well known for.

Another Ryoga bites the rust

The Daiwa Ryoga is a very popular reel among anglers here as it's built tough and versatile. Claimed to be salt-water friendly, true to a certain extent but some parts of this reel cannot live up to its specifications claim. I'm sure if given proper care and maintenance, it'll live up close to its intended potential.

This Ryoga is in for a long over-due check-up and service. The owner also wanted to give it a little bit of new life in the form of new RCS knobs. Owner complains that the reel is very rough and lost all its original creamy smooth feel.

One crank of the reel and you are immediately greeted with metal-to-metal rubbing roughness. Even the knobs produces squeaking noise when spinning. Time to strip this BC down for a thorough service.

Rough Ryoga selfie with new RCS rubber coated cork knobs.

Without a doubt, there will be back play on the handle especially when the reel's long over-due for a  check-up. Grease or oil usually gets into the one-way bearings creating slippage. Video below as proof.



As for the squeaky knob, the culprit was quickly discovered. Rust. Serious rust damage resulting in powdered bearings. The inner races of the bearing was somewhat fused onto the knob shaft making it very difficult to remove the knobs and bearings. Plenty of rust remover and prying needed to get the bearing and knob out.

Powdered knob bearings (top) where you can't tell between the shaft or bearings. Bottom row shows rust corrosion and pitting. This calls for some serious rust removal rubbing and also machine polishing to remove permanent pitting.

Oil seem to have spread all over the magforce brake system (top). Free spool support bearings are in good condition but a tad dry and rough (bottom).

Internal gear looks ok. One-way bearing's all rusty and gunked up.

Looks nasty but a quick contact clean up shows that they are just surface rust grime. Upon cleaning, there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage on the roller shaft or bearing pins.

Top right, pinion support bearing's all jammed up with rust. Bottom, as usual, rubber sealed but can't seem to stop water intrusion as intended. Water and grease all over the drag system.

One of the free spool support bearing's got some rust on the retainer cage. Not sure if there are any permanent damage on the bearing balls or races. This will need some revival procedure using rust removal and also ultrasonic cleaning.

All the parts awaiting for an ultrasonic bath.

Some parts do really well after ultrasonic bath and some just need a bit more of the good-ol scrubbing.

Since this reel will be heavily used for salty bashing, the best option would be to pack bearings with marine grease for maximum protection. Free spool support bearing only needs light oil.

Crank case scrubbed down and contact cleaned in preparation for new protective coating (left). Protective marine grease coating on all internal surfaces for maximum protection (right)

Light oil on the insides and marine grease coating outside for free spool support bearing (top, left). Generous amounts of marine grease rubbed all over everything that moves (top right and bottom)

Drag stack lightly coated with drag grease during installation. Gears coated with Daiwa's own sticky salt water grease for creamy smooth cranks.

Externally brushed to remove grime (top). New knob bearings fully loaded with marine grease for maximum protection from salt water bashing.

When the one-way bearing's properly clean and lubed with one-way bearing oil, you get smoothness in cranks and firm stopping power without back plays. Grease or other light oil will create slippage but not one-way bearing oil. Video proof below.

Revived and slightly pimped. Creamy smooth crank is back with maximum protection.

No more squeaking, no more rough riding. This Ryoga is back at its best with Daiwa's signature creamy smooth cranks. Ready to take on some serious salty bashing once again.