# sahara problem



## sanleonjohn (Mar 16, 2009)

I bought a sahara 3000FD about 3 months ago. Worked great at first, but it has developed a grating noise when reeled with a load on it. Smooth as silk when no load is on it. My last reel, a sonora, only lasted 6 months. I fish a lot, out of a kayak. I know i am pretty hard on my reels, but it's not like I'm dunking them. Is water getting somewhere it should'nt causing problems. I can't afford a new reel every 3 months, help!


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## wannaBfishin (Dec 6, 2009)

Hate to say it BUT, you are buying the lower end reels, more suited for light freshwater use. If you are going to fish saltwater and a lot of it, I would suggest spending a little more and get the higher end reels. Stradic as a minimum.
Just my 2C.
Good luck!


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## sanleonjohn (Mar 16, 2009)

*bearings*

Think the problem is/was line roller bearing. Put a drop of shimano oil on it and it tested good again. One problem with last reel was probably same. No way fishing out of kayak that I am going to be able to keep saltwater from getting on it. Rinsing and oiling after each use should help.


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## sanleonjohn (Mar 16, 2009)

Oh well, i thought I had it fixed. Took it out to fish lights last night and it immediately began acting up again. After about 1.5hrs it abruptly quit and operated smoothly for last 30 minutes. Can't figure it out. Could drag be the problem? It seems to be affected whenever grating occurs.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

Without seeing the reel in person it might be difficult to determine what the problem is. Are you close to any of our service centers? We have two in Houston, one in Dallas and another in Rockport. Any of these places should be able to help you out.


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## captfrankie (Apr 2, 2006)

*Quality Lacking*

I recently sent in 2 Stradic 3000MGFB reels with the same problem.My friend Larry has a Symetre 2500FJ that developed the same problem.Matt at Shimano tried to tell me is was because I fished saltwater.I fish in/out of a boat.Then he tried to tell me about fish sizes and weights.I use 10lb test and the reel has a drag.I used to use the Sedona 2500FB and Sahara 2500FB reels and never had this kind of problem.The newer FD series are junk compared to their predecessors. The your buying lower end reels is a cop out.The quality is not what it once was.The real problem is "If it ain't broke don't fix it" doesn't seem to be good enough any more.If you can build a better mouse trap then do it.If not,don't change a good thing.Thats my opinion.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

Everything is pretty much the same with the FD compared to the FB model. Yes we changed the body design to share tooling with the Symetre. We also changed the spool design along with some minor line management changes. 

The gear material is the same. The bearings are the same (ARB). Most issues we see are due to improper maintenance. Since I did not see your reels I can't comment on the condition. Matt is in customer service now and is not a technician. He did work as our data entry person and saw a lot of reels in every condition imagineable. He does have a good idea as to what corrosion looks like and what causes reels to fail.


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## sanleonjohn (Mar 16, 2009)

captfrankie said:


> I recently sent in 2 Stradic 3000MGFB reels with the same problem.My friend Larry has a Symetre 2500FJ that developed the same problem.Matt at Shimano tried to tell me is was because I fished saltwater.I fish in/out of a boat.Then he tried to tell me about fish sizes and weights.I use 10lb test and the reel has a drag.I used to use the Sedona 2500FB and Sahara 2500FB reels and never had this kind of problem.The newer FD series are junk compared to their predecessors. The your buying lower end reels is a cop out.The quality is not what it once was.The real problem is "If it ain't broke don't fix it" doesn't seem to be good enough any more.If you can build a better mouse trap then do it.If not,don't change a good thing.Thats my opinion.


 I tend to agree with you, although i didn't have any better luck with the FB model. I used shimanos for years, on and off, and no complaints about durability. My last good one was a Sonora 4000FA. I used it for several years with no major problems. It even survived a couple of dunkings and kept on ticking. It was the reel that finally sold me on shimano. The two I have got since then, the Sonora 4000FB and Sahara 3000FD, started giving me problems after just 2 months of service. Neither one ever took a dunking either. I still have not written shimano off, however, if I can't solve latest problem and keep it solved I will. Note to reelmakers in general. All these fancy high-tech features are great and everything, but they are not worth squat if the durability is not there.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

The Sahara has more bearings than the Sonora. It also has an aluminum frame. This allows for a more rigid platform. However, they need proper maintenance to prevent corrosion and other issues. The Sonora has a graphite frame and less bearings. This means it can flex a little more and not have as much precision when using bushings. It sounds like you may want to move up to a little nicer and stronger reel like the Saros. 

Maybe you are fishing heavier line, or different techniques compared to what you did with your older models? Just a thought.


