Baitcaster Noise 2025
Preytorien reply :
Here's another question for the reel experts. Another reel-noise question.
I've got a Curado I, purchased in March, used very frequently and in very good condition. It's my go-to multi-use reel.
Lately I've noticed that after a while of fishing, whether it's light or heavy lures, fast or slow retrieve, topwater, finesse.....you get the point.....I get a sort of geary buzzing as I'm reeling in. It's not super loud or anything, but it's like there's a bee buzzing around on the inside of the reel....which I highly doubt is the case 
I've never taken the reel apart, and I can't imagine it's dirty or needing cleaned already. I hear Shimano packs their reels with grease, so I can't imagine that it needs more.
This is my first choice reel for almost every application, so I'm not ready to take it in to my local reel servicing guy until late fall.
Any ideas what I could look at and/or try here at home first?
BASSPATROL247 reply :
Does the sound get louder the faster you reel? Id be willing to net a new shiny penny if i had one that the drive gear needs some grease. Every reel i buy gwts broke down and cleaned and lubed. Sometimes theyre almost dry and sometimes they have so much grease its comical....pull handle side cover off and have a looksee...
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
It's odd that the sound comes and goes. Probably nothing a good cleaning won't fix when the time comes. It may or may not be due now. In the meantime, you can pull the spool and wipe the rim and frame with a swab to be sure they're clean. Keep the level wind clean and free of debis. Add a drop of oil if you want. Make sure the brake tabs and race are clean and very lightly oil the drum (cone).
Shanes7614 reply :
Simply stated.... Manufacturer grease SUCKS. Take it apart and clean the grease outbandbuse a high quality reel lube and all should be ok. The coming and going part... Do you notice it happens more as the reel gets "warmed" up? Whether from actual use and even outside temperatures?
Preytorien reply :
I think I'll pull the sideplate and check the factory grease. Maybe it's one of the Shimano's that didn't get the giant amount everyone's talking about. I know a bit about mechanical things, and it really does sound like there's not enough/no grease on the drive gear.
It seems to be fine in the beginning, but as I work the reel it starts up.
rippin-lips reply :
On 7/7/2015 at 10:38 PM, Shanes7614 said:Simply stated.... Manufacturer grease SUCKS. Take it apart and clean the grease out and use a high quality reel lube and all should be ok.
There's no magic in any grease, or oil. Hate to break that to you. Shimano reel grease works just fine. Tons of people use it with zero issues.
OP - either tear it down, or send it to someone. I've opened reels with enough grease for 2 more, and I've had them be bone dry inside.
Shanes7614 reply :
On 7/8/2015 at 1:45 AM, rippin-lips said:There's no magic in any grease, or oil. Hate to break that to you. Shimano reel grease works just fine. Tons of people use it with zero issues.
OP - either tear it down, or send it to someone. I've opened reels with enough grease for 2 more, and I've had them be bone dry inside.
Meaning? How is there no difference between a grease consistency and an oil? Grease can get gummy and collects any kind of dust or sand a lot easier then a decent synthetic reel oil will. Oil creates way less resistance.
Shanes7614 reply :
Also any areas is gets cooler temps the more issues your going to have with greases. Maybe shimano has a decent grease they use but their application of it can be overkill or zero like you've stated.
Preytorien reply :
Well, I took it apart tonight to take a look and it was almost bone dry with no grease! With all this talk about how much grease Shimano packs inside their reels I didn't expect this to be the case. I put a bunch of grease on the drive gears and now the thing is as quiet as a mouse.
Thanks for all the help and tips, you guys are why I keep coming back to this place!
rippin-lips reply :
You don't want a bunch of grease in there. When servicing reels I grease 1/2 of the main gear. A few rotations of the crankshaft with your fingers and it'll be around the whole gear. Excess grease will build up on the yoke and pinion gear. That's what you don't want.
Shanes7614 reply :
On 7/8/2015 at 8:37 AM, Preytorien said:Well, I took it apart tonight to take a look and it was almost bone dry with no grease! With all this talk about how much grease Shimano packs inside their reels I didn't expect this to be the case. I put a bunch of grease on the drive gears and now the thing is as quiet as a mouse.
Thanks for all the help and tips, you guys are why I keep coming back to this place!
They either overpack or bone dry as you received. Not many I've seen out of the box with just the right amount.
BASSPATROL247 reply :
X2 too much grease is bad lime stated above and all that grease will trap/collect any dirt that gets in there..
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
The problem most are referring to with Shimano's excessive grease is in the spool bearings. They're packed under the assumption that most reels will never get any maintenance.
Murrica reply :
I have the same reel. I have the same issue but has been getting worse. I tore it down and greased it correctly and I am still having the same issue. I will try a reel tech next and if that doesnt work I am going to go with another g series Curado because I haven't had an issue with those at all.
k3bass reply :
Worn gears. Replace the gear set and the problem will be fixed. Once gears start making noise like that no amount or type of grease will fix it.
tater555 reply :
Every shimano I have had has been really geary, and cleaning it did nothing. I traded them out for daiwas and haven't looked back since.
k3bass reply :
On 7/10/2015 at 12:52 AM, tater555 said:Every shimano I have had has been really geary, and cleaning it did nothing. I traded them out for daiwas and haven't looked back since.
