Advice Penn reels

[nearly70ty]

Hi all
I've recently bought a Penn fatthom 11 mag which I'm really happy with, but very recently I had to cast it a little further and it felt a bit sluggish. I know from from other post that they can be a little generous with the grease from the factory . I don't really want to do anything with the gear box of the reel because I dont think a load of grease here is a bad thing. The plan is to strip the spool out clean the spindle shaft and any excess grease I can see .So here is the question do I need to soak and clean out the bearings or as previously said just clean away the excess grease or are the bearing oiled from new rather than greased.

 

[chesilpete]

Its quite simple to clean the bearings out and re oil them.
Or
You can just add a drop of oil on each spin it and see where you are!.
Personally I always pop the bearings out and refuse.

 

[philthefish]

Take out bearings soak in lighter fuel then couple of drops of oil either rocket or other

 

[welshtroutfisher]

Not too sure about the bearings in your particular reel but from what I have seen with the fathoms they are sealed, or that was the impression I was under.

Did watch a video with someone heating the bearings on a spoon to make sure the lubricant gets drawn into them, and have watched a video where someone strips them down and removes the shield cover to clean and oil.

 

[philthefish]

Dean booker vid on the tube does black dog on here do that ?

 

[blakdog is back]

Not too sure about the bearings in your particular reel but from what I have seen with the fathoms they are sealed, or that was the impression I was under.

Did watch a video with someone heating the bearings on a spoon to make sure the lubricant gets drawn into them, and have watched a video where someone strips them down and removes the shield cover to clean and oil.

They are not completely sealed so the lighter fuel (or spray brake cleaner) will do the trick.

Heating bearings is pointless and potentially damaging if you go too far ... light oils of the type used will go into the bearings easily enough.

 

[nearly70ty]

Many thanks for all of your replies, I've had a look and they are shielded bearings. What I was trying to ask was are the bearings lubricated with the thick grease or an oil. When the spool is in the reel ,the spool does run on very well, I guessing the spindle is being influenced by the mags even though they are wund right off. I cleaned the spindle and bearing of the grease you can see, and lightly oiled and when outside of the reel the spool runs very well.

 

[Topwater]

Oil. Contamination from grease will slow your reel right down!