daiwa saltist 20 LD rebuild - 12/29/09

[alantani]

daiwa saltist 20 LD rebuild - 12/29/09

ok, guys. settle down into a nice comfy chair and grab a cup of coffee or a drink. this is gonna be a long one. here's the new daiwa saltist lever drag 20.

you know the drill by now. we are going to grease the drag washer, clean and lube the spool bearings, pack all of the non-spool bearings with grease, spread a little grease around the non-exposed metal surfaces and grease the screws. i checked this reel and got 35 seconds of freespool.

the reel includes a clamp and a spanner wrench for the handle grip. we're not going to mess with the handle grip, so we'll set the spanner wrench aside but we'll need the clamp.

a quick scan of the schematic reveals a pretty standard design and one possible problem. i see a single anti-reverse roller bearing and a single ambassaduer-style dog.

there are four right side plate screws (key #38). they all come out.

well, that was easy enough.

hmmmm. dry as a bone. an old toothbrush with a little grease will fix this.

back out the pair of frame plate screws (key #10), add a bead of grease and zip them back in.

grease the clamp bolts (key #66) and install them.

install the rod clamp (key #67) and the clamp bolts (key #68).

ok, the frame is done. set it aside and let's move on.

now for the right side plate and spool assembly.

remove the preset drag knob (key #53).

note that the preset click spring (key #52) is still stuck inside the preset drag knob (key #53).

remove the drag knob spring (key #51).

lift off the entire drag lever assembly (key #'s 44 through 50) as a unit.

the washer (key #41) came up with it.

ok, now here's a mistake that i made and i want all of you to avoid. when i pulled out the spool assembly (key #'s 11 through 25), the drag ratchet (key #23) came with it. there was fortunately no damage to the drag pawl (key #28). when you pull the spool out, you have to leave the drag ratchet (key #23) in place. anyway, the spool is out and it needs to be serivced.

remove the pinion gear (key #25).

remove the pinion gear collar (key #70). there was supposed to be a washer (key #24) in between, but this reel did not have one.

remove the drag ratchet (key #23).

remove the drag plate (key #22).

remove the drag plate bearing "C" (key #21). it measures 5x11x4 mm.

well, this is interesting. here is a dry carbon fiber drag washer that is glued to the spool. this arrangement should sound familiar. it is the same thing that is done in the smaller avets.

remove the return spring (key #20).

just thought i'd check. you're lining everything up, right?

remove the right side spool bearing "B" (key #19). this bearing measures 5x11x4mm.

now for the left side of the spool. remove the three screws (key #17) for the drive shaft retainer (key #16).

remove the drive shaft pin "A" (key #18).

remove the drive shaft retainer (key #16).

remove the drive shaft "A" (key #15). from left to right, you have the left spool bearing "A" (key #12), a washer "A" (key #13), four drag spring washers (key #14) and a drive shaft pin (no key #). the four drag spring washers are oriented in a "(())" configuration. the bearing measures 6x13x5mm.

i'm going to pull the left spool bearing "A" (key #12) and pry out the shields, then clean them with carb cleaner and compressed air, and lube them with xtreme reel +. for a complete discussion of bearing service, review http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=13.0

the right spool bearing "B" (key #19) has a retaining ring that holds in the shield. this one will be cleaned and lubed as well.

apply a thick coat of cal's drag grease to the carbon fiber drag washer, make sure you get all of the edges, then wipe off the excess.

reassemble the left side of the drive shaft (key #s 12 through 15) and slide it into the left side of the spool.

install the drive shaft retainer (key #16) and screws (key #17).

install the right spool bearing "B" (key #19). note that both spool bearings are now open and lubed.

install the drag plate return spring (key #20).

the bare spool now spins for 120 seconds. this xtreme reel + is pretty good stuff.

the drag plate bearing ""C" (key #21) does not affect freespool, so i'm going to remove the shields, pack it with grease and reshield it.

at this point, you are actually done with the spool. we are going to install the pinion gear, ratchet and pressure plate on now just to get them out of the way. we have to install them into the right side plate later. notice also that something is MISSING!!!!!!!!!! this reel does not have a cover for the drag chamber. that's right. it's an open drag system just like an avet.

install the drive shaft pin "A" (key #18) and set the spool aside.

now for the right side plate.

remember that i mentioned a problem? well, here it is, an ambassaduer-style dog.

we have three bearings to service in this side plate. let's start by removing the handle nut screw (key #65).

