Abu Garcia 6500 C3

[simple1]

Hello All,

I just purchased an Abu Garcia 6500C3 for catfish and have a question about maintainance. Does everyone clean their reels and add oil as recommended by Abu? And finally for people with the C3 series reels, do you fully take apart and clean the reel each year, also recommended by Abu? Just wondering how important this is to the functioning of the reel over time.

Thanks,

Simple1

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Depends really if you are fishing from shore mostly or from a boat.

I ask because when shore fishing rivers many times a year you are going to be getting a lot of sand eventually into the reel. If that's the case then you will want to clean it out thoroughly each winter. If you're fishing from a boat then I think a simple lube up each winter would be fine.

[shizzy]

agreed.

I dont ever take mine all the way apart. 99% of the time you can take apart the major assemblies and clean and lube it. no real need to go down to the last screw. and yes, mid winter all my reels get a clean, lube and respool.

FWIW, I picked up an old 5000 series Abu (mid 50's model) off flea-bay and I found upon complete dissasembly, that it didnt really need anything more then a quick clean and lube.

[harvey lee]

I clean and oil mine every other year but, I use them in the boat only and they really do not get very dirty.

[Ralph Wiggum]

When I had Abus, I did a complete teardown each year. Probably not necessary, but I am a bit anal retentive and the C3 is a simple reel to tear apart and reassemble.

[chief]

I've been a happy, hardcore ABU user for more than thirty years. While, like others here, I'm a tinkerer by nature who enjoys working on my reels, it's not usually necessary to completely disassemble/clean ABU's more than once a year. But I do have the following tips.

1. If you frequently fish muddy or boggy waters, over time your line will pick up crud and transfer it to your reel (same with those annoying cottonwood seeds). If you travel dirt roads to reach fishing holes, the dust will settle in your reel. You need to get rid of all this.

2. These problems are easily solved with a quick reel takedown via the three thumbscrews. Flush out all visible dirt and grit, and pay special attention to the level wind's worm gear. I do this a few times each season as it only takes fifteen minutes per reel. Ninety percent of all reel issues can be solved with a simple takedown and cleaning in this fashion

3. Only at the end of each season, in preparation for storage, do I inspect the gear box. As someone has already said, if your reel is in direct contact with sand, mud, or other crud, you'll have to check this more often.

3. Use only grease and oil designed for fishing reels--and use it sparingly. Grease and oil, themselves, will attract dirt. I clean all parts with WD40 and thoroughly wipe off the excess.

4. ABU's strengths are their simplicity. Save your schematic and it's very easy to disassemble/reassemble these reels.

[delmuts]

"ABU's strengths are their simplicity. Save your schematic and it's very easy to disassemble/reassemble these reels."

I'll add! If you do take a reel apart for the first time, have the schematic next to you and make notes on it! I try to lay the parts out in the order that i took them off, but sometimes!!! There are times when it will list washers, shims and or spacers, but don't say if they are metal or fiber! Make notes so you don't have to wonder when putting it back to gether!