That's been my experience also with every shimano I've had since the e series came out. My old calais and curado d's are still smooth.
BobP reply :
It should take a lot of years to wear Shimano gears to the point where they begin to sing. That said, I've upgraded reels with different ratio gear sets and have sometimes had gear noise at first. After trying various cures, I tried lubing the gears with Shimano Drag Grease and it quieted them right down until they had a chance to "wear in". After that, normal greasing resumed with no noise.
Also, if Superlube grease was used in your reel, it may on first glance appear that the reel is "running dry", but may actually be properly lubed. Superlube is a white PTFE fortified auto grease that works great in reels and is used by some reel shops and by a few manufacturers. Nice stufff.
BASSPATROL247 reply :
On 7/8/2015 at 11:55 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:The problem most are referring to with Shimano's excessive grease is in the spool bearings. They're packed under the assumption that most reels will never get any maintenance.
No maintenance amd also for shelf life..
Preytorien reply :
I put a recommended amount of waterproof (marine) grease on the gears, maybe a little more than one would normally put, and I still occasionally get this noise. One strange thing I've noticed is that it happens when I hold the reel at certain angles, which might be why I notice it coming and going, my hand probably rotates a bit on retrieve. As for worn gears, if Shimano gears wear out already on a reel bought in Feb, started using in April, well....they have QC issues, which I don't think is the case. It's practically new, so I don't think being dirty is a concern yet.
Any ideas....other than holding my wrist just right? LOL 
Turtle135 reply :
Could it be coming from the brake pins and drum? Mine (Curado 200 I) was making some noise on the "cast" but as long as I put a drop of oil on that drum once every couple of weeks she stays quiet.
iceintheveins reply :
On 7/22/2015 at 4:31 AM, Turtle135 said:Could it be coming from the brake pins and drum? Mine (Curado 200 I) was making some noise on the "cast" but as long as I put a drop of oil on that drum once every couple of weeks she stays quiet.
Most all the Curado I's have this issue from what I've heard and doing this will solve the problem. I've had to do it with three of my bass pro shops PQs as well.
Preytorien reply :
I took the entire reel apart, degreased and reapplied lube to the bearings, and grease to the gears. Still no better. It's geary sounding on retrieve. I put a drop of oil on the brake drum when I first got the reel, and it solved the noise then, but that's a different noise. This is a very geary sound, like the gear alignments are off. Is there any certain way the gears have to be aligned when re-installing? This happened before I ever took the reel apart, I can't imagine the factory assembled it incorrectly.
Any ideas? My next move is to call Shimano directly and request a replacement.
k3bass reply :
Good luck. They will tell you to send it in, and I guarantee it will come back the same.On 7/31/2015 at 10:52 AM, Preytorien said:Any ideas? My next move is to call Shimano directly and request a replacement.
Replace the gear-set and the noise will be gone.
bass raider reply :
"Replace the gearset and the noise will be gone"-k3bass
No way on Gods green earth can the gearset be worn out that quickly.the main gear maybe a different material(duralumin,aluminum) than the norm(brass) and that maybe causing the noise,it takes longer to "break"those gearsets in.i had the same problem with my curado.turned out to be debris on the line pawl.cleaned it out,oiled it and it's now good to go.not saying that's the OP's problem but it was mine.
k3bass reply :
On 7/31/2015 at 12:25 PM, bass raider said:"Replace the gearset and the noise will be gone"-k3bass
No way on Gods green earth can the gearset be worn out that quickly.the main gear maybe a different material(duralumin,aluminum) than the norm(brass) and that maybe causing the noise,it takes longer to "break"those gearsets in.i had the same problem with my curado.turned out to be debris on the line pawl.cleaned it out,oiled it and it's now good to go.not saying that's the OP's problem but it was mine.
Ok.
John G reply :
Replace the gears. I just replaced the gear set in one of my Conquest 50's because of a very loud noise on the retrieve and it solved my problem. Keep in mind that this reel was not even used much compared to the use that most people use their's but this particular CQ50 had a damaged pinion gear that was causing me problems. I sent it to a 'pro reel tech' to have it checked out and cleaned and he sent it back still messed up. With some help from Maico1, we diagnosed the problem as being a damaged pinion gear. I ordered a new gear set from Plat and installed them and problem fixed. Also, I am getting the impression that Shimano is not putting enough grease on their gears because I recently partially disassembled a barely used Aldebaran Mg7 and its gears looked dry.
papajoe222 reply :
If you decide to swap out the gears, before you do try polishing the existing drive gear with a Dremel. That will remove any burs or sharp edges. Just don't overdo it. Worse case scenario, it still buzzes. Best case, you've quieted it down.
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