[alantani]

remove the handle nut (key #64).

remove the handle assembly (key #'s 56 through 63).

remove the handle collar "B" (key #55).

lift the right side plate assembly (key #27) off of the drive gear assembly (key #'s 31 through 36).

first out is the right main side plate bearing "D" (key #26). it measures 7x19x6mm.

second out is the outer drive shaft bearing "F" (key #54). this bearing measures 9x17x6mm.

to get to the inner drive shaft bearing "E" (key #32), we have to remove the drive shaft nut (key #36). it's a 12mm nut and, if my memory is correct, it has left handed threads.

left to right, you see the drive shaft "B" (key #31), the inner drive shaft bearing "E" (key #32), the drive shaft washer "B" (key #33), the drive shaft pin "B" (key #34, the drive gear (key #35), and the drive shaft nut (key #36).

the inner drive shaft bearing "E" (key #32) measures 10x20x5mm and has shields that are pressed in. prying out the shields will damage them, so we are going to pull out only one side. note that the bearing is greased, but the grease does not completely fill the bearing. poorly greased like this, salt water can intrude, the shields will hold the water in and the bearing will corrode.

pack this bearing with grease on the one open side and then press the grease through to the other side using the palm of your hand.

when grease squeezes out the other side, you know that the bearing is adequately packed.

install the inner drive shaft bearing "E" (key #32) onto the drive shaft "B" (key #31).

install the drive shaft washer ""D" (key #33).

install the drive shaft pin "B" (key #34).

install the drive gear (key #35).

install the drive shaft nut (key #36).

an immediate concern about the right side plate is the fact that it is bone dry.

use an old toothbrush with a little grease on it to put a light coat of grease on the inside.

here's the same problem with the right main side plate bearing "D" (key #26).

squeeze a little grease into the bearing cup.

pack this bearing with grease using the same technique described earlier and install it "shield side out."

lube the anti-reverse roller bearing (key #37) with corrosion x.

install the drive gear assembly (key #'s 31 through 36).

here is the outer drive shaft bearing "F" (key #54). this bearing will also have to be packed with grease and then installed.

fortunately, the shields of this bearing were held in by a retaining ring that could be replaced.

install the collar "B" (key #55).

install the handle assembly (key #56 through 63).

install the handle nut (key #64) and align it with the hole for the handle nut screw (key #65).

install the handle nut screw (key #65).

finally, the home stretch!

what makes the final assembly of this reel different from most is the ambassaduer-style dog or drag pawl (key #28). the bronze "blades" of the pawl are what "grab" the drag ratchet (key #23). it is a slight backwards rotation of the drag ratchet that moves the pawl down into postion to engage the ratchet. if the blades are bent out, the pawl will not work. the final installation requires that you squeeze the blades together and then slip the ratchet in without bending the blades out again.

here goes! install the pinion gear (key #25).

install the pinion gear collar "C" (key #70).

slip the drag ratchet (key #23) in between the blades of the drag pawl (key #28) and center it over the pinion gear collar "C" (key #70).

install the drag plate (key #22) so that it seats properly between the drag ratchet (key #23) and the pinion gear collar "C" (key #70).

install the spool assembly (key #'s 11 through 21).

install the washer "B" (key #41) and the drag lever assembly (key #44 through 50) as a unit and in the "free" position as shown.

install the drag knob spring (key #51).

install the preset drag knob (key #53) and preset click spring (key #52) as a unit.

now you need to align this hole .......

...... with this peg.

there, a perfect fit.

put a dab of grease on each of the right side plate screws "D" (key #38).....

..... and installl them.

congratulations!

now for a few comments. actually, first the disclaimer. my own personal vehicles are a half ton SUV and a 2 ton SUV, both getting a whopping 12 mpg. yes, i am the one that is personally responsible for that last quarter of a degree of global warming that people have been warning about. i have always associated heft with quality and durability. hey, we all have our biases. so when someone makes something that is half the weight, it does not automatically appeal to me. i'm more about horsepower than mileage.

well, this reel appears to have both. it's light. actually, it's a little too light for my tastes but i see no reason why it can't get the job done. it has a dry carbon fiber drag washer. we can grease it. it has shielded bearings. so does everyone else, but there are 6 bearings in this reel that are at risk for corrosion. i am predicting that the saltist lever drag will have corrosion issues based on my inspection of this one reel and my experience with other saltists star drag reels. i am not happy with the anti-reverse system. anti-reverse roller bearings are known to rust and fail. the ambassaduer-style dogs can slip. if these two systems fail sequentially, they can result in injury at worst or a difficult landing at best.

still, i can't get over the weight. even working the lever of the saltist, the reel feels "tinny." a while back, i went over to my local tackle shop and pulled out four similar sized lever drag reels, an accurate, an avet, a talica and a saltist. the accurate and avet reminded me of a beer mug, the talica reminded me of a beer bottle, and the saltist reminded me of a beer can. work the levers of all of these reels and you'll see what i mean. if you service the bearings, grease the drags and keep the drag settings at 10 pounds or less then i will give this reel a thumbs up. push the drags too hard or fish this reel straight out of the box and i believe you will eventually have problems. in these situations, i would call it even, no better or worse than anyone else.

and one last parting thought. it's been said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. if that is the case, then avet should be very flattered........