Grease/Lube for Ice Reel

My Shimano Sedona 500 was having issues with locking up while fishing outside. I’d like to pull it apart and grease it up a bit but have never done this before. What lube does everyone recommend? Also, would it make sense to upgrade my drag washer while I’m at it like Joel demonstrated? I know TURC can strip everything and re-grease, but it will likely cost me as much to drive there as to buy a bottle of grease and do it myself. Any insight would be great, I lost a nice fish on Red because of the drag and want to avoid that in the future!

Get some Gun Scrubber degreaser. Take the side plate off to expose the gears and de-grease them. I then use a couple of drops of Quantum Hot Sauce reel oil. Problem solved.

The drag gumming up and the reel freezing mechanically are two different things. Opening up the reel side-plate, cleaning and applying hot sauce isn’t going to improve the drag’s performance. You need to take the spool apart and lube or replace the drag washers to improve the drag.

Oops, didn’t read the op’s post very well did I?

They do make a upgrade kit for those reels. It works pretty well. I know TUCR has them to sell. I would use the kit. Also the grease that they use is good in the colder weather.

Pick yourself up some carbontex washers and Boca bearing lightning oil. You can run the drag dry or slightly greased. I run it dry

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Pick yourself up some carbontex washers and Boca bearing lightning oil. You can run the drag dry or slightly greased. I run it dry

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Yup, you need to upgrade your drag washers – Shimano switched to felt drag washers in their lower end reels a few years ago and they freeze pretty easy. Either Joel or Cal posted something similar last year and I got mine HERE.

I bought the Cal’s light grease with the new washers, it works great. Buy some iso alcohol at the drug store for cleaning everything if you don’t already have some. The website is out of CA, they pick up the phone if you call and they ship fast, had mine within a few days. Hope this helps, good luck.

We use Super lube on the gears, Hot Sauce on the bearings and Cal’s Light drag grease on the drag washers.

We do upgrade drags washers and Cal’s drag grease them. Those felt washers seems to stick often.