Reel bearings

[HDMarc]

Tore down a few of my Avets and one of my SX's pinion bearing is shot. Anybody have any information on the Boca ceramic bearings? Are they worth the extra money or should I replace them with a stock Avet bearing?

[Fishfish]

Originally Posted by HDMarc

Tore down a few of my Avets and one of my SX's pinion bearing is shot. Anybody have any information on the Boca ceramic bearings? Are they worth the extra money or should I replace them with a stock Avet bearing?

Hey Marc, as we spoke the other day on the Mimi, it is the pinion gear. I recently had my reel serviced and all the bearings were replaced except the pinion bearing which my dealer was out of stock on. I just spoke to Avet and it is a flat spot on that bearing that causes increased reeling difficulty as drag is increased. My fault sice I went passed full drag setting. The bearings can be gotten from my local dealer I use and another source I have . They both are not sponsors so can post them here? From all my research the Boca ceramic bearings are the fix! Did you fish today? I had to cancel...bummer.

[HDMarc]

Hey Dennis, one of my Avets was doing the same thing yours was, the bearing was actually seized and I managed to get it spinning, but now when reeling it in, I get that same resistance that yours was getting with the intermittent thumping. I'll call around to see who has them in stock, I know who your guy is. Didn't go out today as I had originally planned, saw the Mimi was out producing in deeper water...oh well!

[Pete]

Save your money. The races or cage in which the ceramic bearings sit is metal and subject to corrosion. And, over time WILL definitely corrode. Avet will send you the necessary bearings for a minimal fee plus shipping.

Go to the Alan Tani web site, it has all the information you could ever need regarding bearings, and for that matter reels in general as well.

Hope this helps and saves you some cash.

[HDMarc]

Thanks Pete. I do go on the Alan Tani website, I refer to his reel break downs before attempting to tear down my own. I guess my question is since there seems to be issues with Avets pinion bearing (I say this because I know of others that have had to replace just the pinion bearing in their Avets) that either an upgrade was available, or do I need to do more maintenance than usual to prevent it from developing the flat spot I'm experiencing.

[JerseyCoast]

Find out the size and look into other companies such as Pioneer Bearings. As long as you know the size you can do much better by avoiding any "reel bearings". Using a company that specializes in bearings will be much better. There Are A Few Out There.

This was an issue when I was still with Canyon Reels. We went out to find our own bearings..... worked out much better. Plus.... your eliminating extra hands and extra cost touching them.

[Pete]

Marc, this is straight from the horses mouth.

there are a couple of things going on here. one, if you exceed a certain load on any of the smaller avet reels, you will blow out the right main side plate bearing. you will know that you are damaging the reel because you will note a slight resistance when you turn the handle. with that first turn, you have just damaged the bearing. the more you turn, the more damage you are causing.

even if your drag range is low enough, water can still intrude. avet's bearings are actually well packed with grease. water can get in, so they should be repacked. i like the yamaha product for that application.

and lastly, avet's bearings. they generally charge $5 per bearing regardless of size. part of that is service to their customers, the other part is that they are inexpensive to begin with. the bearings from smoothdrag.com or bocabearings.com are a much higher quality. it would be worth switching over to a higher quality bearing, but only if you will pack it with grease AND keep the drag below a certain range. otherwise, stick with the cheap avet bearings and just replace them as you go. alan

With that being said. Most people exceed the max drag setting. And, doom the bearing to failure. Ceramic bearings don't solve the problem. If they did they would certainly be the reccomended upgrade by Alan and every other expert.

As a side note; the Tani web site has no advertisers or sponsors just reel heads looking to save you money. Straight forward professionals and novices who can guide you, no strings attached.

[HDMarc]

Thanks for the responses guys. I contacted Avet and ordered a few of the pinion bearings from them. I figure that since it is the one bearing that seems to take the brunt of the load out of all of them that I should have a couple on hand in the event one of my other SXs experience the same issue. Being that I can tear the reel down and change the bearing in a matter of minutes, it's worth it to stick with what it came with. I don't go real tight with the drag setting but have had the reel for two years, for the price of one bearing to make it perform like new again is absolutely worth it.

[MrAC1980]

What's up Marc? I highly suggest you pull the shields off the new bearings and clean/pack them with grease before you use them. You can either put the shields back or leave them off. Those blue shields are easy to pop off/on so I put them back. I clean them with TCI oil that Alan recommends and then pack them with some kinda grease of your choice. While you're at it, take some of the same grease and lightly coat the entire reel. Next year you can take the reel apart and it'll look like the same way you closed it up. I do this too all my Avets and they are smoother then when they come out of the box. I've never had to replace a bearing yet except from old reels I've picked up from others. Facebook message me if you need a link to check out that TCI oil.

[NJ Dave]

I have a first generation MXL that is due for an overhaul as it is grinding away.
Avet offers a rebuild for 39 bucks which includes return shipping.
Is it worth it or would a local shop be better/cheaper?
I am sure I need a bearing which is covered under the program.