Reel Repair Question- Shimano Sahara Seizing Up.

[10pointer]

I have it happen to most of my shimanos. I have a couple going to john at bullseye bait and tackle he knows about them and i thought he was saying something about some rubber washer going bad or binding up. He said its a design flaw. Ill let you guys know what he says.

It happens to all of them. Funny thing is i have a sahara with the same issue as my shimano stella and thats a darn $600 reel. For that amount of money the materials should be top notch i would hope they wouldnt let some 15 cent parts ruin their image. But when shimanos arent binding up they are my favorite brand. Never had one issue with their baitcasters.

Ill let you all know what he says

[Jason R.]

So I got a new one... anyone want to buy a brand new shimano sahara fd4000?

[tjulianc]

Here is the answer I got from Pro Reel Service:

Shimano uses a rubber gasket or large O-Ring on the front of the frame behind the rotor. The ring is called a friction washer. It puts just enough friction on the inside of the rotor to keep it from turning while you cast. The reason they need this is because if the rotor turns during a cast, it can turn enough to hit the trip lever and snap the bail closed. Thas what it's for. Now the problem is that all of the ones they used up until last year were a black rubber that swells up and turns gummy. It then rubs all the time and binds the reel. It can get so bad that it chews itself into pieces and jams everything. The replacement part is a blue gasket that seems to be made of a denser material. You would think that it would be a recall or extended warranty issue, or at least offer the part for free replacment, but they didn't do that.

[10pointer]

Awesome, knew it was something like that, just really blows me away that a poor design/materials that costs a few cents could cause so many issues. Stuff like that turns away customers and they usually wont come back. Its been an issue for years just glad somebody pulled their head out and figured it out at shimano

[Jason R.]

I ended up getting a free replacement reel after some serious back and forth. I really think I am going to sell it because I already replaced that reel and I like the replacement better. I do want a Curado.

[Greasy B]

Awesome, knew it was something like that, just really blows me away that a poor design/materials that costs a few cents could cause so many issues. Stuff like that turns away customers and they usually wont come back. Its been an issue for years just glad somebody pulled their head out and figured it out at shimano

Too late for me. Too many bad experiences. if the bait casters weren't so nice I would abandon the whole brand.

[Mitch f]

Too late for me. Too many bad experiences. if the bait casters weren't so nice I would abandon the whole brand.

Agreed, amazing how someone has never been able to improve the Shimano design for baitcasters. Just works great.

[Ham]

i quit buying Shimano spinning reels about 1996 for that reason. I'm amazed that a product designed to be used near water can't tolerate water. Lots of guys swear it never happens, until it happens to them.

[MOPanfisher]

So it sounds like a pretty simple replacement of the gasket, any link to where we can get it!