Spool, spindle & bearing reassembly

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SPOOL, SPINDLE & BEARING REASSEMBLY

Let's take a look at re-assembly of the spool of an Abu reel, together with its associated spindle and bearings. The exact method and sequence will vary from make to make and between various models, but they are all fundamentally similar.

Follow our tips for stripping components, Note where they go, in what order, and which way up. Take a little extra time and care and you will be able to deal with most of them without encountering any insurmountable problems.

The bearing housings at opposite ends of the spool are quite differently constructed to accept their respective components. Follow our photographs and you will clearly see the differences.

Clean out the bearing
housing & then lightly
apply grease using a
cotton bud to help seat
the bearing into its housing

Next, use your finger to carefully push the cleaned and lubricated bearing back into its seat. Make certain it goes fully home and is square, not lopsided.

Lightly push your cleaned
and re-lubricated bearing
back into its seat in the end
of the spool

Now insert the nylon gear into the same housing, on top of the bearing. It is a push fit. You will feel it click when it is fully home.

Insert the nylon gear
to hold the bearing in
position. It is a push
fit and you should feel
it click when fully home

Now lets look at the bearing housing in the opposite end of the spool. You will see the difference at this end of the spool, clearly illustrated in our photographs.

Your first task is to use a cotton bud again to clean the bearing housing at this end of the spool and then lightly grease it, as we have just done for the other housing.

Next, insert the thin copper shim washer which goes into the bottom of the housing, before the bearing is inserted.

Insert thin copper shim washer
into bottom of bearing housing.
It should seat flush to the base.

Now it's the turn of the bearing. You will already have cleaned and lubricated it. Once again push it home using light finger pressure.

Lightly push your cleaned
and re-lubricated bearing
back into its seat in the end
of the spool

Next item to be fitted is the metal bracket which will eventually hold the centrifugal brake shoes. You should see which way up it sits in our photographs. If you replace it upside down, you will not be able to get the brake shoes onto it when you replace them on reassembly of your reel.

The brake shoe bracket
sits in the slots which are
machined in the sides of
the bearing housing.

Now to hold it in place. Use the wire circlip which neatly locates into a groove on the bearing housing. Be careful, it's easy to stick the sharp end of this wire clip into your finger or thumb!

Locate circlip in groove
to secure bearing and brake
shoe bracket in position

Now you can reinsert the spindle through the bearings and spool. Note the brass collar on the spindle should be at the end of the spool where the brake shoe bracket is located.

Push the spindle through
the bearings & spool from
the brake shoe bracket end.
It will easily pass through
the opposite bearing if it
has been seated flush

Almost there. Push the spindle fully home.

Spindle fully inserted
into the spool

You will see that you can slip the fibre or plastic brake blocks onto the protrusions of their bracket when you finally insert the spool and spindle assembly back into the reel cage.