I have a Shimano reel that I have used a LOT and I would like to clean the innards but getting off the sideplate is a PITA. There is a large port for adding oil to the chamber but here is my question:
What cleaning type fluid would you consider adding through the hole, mix it around a while by reeling it and then drain it until it evaporates? Lastly I would put some fresh oil in there.
But what fluid would you put in there to cut the old (somewhat hard) grease, oil, etc?

Penn cleaning oil,,,
You should really pull er apart,, replace drags?
Last winter :devil2:

Carburetor cleaner.
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Saw a talk at a fishing forum one time and the guy was from Snug Harbor in SoCo who rebuilds reels. He uses 5-56 or a product made by the manufacturers of 5-56.

I use brake cleaner.

Carburetor cleaner.
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X2
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2 layers of baked satwater // fine sand added where needed ><<

when my friend used to own thompson's in seekonk we used to use old coleman stove fuel with a parts cleaning brush.

Slow Eddie swore by country time powdered lemonade. The regular stuff.. Not diet. He would buy old corroded squidders and mix up a potent batch of lemonade inside a plastic maxwell house coffee container (big red one) and drop in the reel. He'd let it sit fully submerged for 2 or 3 days and when he pulled it out, it looked brand new. My guess is citric acid was the secret ingredient.
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I use oderless mineral spirits and a soft acid brush... I've used carb and brake cleaner in the past.. it's fine on metal, but has a bad reaction to some plastics... mineral spitits is much less aggressive .. doesn't smell as bad and gets the job done..... after soaking and cleaning... wipe with soft paper towel and spray with WD 40.. wipe off excess.... then lube the reels ( hot sauce, super lube or white lithium greas sparingly.. I oil the shafts with a few drops of 2 cycle oil)...I use this method on everything from My 130's all way down to my ultra light reels for ice fishing and trout fishing...

someone else told me that Ronson Lighter Fluid was good too. Watchmakers use it to clean light corrosion and it also leaves a light film of oil behind...

when my friend used to own thompson's in seekonk we used to use old coleman stove fuel with a parts cleaning brush.

Don my late father-in-law use to call it "white gas"

Print shipping form. Send to shimano. Game over.
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Carburetor cleaner.
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this or Kerosene

Slow Eddie swore by country time powdered lemonade. The regular stuff.. Not diet. He would buy old corroded squidders and mix up a potent batch of lemonade inside a plastic maxwell house coffee container (big red one) and drop in the reel. He'd let it sit fully submerged for 2 or 3 days and when he pulled it out, it looked brand new. My guess is citric acid was the secret ingredient.
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We used margarita mix to clean almost everything when I worke in food service same principle
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Saw a talk at a fishing forum one time and the guy was from Snug Harbor in SoCo who rebuilds reels. He uses 5-56 or a product made by the manufacturers of 5-56.

its CRC 556 any auto parts store has it