[Spider Crack]

Normally I fish in salt a day or two, rinsing reels lightly after each day, then tear down & clean on return home. Last week was on vacation, fished daily in salt for 5+ days, then rinsed reels at end of each day. Earlier this week tore down reels, and discovered corrosion in the one-way bearing of my AG Orra Inshore. Plus I could just feel the handle didn't turn as smoothly as it should, so was already suspicious that I might have some funk in that bearing.

I can order a new bearing -- Boca Bearing as a chrome bearing version at $17.95, and a stainless at $19.95. Prob will opt for the stainless.

Looks like the installed bearing (EWC1012) is not especially corrosion resistant, which is unfortunate for a saltwater reel. I'm not sure how saltwater gets up in the bearing, but suspect it's through the spool (worry this is a whiffle spool, but not certain at the moment).

Some questions/issues:

• how best clean that bearing after you've discovered corrosion? soak in lighter fluid?
• how do you prefer to lube that bearing once clean?
• trying to figure other ways to prevent salty moisture from reaching that bearing in the first place. worried i might have caused this through overly enthusiastic rinsing (forced water up inside bearing), but i was careful when I rinsed.

thanks for any ideas or insight. don't have this problem on all my reels. e.g., my AG Winch appears to have higher quality stainless bearings, so it showed no sign of any kind of corrosion inside the reel, although it was equally exposed to salt (and rinsing) as the Orra. Seems like every BPS reel I've taken in salt eventually exhibits this same problem -- and they use this same stock EWC1012 bearing, as I recall.

Thanks -- joel

 

[FishinCary]

You can try cleaning out the bearing. There's a little plastic sleeve that houses the cylindrical bearings. You can remove the sleeve and clean the bearings of all oil. I had one that kept slipping recently and after cleaning it worked again. I think some oil leaked into it because it was out in the sun on the pier 12-14 hours a day for about half of two weeks without cleaning.

and yes the best way to clean the bearing is in lighter fluid. Give it plenty of time to dry afterwards though.
IAR bearings will slip if they are over lubricated, or if the plastic sleeve or metal collar is damaged.

 

[Spider Crack]

I tried removing that sleeve but had to apply so much pressure I worried I'd damage the collar or sleeve. May try again.

Have found lighter fluid oddly challenging to find these days--finally located it at a local convenience store.

BTW, i noticed the AR bearing on my Revo Winch is mounted in the side-plate, and can't be easily removed (we discussed an AG reel in another thread like this). Fortunately it was in great shape and easily accessible, so didn't need to remove. But interesting that AG used that EWC1012 AR bearing in their Orra Inshore, same as, as far as I can tell, as in my BPS reels (Extreme, Qualifier, etc.), Pflueger Eschelon, Shimano Curado CU200, etc. and I've had corrosion issues sooner or later with that AR bearing in all those reels when used in salt. guessing they all use the cheap(er) stock EWC1012 which is not stainless steel.

 

[Drum Runner]

It's probably stainless but there is different grades of stainless. Ever seen a factory painted stainless boat prop? They get painted because they have more carbon steel ( they will rust) in them which makes them stronger than the pretty mirror polished counter part.

But this is why I don't recommend reels with levelwind bearings in salt. It's a stainless bearing but it will corrode at the drop of hat and completely lock up turning itself into a bushing. A lot of people are fishing with C4's that salt has turned into C3's and they don't know it because they don't tear their stuff down.

Really doesn't matter who makes the reel, the bearings are highly likely sourced from the same vendor and are the same grade unless you are talking about some of the copycat reels.

 

[NCStateFisher]

ive had good luck removing rust and corrosion with mineral spirits

 

[Drum Runner]

White vinegar to remove rust.
To free something up. 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.

 

[FishinCary]

I use acetone in place of lighter fluid but I've never tried transmission fluid. I'll have to check that out.

I like adding baking soda to the white vinegar, it really helps clean up boat rash and other corrosion when scrubbed with a brush.

 

[Drum Runner]

I use acetone in place of lighter fluid but I've never tried transmission fluid. I'll have to check that out.

I like adding baking soda to the white vinegar, it really helps clean up boat rash and other corrosion when scrubbed with a brush.

It'll break stuff PB Blaster won't.

 

[sundrop]

DR is right! acetone and trans fluid is the BEST penetrant and rust remover there is. and CHEAP to make in a spray bottle 50/50 mix. And old man in the community outboard motor class I took at BCCC taught me that. It is similar to a product called Kroil oil which is also awesome.

 

[Drum Runner]

Silikroil is what you you are talking about. Expensive and often used in aviation. A gallon will run about a 100 bucks.

 

[sundrop]

KanoKroil is a bit cheaper http://www.skygeek.com/kano-labs-ae...aign=froogle&gclid=CJLIi6S-5L8CFa_m7Aod0x0AYg

 

[Spider Crack]

I went ahead and replaced the AR bearing on that Orra with a Boca Bearing SS EWC1012, and the reel feels like new again. Will clean the old one well and keep as a backup. Also noticed there are some very cheap Asian-made (I think) EWC1012 bearings on eBay (4 bearings for ca. $8?!). Ordered one to evaluate, but pretty confident those won't hold up to salt, so will use as backup (if that) for freshwater-only reels.

But it just goes to confirm to me that typically when you save a few bucks on a lower-end reel that seems just as good as a more expensive model, it will cost you later, esp. if saltwater is involved. So had to upgrade the drag washers to carbon fiber on this Orra ($9 -- stock washers were a "hybrid" system that had only one carbon fiber washer), then replace the AR bearing ($20) after about a year of use. Still not a bad investment, given that the Revo Inshore is now $250 MSRP.

FYI -- joel

 

[Spider Crack]

BTW, I wrote an NCAngler review for this Orra Inshore here:
http://www.ncangler.com/forums/threads/47619-Orra-Inshore

Have added a couple of updates.

// Joel

 

[Drum Runner]

I went ahead and replaced the AR bearing on that Orra with a Boca Bearing SS EWC1012, and the reel feels like new again. Will clean the old one well and keep as a backup. Also noticed there are some very cheap Asian-made (I think) EWC1012 bearings on eBay (4 bearings for ca. $8?!). Ordered one to evaluate, but pretty confident those won't hold up to salt, so will use as backup (if that) for freshwater-only reels.

But it just goes to confirm to me that typically when you save a few bucks on a lower-end reel that seems just as good as a more expensive model, it will cost you later, esp. if saltwater is involved. So had to upgrade the drag washers to carbon fiber on this Orra ($9 -- stock washers were a "hybrid" system that had only one carbon fiber washer), then replace the AR bearing ($20) after about a year of use. Still not a bad investment, given that the Revo Inshore is now $250 MSRP.

FYI -- joel

You'll never go wrong with Boca. I source all my bearings there.