Worm Gear Greasing

[Scattergun2570]

The worm gears on all my TDZ`s look kinda dry.. I don`t know if I am supposed to be able to see grease..In any case,is it ok to apply new grease without cleaning the old stuff out? And also... how do I apply it..I only have a fair size tube of Superlube,,so obviously I cannot apply it from there with any precision.Thanks

[oops]

You can use a Q-tip to clean old grease off and reapply new grease to worm gears pretty easily

[adam lancia]

A cheap small paint brush also works well.

[uljersey]

Grease on an exposed worm gear is a dirt magnet which will lead to premature wear. Use a light coat of oil or TSI 321 that will leave a dry lubricating film behind.

[beezy]

Grease on an exposed worm gear is a dirt magnet which will lead to premature wear. Use a light coat of oil or TSI 321 that will leave a dry lubricating film behind.

I agree with this. I soak the worm gear in TSI 321 and wipe off the excess. It has worked wonders and I don't have much issues with dirt getting on the worm gear.

[Cracker]

Why worm gear always come greased from factory in that case?

[Scattergun2570]

[quote="uljersey"]Grease on an exposed worm gear is a dirt magnet which will lead to premature wear. Use a light coat of oil or TSI 321 that will leave a dry lubricating film behind.

One reel tech who posts here ,very much disagrees with you.

[PikeRoadBassn]

Grease on an exposed worm gear is a dirt magnet which will lead to premature wear. Use a light coat of oil or TSI 321 that will leave a dry lubricating film behind.

I agree with this. I soak the worm gear in TSI 321 and wipe off the excess. It has worked wonders and I don't have much issues with dirt getting on the worm gear.

You should NEVER use oil on a worm shaft. Grease is oil in suspension. Since the worm gear is open to debris, and grease is oil in suspension, any debris that comes in contact with it will essentially float, and not get trapped between the worm gear and pawl. Oil will allow the debris to settle, and can become lodged in between the worm gear and pawl, causing damage to the worm shaft.

Below are a few examples of damaged worm shafts that were oiled....

[Scattergun2570]

can i just go ahead and add new grease to whatever old grease is left,or do I really need to degrease the worm gear before adding new/.?

[PikeRoadBassn]

can i just go ahead and add new grease to whatever old grease is left,or do I really need to degrease the worm gear before adding new/.?

I would take an old toothbrush and brush out the worm gear first, just to remove any debris that may be present. Then take a flux brush, model brush, or something along those lines to re apply a light coat to the worm shaft.

[Teal101]

Grease on an exposed worm gear is a dirt magnet which will lead to premature wear. Use a light coat of oil or TSI 321 that will leave a dry lubricating film behind.

I agree with this. I soak the worm gear in TSI 321 and wipe off the excess. It has worked wonders and I don't have much issues with dirt getting on the worm gear.

You should NEVER use oil on a worm shaft. Grease is oil in suspension. Since the worm gear is open to debris, and grease is oil in suspension, any debris that comes in contact with it will essentially float, and not get trapped between the worm gear and pawl. Oil will allow the debris to settle, and can become lodged in between the worm gear and pawl, causing damage to the worm shaft.

Below are a few examples of damaged worm shafts that were oiled....

Agreed for that exact reason. I always use grease, the only thing that ever gets oil in my reels would be the bearings.

[rats reel repair]

In my 33 years in business I have seen more damaged worm gears because of grease. Grease holds grit and basically turns into cutting oil. If you are gonna tear your reels down and clean them every few months grease is fine. With oil you can rinse the worm gear out and reapply oil without tearing the reel down.
But with that said it doesn't matter if you use grease or oil as long as you you do proper maintenance. KEEP THEM CLEAN!!

[PikeRoadBassn]

In my 33 years in business I have seen more damaged worm gears because of grease. Grease holds grit and basically turns into cutting oil. If you are gonna tear your reels down and clean them every few months grease is fine. With oil you can rinse the worm gear out and reapply oil without tearing the reel down.
But with that said it doesn't matter if you use grease or oil as long as you you do proper maintenance. KEEP THEM CLEAN!!

I agree with you about keeping them clean being the #1 preventative against any damage. However your statement about grease turning into a cutting oil I have to disagree with. I have worked in the mechanical field for a long time. Grease simply does not wash away, loose viscosity, or thin out over time like oil. For someone who maintains their reels VERY frequently, oil may be a better option. But as most anglers might maintain their reels once a year at best, grease would be a more viable option.

Grease does tend to attract more debris/grit over oil, however oil will attract this same dirt and debris. The difference between the two lies in what happens with these particulates. Oil does not have the suspending property of grease, allowing the debris to "fall out". When it "falls out" it falls down into the track of the worm gear, eventually getting caught between the gear and the pawl causing either immediate damage or premature wear to one or both parts. Grease will collect and suspend these particulates, resulting in a lesser chance of damage to either the gear or the pawl.

The other advantage of grease over oil is the fact that it won't disperse from casting, cranking, ect. The force and angler exerts during a cast can and will sling oil out of the worm gear. I have experienced this first hand, while experimenting with oil on the worm gear. With the amount of cast an angler makes in a day, it is a very real possibility to sling most lubricant from a worm gear, essentially leaving a VERY light film as the only protection.

Everyone has their own opinion, and this is just mine, so take it as anyone with an opinion would. There is no set in stone right or wrong way to service and maintain a reel. But there is a reason EVERY reel bought comes with a film of grease on the worm gear. These companies have studied this far beyond what any one individual has, and determined what will make their reels last. If grease truly caused more damage than oil, then I am sure these companies producing reels would not send them out with grease. Their warranty claims would be through the roof.

[rats reel repair]

Companies grease the worm gear because of unknown shelf life before purchase. Every tech class I've been to in years past put on by manufactures say ditch the grease after first cleaning.
I didn't post to say you were wrong or start conflict. There is no right are wrong both ways work ! I'm just pointing out what I've seen in my 33+ years of business.

[e_bassfisher]

The worm gears on all my TDZ`s look kinda dry.. I don`t know if I am supposed to be able to see grease..In any case,is it ok to apply new grease without cleaning the old stuff out? And also... how do I apply it..I only have a fair size tube of Superlube,,so obviously I cannot apply it from there with any precision.Thanks

grease the worm!! the only time i would ever use oil, is for a synched line guide....and that would require the reel owner to pay close attention to it, and re-lube as needed.

there are a few reasons WHY i would not use oil:
most importantly, whether you oil or grease your worm, it is gonna get dirty...period. the problem with oil is that it will dissipate quickly. in doing so, there is usually a light/tacky film left behind. and contaminants that have been stuck to this film are much more apt to damage the pawl and wormshaft because they are stuck in a permanent position and therefore become much more abrasive to the assembly. on the other hand, contaminants in grease are suspended, and will generally 'go with the flow' taking the path of least resistance as the pawl/line guide moves back and forth along the worm.

secondly:
oil WILL dilute grease....this is why i am also adamantly opposed to oiling frame bearings in a reel! when you oil the worm, some of the oil WILL get into the reel; and this oil WILL wash away some of the grease that is in the reel to protect it. the bearing on the wormshaft is pretty prone to getting REALLY nasty....any experienced reel tech can tell you this....so why exacerbate this by setting up the grease in the surrounding area for failure?


if you have a shynched line guide, oil it...and watch it carefully to be sure that it, and your reel's internals, stay properly lubricated. outside of that, GREASE for everything but the spool bearings