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## crackedglass (Jan 14, 2009)

I fish saltwater 90% of the time. It took me a while but I finally realized that the fewer bearings a reel has, the less trouble it will give me over time. 
If your fishing braid, then a modern bail roller and bearings are somewhat important, otherwise, the lower end reels do fine with no bearings to fail when they get wet or get the grease flushed out and don't get relubed properly. I fish several older reels, one is an early 80's or so built MIZ model, it's got one bearing, and guess what finally failed? That bearing. I replaced it with a modern stainless steel bearing and lots of synthetic grease and all is well again. 

The problem seems to lie with bearing quality, the better bearings are harder bearings, but this in turn means that they are more prone to rust, SS bearings aren't as hard but are better able to resist rust. 

These days we also tend to use more spinning reels where as years ago, serious saltwater fishing was done with conventional reels. 

I've had issues with bearings on the Sahara reels, all were salt and corrosion related even though those reels were marketed as Saltwater reels. The bail roller, front pinion bearing are where you need to look. 
I also had one Sahara which had it's gears all but disintegrate from corrosion. None of mine were ever dunked in saltwater, all were rinsed after each use. I can't knock the Sahara line as I had the same issues with my first Stradic FG reels as well.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

If the gears corroded then that tells me water is getting inside the reel. It could be you are using too much pressure when rinsing the reels. This will force the salt insde the reel where it can do damage. How often are you lubricating the reel? This should be done at least once a year, maybe twice if you fish saltwater.


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## tngbmt (May 30, 2004)

> a grating noise when reeled with a load on it. Smooth as silk when no load is on it


sanleonjohn, did u ever fix your sahara? did shimano ever located the cause? 
mine just started this problem this week .. annoying


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## greenhornet (Apr 21, 2010)

Bantam1 said:


> If the gears corroded then that tells me water is getting inside the reel. It could be you are using too much pressure when rinsing the reels. This will force the salt insde the reel where it can do damage. How often are you lubricating the reel? This should be done at least once a year, maybe twice if you fish saltwater.


I'm sure you have answered this before but do you recommend a light pressure freshwater rinse after each use? I primarily stay in the boat and definitely rinse 'em after a windy or rough day when I feel like they got a decent amount of saltwater on them. I have heard conflicting opinions on this but I figured best to go to the source (I fish stradics and have one sustain).


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## padrefigure (Aug 22, 2006)

FWIW, I have two spinning reels that I fish inshore--Sahara and Stella. The Sahara bail failed early, but was replaced quickly by Shimano. Since then, both have performed flawlessly on trout, jacks, sheepies and reds up to 40 lbs. The Stella is smoother in every respect, but the Sahara has taken everything thrown at it in stride. I wash the reels after every outing and wipe down with Corrosion X. Hopefully, I will get many more years of service out of this pair.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

You should always lightly rinse the reels with freshwater after being used in saltwater. This is every trip, not just days where the weather is poor or they have been used a little more than normal.


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Hey John.. I been using the stradic and they are rock solid.. maybe Santa will bring ya one.


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## rodworks (Nov 3, 2009)

I fish almost 100% saltwater, my list of reels includes many Spheros FA models, several Sahara reels, and a few Stradics. 
I've not had any issues with the Spheros reels, but both the Sahara and Stradic FG and FH reels have had corrosion issues. Most common is the Antireverse bearing and corrosion there. I rinse my reels lightly after every use, and fish from a boat. My reels never get dunked. It takes very little to wash out the front bearings, I now make a point of removing the rotor and re-lubing the front bearings after every saltwater trip. It's the only way to keep them working. This only seems to be an issue with my Shimano reels.
One of the first places I tend to see corrosion on the outside is on the spool and around the handle knob. I use braided line and the braided line holds saltwater which sits and corrodes the spool. I've gotten in the habit of stopping at a freshwater lake and making a few line rinsing casts after fishing saltwater. I also give my spools a good coat of wax before spooling the reel for a little added protection.


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## greenhornet (Apr 21, 2010)

rodworks said:


> I fish almost 100% saltwater, my list of reels includes many Spheros FA models, several Sahara reels, and a few Stradics.
> I've not had any issues with the Spheros reels, but both the Sahara and Stradic FG and FH reels have had corrosion issues. Most common is the Antireverse bearing and corrosion there. I rinse my reels lightly after every use, and fish from a boat. My reels never get dunked. It takes very little to wash out the front bearings, I now make a point of removing the rotor and re-lubing the front bearings after every saltwater trip. It's the only way to keep them working. This only seems to be an issue with my Shimano reels.
> One of the first places I tend to see corrosion on the outside is on the spool and around the handle knob. I use braided line and the braided line holds saltwater which sits and corrodes the spool. I've gotten in the habit of stopping at a freshwater lake and making a few line rinsing casts after fishing saltwater. I also give my spools a good coat of wax before spooling the reel for a little added protection.


Wow! That's really going the extra mile


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