How to Clean my Abu 6500 C3

Member Joined: Sep 08, 2010 Posts: 36

Guys

ive just been out for a session with my new 6501's

i cannot find a helpfull guide anywhere or in the manual on how to clean the reel after a session

i can find plenty of guides that go through step by step on how to full strip it down to service it but not on what im after

ive read a few posts on running the whole reel under clean water then re oiling ( is this not bad for the bearings and and drag discs ) and other posts just saying a quick wipe down

can someone please advise

i dont wanna leave my reels too long before cleaning then

big grin

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:16 pm

A warm wash under running water, then shake of the surplus water and dry. Lightly oil when dry
Salt water is more corrosive than fresh water so the idea is to wash any salt deposits on the reel.
Cheers
keith big grin

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:53 pm

Its a bad idea to wash them under running water mate suprise

as it will wash all the sand /debris into the gears and runnings of the reel , just wipe over with a damp cloth winking

Member Joined: Sep 08, 2010 Posts: 36

two replies and 2 different answers already

is there a definative answer to who is actually right ??

worried

i wished the abu manual was more descriptive. i cant belive i cant find a proper answer on google

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:22 pm

Always the same mate , everyone has different views winking

im not saying im right but its the way i was taught , im sure reel wizard will be along with his point of view as he is a bit of an expert in this area winking

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:26 am

cuckoo wrote:

Its a bad idea to wash them under running water mate suprise

as it will wash all the sand /debris into the gears and runnings of the reel , just wipe over with a damp cloth winking

If you have that much salt and sand on them they should be stripped right down anyway because it will already be in the grease in the gears.

Run them under cold or luke warm water thoroughly ... I even make a point of getting water inside, tap water won't hurt them a bit (I have 30 year old 6500s still in use to prove the point). Shake the worst off then stand them on a rag, newspaper or kitchen towel overnight to drain ... if you stand them so the pushbutton for the freespool is at the bottom the excess water drains out of the gearbox overnight with gravity.

In the morning take the gear side off the reel, remove the spool ... flush and re-oil the bearings, make sure any odd drop of moisture is removed from the mag end (which is a bit of a trap) and then put it back together ready for next time. In a centrally heated house your unlikely to get any moisture trapped in the gears ... if in doubt just spend two minutes taking the side plate off that side ... after a while you'll know how long things take in your own pad and get a feel for when you need to check something or leave the reel to drain a bit longer.

If a reel has taken a few waves or a dip in the sea I actually sit them in a bucket of water submerged for half an hour while I pack my gear away to help get the salt out (and it works) then do the tap bit ... again has never let me down, I don't get crunchy gears or rotten side plates following this approach - end of!

I have on the other hand spent 30 years opening reels that were obviously never flushed properly and are pristine on the outside and rotten on the inside.

I'd hasten to add that all this assumes you service your reel regularly anyway (once or twice a year minimum) and that it has decent grease in the thing .... and don't believe the old tosh about the water washing the grease off ... take a side plate off, so you can actually see the grease in side and then run it under the tap - you'll see then that it is virtually impossible to wash the grease (decent grease) out of your gears with tap water.

Just as a footnote: Cuckoo not meaning to be harsh ... big grin

no offence meant.

The other point that I should have added is the spool ... if you don't flush the spool thoroughly (or rather the line on it) it will retain salt water in there for obvious reasons. I've seen hundreds of spools ruined by salt corrosion pitting them underneath the line so its a point to watch ... same thing to help - tons of tapwater, though you will never completely remove the problem as the salt can be quite deep on the spool.

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:00 am

Good tips there lads ;

A guide for you m8y with pics. http://anglingdiary.co.uk/servicing-abu-garcia-6500c3ct-elite-multiplier/

I service my own reels. Stripped my blue yonder last night, rocket fueled up and ready to go today. The only thing i will say is when you do it yourself watch the cir clips as the buggers can ping out and be lost forever when i first done it myself laughing

Will report later how it went winking

Member Joined: Sep 08, 2010 Posts: 36

thanks for the reply reel wizard big grin

and cuckoo at least you know definitively too now

thats exactly what i needed and the reels have now been cleaned up.

i like taking things apart and putting them back together so intend to fully service them every 3 months,

whats the best grease for these. will normal car grease be sufficient or shall i get reel specific grease. Will this just be rebranded car grease or will it have specific properties to assist with reels lasting longer

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:42 am

Normal car grease won't suffice, go for the maker recommended lubricant although it may be dearer it will be cheaper in the long run.

After saying that I remember when my young lad was learning to use a multiplier, he kept on birdnesting it untill I packed it with waterpump grease. (that slowed it down).

Don't you do this as it was an old reel that I wasn't too worried about.
Cheers
keith big grin

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 2:12 am

buttonz wrote:

whats the best grease for these. will normal car grease be sufficient or shall i get reel specific grease. Will this just be re-branded car grease or will it have specific properties to assist with reels lasting longer

Reel grease like Penn, Shimano or Cal's are generally a branded grease yes, though they are all very specific in their purpose i.e. saltwater applications. I know for certain that Cal's is a grease sold for industrial use which is then blended with other stuff and re-sold in small quantities. While this might seem like a con, a lot of these lubricants can't actually be purchased in small quantities and so it is the only way us anglers can get hold of a high quality grease in a small enough quantity to be practical ... I spend half my life servicing reels but it would still take me years to use a 25 litre drum of the stuff! All the above have a good reputation and won't bankrupt you, but if you want to use a cheaper grease then it is better than nothing and should be fine if you service your reel regularly and every three months is a very good regime to be honest.

Member Joined: Sep 08, 2010 Posts: 36

i actually got some daiwa stuff before i see this post. its a dark blue colour is it as good as the stuff you recommended

ive just tried to completely strip my 6501C3 and there are 2 things i cant seem to remove

the first is the level wind gear/cog. The big white one. On my old 6501 it was easily removed by pressing two ends outwards

there is no c clip retaining the gear and it cannot be removed by pressing the 2 plastic ends outwards

the second is removing the 1 way bearing ??

anyone advise on how to remove these bits

Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:17 pm

buttonz wrote:

i actually got some daiwa stuff before i see this post. its a dark blue colour is it as good as the stuff you recommended

ive just tried to completely strip my 6501C3 and there are 2 things i cant seem to remove

the first is the level wind gear/cog. The big white one. On my old 6501 it was easily removed by pressing two ends outwards

there is no c clip retaining the gear and it cannot be removed by pressing the 2 plastic ends outwards

the second is removing the 1 way bearing ??

anyone advise on how to remove these bits

The Daiwa grease will be absolutely fine.

The white (idler) cog is pressed on so I wouldn't bother, just give it a little squirt with wd40 to clear the old oil and gunk out, then get rid of the wd40 and re-oil between the post/cog. You can pull them off if needs be but its really not required unless there's sand etc in there and if its stubborn you can end up loosening the post it sits on.

Likewise the IAR bearing is pressed in and doesn't need removing. Just flush it carefully while its in situ, dry off the wd40 (or whatever you cleaned it with - parafin is good) and then very lightly re-grease before you put it back together ... don't give it too much grease as they can start to slip and allow the reel to backwind also make sure that all the rollers are in it as they can fall out while you clean them ... you need to be reasonably gentle with them as they aren't as tough as they look.

Guest

Hi Buttonz,

I agree with Reelwizard on this one, I use 6500's and 6501's, had 2 of em

over 25yrs and only replaced the bearings twice.

As Mr Punch would say " That's the way to do it " big grin

Tim