Lew's BB1shz drag issue

[Ponson416]

Hey guys.  The drag on my BB1 is slipping pretty bad.  I can tighten it all the way down and the line pulls out pretty easily.  It's on a frog rod, and I haven't been using a frog lately.  I've had it put up for a few months now.  It worked great last time it was used.  I have never really done a lot of extensive reel repair.  I just try to keep up with general maintenance.  So maybe you guys can help me fix this thing.

1.  It's spooled with braid.  However, I've checked and it's not "ghost drag".

2.  I did just recently change it from a stand up rod rack to a ceiling rod rack.  I had to make some room on the floor in my shop.  So, maybe some oil got on the drag washers from it hanging upside down?  I did put a drop of reel oil on the gear recently.  I'm hoping that I should just need to clean the excess oil.

3.  The drag was tightened down.  I'm usually pretty good at loosening it for storage, but I slipped up on this one.  The reel is less than 2 years old.  Not really sure what kind of life expectancy I should be getting from it.  I have some 10 year old reels that still function flawlessly.  What would I need to check if any damage is done from this?

I do still have the manual with the exploded view, so that should help me in tear down and build up.  Any advice, thoughts, or tips would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

[LgMouthGambler]

First off, oil never goes on gears, only grease. I know Lews says to do this, but considering the source, its bogus. More than likely you are gonna need a tear down and clean, possibly new drag discs.

[Ponson416]

Thanks for the info.  Learn something new every day.  I always found the "lube port" to be a bit odd.  I've never oiled a gear before.   I've never really done a lot of maintenance on reels until a few years ago when I started getting better equipment.  I used to use cheap beginner stuff for a long time, and when they'd fail I'd just throw them away.  So this is kind of new to me.

[West6550]

Something is wrong bud. I agree with LMG on tearing it down. Your suspension's may be right.

I have a Lew's Tourney Pro that I bought 3 years ago. I have done regular basic maintenance on it probably twice. It has never had an issue or skipped a beat. Still smooth as it was new.

Something sounds wrong man.

[Lipripper]

Thanks for the info.  Learn something new every day.  I always found the "lube port" to be a bit odd.  I've never oiled a gear before.   I've never really done a lot of maintenance on reels until a few years ago when I started getting better equipment.  I used to use cheap beginner stuff for a long time, and when they'd fail I'd just throw them away.  So this is kind of new to me.

With all the guys around here that do their own just post your questions and you should be able to do yours too.

[rockchalk06]

Thanks for the info.  Learn something new every day.  I always found the "lube port" to be a bit odd.  I've never oiled a gear before.   I've never really done a lot of maintenance on reels until a few years ago when I started getting better equipment.  I used to use cheap beginner stuff for a long time, and when they'd fail I'd just throw them away.  So this is kind of new to me.

The good thing about a quality grease for the gears is if there is any excess, it will fling off and generally built up on the side plate or the inside frame. I've never seen it build up on the drag washers before. Oil, not so much. It will leak wherever it wants and find its way into the drag washers.

I this isn't a Lews, but these 3 videos are very helpful if you want to do this yourself.

#1 https://youtu.be/ZLpO74dWuoE?list=FLUAv4-g1v3VSvos3oetLObQ
#2 https://youtu.be/ZFxdapDGOOY?list=FLUAv4-g1v3VSvos3oetLObQ
#3 https://youtu.be/18-nFrwUhQM?list=FLUAv4-g1v3VSvos3oetLObQ

[Ponson416]

Thanks for the help guys.  Hopefully when I get home tonight I'll have time to check it out.  I'd like to think I'm competent enough to do it.  As long as I have a diagram of some sort.  As an electronics tech I follow diagrams all the time.  However, this is a different animal that I have no experience with.  So, we'll have to see.   

Worst case scenario, I know a local guy that does reel repair.  I just hope I don't break it more.   

[LgMouthGambler]

No worries. Worse comes to worse, you do what Rick did to me.

(hands ziploc full off reel parts)
Rick: Can you put this back together for me?
Me: (shaking head) Sure.

[Capt. BassinLou]

No worries. Worse comes to worse, you do what Rick did to me.

(hands ziploc full off reel parts)
Rick: Can you put this back together for me?
Me: (shaking head) Sure.

That was pretty funny .

[j102]

No worries. Worse comes to worse, you do what Rick did to me.

(hands ziploc full off reel parts)
Rick: Can you put this back together for me?
Me: (shaking head) Sure.

I don't believe it! lol

[West6550]

No worries. Worse comes to worse, you do what Rick did to me.

(hands ziploc full off reel parts)
Rick: Can you put this back together for me?
Me: (shaking head) Sure.

I custom painted my first reel.. was going to order some parts for it to upgrade... it is still in that ziplock bag.. like 5 years later lmao

[Ponson416]

Update.  Successfully did a thorough cleaning and the drag is back to its normal self.  That's a relief.

[Pro Reel]

Glad you were able to get it taken care of. Just as a side note, the lube port isn't an oil port. I know the papers that come with the reels shows what looks like a drop of oil and an arrow pointing to the port but what that means is lubrication. The papers are designed and printed oversees. That's the general symbol for lubrication. The drive gear is what's right behind the opening. Drive gears only get grease. If you do nothing else to your reel you should at least add a little grease once or twice a year. Use a small brush to dab grease on the gear teeth through the port and turn the handle to rotate the gear while you do that. Reels should be thoroughly cleaned and serviced once a year, however many won't do that or have it done. Adding grease to the gears is the least you should do.

[Ponson416]

I think this thread has taught me a lot.  I really appreciate it.  I will most definitely keep asking questions if I run into any other problems.

Speaking of questions, I have a couple right now.  Can you recommend a grease?  And, are there any cleaning agents or solvents that you guys use on your reels?  Or do you pretty much just wipe them with a clean dry cloth?  Are there any reel cleaning kits or supplies I should own?

Thanks in advance

[LgMouthGambler]

Grease-Shimano star drag or Cals
Bearing oil-Ardent is a great all around, Yellow rocket fuel for high performance. I personally like the Ardent bearing oil for the spool bearings. I use their thicker regular oil for other bearings.
Cleaner-Acetone to soak the bearings, simple green (or the like) to degrease and clean parts. As far as wiping the reels down, KVD L&L fine mist and a clean cloth.

A good toothbrush, 10mm socket or wrench, small flathead and phillips head screwdrivers, and a pick pretty much do the trick.

[SFL BassHunter]

I don't believe it! lol

Believe it! It happened lol.

That PQ was a little more complicated than the Shimano I watched Matt take apart and put back together.