Overhead Reel Maintenance:

Overhead reel maintenance is very important part of fishing. The general thought is that its a chore, but I think otherwise; you dont want
your reel to seize up on that prized fish now do you But first, there are a few things you should do before putting your greasy mitts on the reel
which will keep your purchase in tip top condition years from now:
Firstly you should get a hold of some pure paste carnauba wax (with no man made additives). Apply the wax uniformly on all external
surfaces reachable, such as side plates, handle, star drag, reel seat, frame and especially the spool as saltwater logged line corrodes your
spool quickly. Allow wax to haze then buff lightly with a soft cotton cloth making sure you remove all the wax from corners and other hidey
holes. Next, remove side plates and using a waterproof, rustproof and corrosion proof spray. Be it lanoguard or whatever your favourite
brand, spray the insides of the side plates, this prevents corrosion/rust on reels with aluminium/alloy side plates, which is a common
occurrence after many years of hard work.
After doing the above to your new reel, spool up the reel with your favourite line, attach a lure of lead weight of some sort, and cast and
retrieve 50-100 times over water or a grass field, or just go out lure fishing for an afternoon, you should easily rack up that many casts. The
reason for this as when parts are machined little burrs and machining marks are left and the 100 or so retrieves grinds away all those little
nasties, only a select few manufacturers buff every single internal part of the reel removing these burrs but they will all benefit from this
running in. Once you get back for casting give your reel a good wash with warm soapy water then rinse with fresh water and allow to dry.
After doing the above, using the aid of your schematic diagram which came in your box the reel needs to be striped down so every part
removable has been removed, cleaned, (best done with an old toothbrush) regreased or oiled and then placed exactly back where it came
from. For this exercise I will be showing the procedure to striping down a mag-converted Abu Garcia 6500C3CT:
For this particular reel all you need is the Abu tool which came with the reel and a very small tipped, flat screwdriver.
1. Remove the right-hand side plate via the three thumb screws, taking the spool and its spindle out.
2. Remove the right-hand end cap showing the retaining clip for the spindle, using Abu tool or fingers unclip and the spindle can now be
removed from the opposite side.
3. Now proceed to remove the handle, unscrew the plastic/metal retainer and cover to show the cir-clip.
4. The cir-clip is one of two parts on an Abu overhead which gives many people trouble, using a piece of paper or ideally a plastic bag, use
your small tipped screwdriver to pop off the clip into the safety of a plastic bag, if you do lose the clip and you hear it bounce around the
room get a magnet an search the area you heard it rest at.
5. Now remove the handle spring-washer and star-drag pieces. I recommend you place all the parts in a line in the order you have taken them
off, to avoid confusion on reassembling. You may remove the two washers sitting on the roller bearing housing, but jest remember to put
them back ontop of the housing not underneath..

6. Now we have cleared a little space to remove the two screws holding the end cover down. You can remove this without any parts flying
throughout the room.
7. Now you can easily remove the drag/gear assembly all in one and the spool release assembly also.
8. Clean, lubricate and replace the push button spool release, then disassemble the drag assembly, it is important you note which keyed
washes go where, if you get confused just check back with your schematic diagram. Clean and allow drag washers to completely dry is of
high importance. Abu drags were designed to work dry, NOT oiled or greased ( if you do insist on greasing them, only use Jack Erskines
specialised drag grease). I highly recommend you buy a set of Smoothie Drag washers both metal and fibre sets, as this will drastically
improve the drags performance.
9. Reassemble the reel, making sure all parts go back where the came from, putting a few drops of oil/grease on the roller bearing but not too
much as this may leak down into the drag stack.
Now that's not all, we've only done the right hand side of your reel, you also need to give attention to the rest:
1. Remove the spool and very lightly grease the spindle.
2. Keeping the spool bearings clean and oiled is of high importance, as these are exposed to the elements. Removing the bearings is a simple
task, but if your lazy and or your spouse doesnt want anymore spring searches to be conducted with your trusty magnet, you may put 2
drops of oil in each bearing only needing to remove the plastic level-wind gear on the left-hand end of the spool (do not use pliers to remove
this, use just your fingers or cloth/towel (yes it is very tight the first few times it is removed, but is loosens up a little in time).
3. Remove the level-wind gear and use a small screwdriver to gently slide the bearing out, do not drop the bearing as this can damaged it and
you may notice you have a rather noisy reel when casting.
4. Now using the small tipped flat-end screwdriver we used earlier, and carefully (using a plastic bag to catch) unclip the cir-clip which will
allow you access to remove the centrifugal brake housing and gently tap out the bearing, and washer behind it (note: picture doesnt show
washer). Clean bearings with Zippo Lighter Fuel (or some other petroleum based cleaning agent) in a bottle or film canister, then remove and
place on a sheet of paper towel for 30mins, which pulls all the fuel out of the bearings. Place bearings on new sheet of paper towel and put
two drops, yes only two are needed in each bearing and leave to soak in for 10mins or more if using higher viscosity (thicker) oil.
5. Place bearings back in the spool attach brake housing (the centrifugal brake blocks and the rim they are forced out on to should never be
greased or oiled, this mechanism is made to run dry) and cir-clip, push the plastic level-wind cog on very firmly, you may not notice it but you
can often pop it on thinking all is well, but if you look closely it isnt secured.
6. If you have a level-wind reel with bearings in the level-wind put two drops of oil on each bearing and also oil the worm-drive accordingly.
7. The left-hand endplate requires a little attention, with just a few drops of oil or light greasing of the level-wind gear assembly.
A service like the one you have just done, (but it need not to be as thorough) should be conducted every three/four fishing trips, and your reel
should be left in a dark and dry area, protecting the line from harmful UV light and keeping it away from dust. You should never leave your
reel attached to your rod after a fishing trip