bearing service

[poparopasopin]

i recently took apart my 525mag to clean the bearings. i took the bearings out and soaked them in brake cleen, after removing the bearings and letting them dry, i added a drop of the penn oil that came with the reel. i placed just the bearings on the spool shaft and gave them a spin, they did not spin very long at all, maybe 1.5 seconds. but after i put them back in the spool, and gave it a spin, it spun for over a minute. am i not cleaning properly or do the bearings have close tolerances that do not allow them to spin very well without the weight of the spool?

[clpoudnine23]

The bearings will only spin a couple times around with them out of the spool but on the spool shaft. If you spin them on the spool shaft with out oil (dry) in the bearings they will spin for about ten seconds or so. It sounds like you have it right to me.

[chris storrs]

the added mass of the spool gives the bearings more rotational inertia...thus a longer spin time

generally if your bearings have a consistant noise(like a whirring)without any clanks or clashes they are in excellent shape(this is when spun dry)....but most reels got bearings that clank when spun dry...dont think it matters but so much on reels...most put heavy oil in em to slow em down anyway on fishing reels