Tiagra 30 problem

[tkei]

My reel servicing skills seem to have let me down a bit lately. 1st my penn 30 drag (but thats now sorted after Alantani's advise) and now my tiagra.
In jan I was stuck into a few big tuna and the reel felt very stiff to reel in in high gear. I dropped down and it felt ok. But it wasn't right. My briother used it a few times and said he lost some decent tuna on it, but dint say too much else.
I used it last weekend ansd the gilly lost a very nice tuna on it, and then I had a small hammer head on and geez the reel was impossible to reel in high, in low it was doable, but only just.
With no load on the reel, it works perfectly. It has good free spool, whith no load it reels perfectly. drag being pulled is perfect. I re-spooled it with 250m top shot about 3 weeks ago and it was fine with moderate pressure. Its when a fish is on that the trouble starts.
I havn't opened it up to see whats up. Was wondering if I should rather just send it to shimano to look at. Any ideas what it could be? I havnt stripped the tiagras in full before. any tricks to look out for. I doubt its as easy as the penn as thats a pretty simple reel.

[dugong]

Side plate bearing is shot - common on most LD reels.

Edit: RH side - do it yourself, very easy.

[travelmember]

Common with Tiagra's and TLD 50's. Quick visit to Bearing Man, 100 bucks and one hour should see you sorted. Suggest you do that new TLD 50 as well. Bear in mind that the web instructions for the TLD are based on the 30, not the 50. I can't remember which side, but the plastic frame does not come apart on the 50 like the 30! Don't take screwdriver and hammer to it!
Otherwise simple job.

[tkei]

Ok thanks guys. Will pull it out and order a new ARB bearing from shimano. My model was pre ARB.

[tkei]

Ok opened up the tiagra this weekend. All bearings 100% it seems the problem may have been water in the drag. There was water int he drag housing and on the drag washers. I had lent the reel to a friend last year and the problem arose on the first fish since I got it back, even thoush it was a few months later.


The grease on t he washer and drag plate was quite hard and had gone gungy, I guess fromt he water.
Mental note, Dont lend reels to others.


On a side, i stuffed up my penn international 30t. My servicing skills are letting me down. In changing drag washer setups numerous times to get the setup right, a small thin brass/ copper washers must have slipped off as i put it back together. Well it made its way into the gears and is now deceased. Where on earth do you get a new one in SA.

[dugong]

Just make sure tkei, that side bearing just needs to be slightly rough and it causes k*K.

[tkei]

Dugong, It felt 100%. once cleaned it spun smoothly. The bearings actually look like the ARB bearings, but I may buy a new one anyway.
We are talking the bearing shown here.

[dugong]

That's the one...........must be the drag then, is it Carbontex and Cals grease?

[tkei]

yip. as i said, quite a bit of water in it, and on drag washer. guy must have soaked the reel with drag off.
it feels better, but only time and a decent fish will tell.
Will have to use this 1 as the penn is out of action for a wehile till i can find a part.

[Half-Pint]

Contact our sponsors Pure Fishing. As far as I know they are the Penn importers

[tkei]

Thanks HP, I will try that.