Sticky Van Staal

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Casting Z's

It's your spool shaft seal. It's dry, add oil and work it in.
When your spool is at it's highest raised point, do you see some black at the bottom of the shaft. My guess is that the o-ring is beginning to deteriorate due to it's cold, hard, contracted state and lack of lubricant. It'll crank hardest at the top and bottom as this is where the shaft transitions from going up to going down. You might even see some black just under the spool as well.
I don't know why VS doesn't use heavy oil instead of grease, inside these reels. It would prevent a lot of these problems.

It's been a long time since they haven't used heavy oil (as well as grease) in the reels. I think you'd have to go all the way back to Connecticut made reels to find one that doesn't have oil inside.

[Casting Z's]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

It's been a long time since they haven't used heavy oil (as well as grease) in the reels. I think you'd have to go all the way back to Connecticut made reels to find one that doesn't have oil inside.

I'm not sure if your serious or you don't know the difference between oil and grease? I have opened these VS150 reels because of frozen bearings under the spool basket and found only some white lithium looking grease on the gear. The oil would have prevented condensation or water from a leaky seal to rust the bearing.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Casting Z's

I'm not sure if your serious or you don't know the difference between oil and grease? I have opened these VS150 reels because of frozen bearings under the spool basket and found only some white lithium looking grease on the gear. The oil would have prevented condensation or water from a leaky seal to rust the bearing.

Ya think maybe that leaky seal would have let the oil leak out as easily as it let the water leak in?

Yeah, I'm sure Pete doesn't know what he's talking about

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Casting Z's

I'm not sure if your serious or you don't know the difference between oil and grease? I have opened these VS150 reels because of frozen bearings under the spool basket and found only some white lithium looking grease on the gear. The oil would have prevented condensation or water from a leaky seal to rust the bearing.

I'm completely serious and I'm quite sure I know the difference between oil and grease, and VS has been using both in their reels for quite a while now...

The lubricants used in a standard service are white grease on the moving parts and fill up of gear oil (literally the same stuff that you'd put in a rear differential). There are a few reels that are only grease (very rare) and some that are only oil. The reason for the oil, as you discovered, is that if oil is coming out water can't be coming in. The VS is a "loss system"; if it's working as it should, it's slowly losing oil. It shouldn't be a pace much faster then a sheen on the main shaft. Heavily used reels may have a little more grease and oil at the base of the main shaft because they will lose what's inside at a faster pace simply due to the main shaft going in and out more.

If you have rust inside a VS it ran out of oil a long time ago and while it was leaking it was probably leaking like a stuck pig in order to run out of gear oil. There's usually at least a tablespoon in there. If it's leaking at a pace faster then it should be it will often be obvious. A puddle under a reel with a bad seal isn't unheard of. The gear oil also has a distinctive smell you probably will immediately notice if you've got a leaker.

[piemma]

I had the SAME problem last Summer with my 250. I returned it to Van Staal and later spoke with Dan from VS. Water had worked it's way in behind the handle seal and corroded the bearing. They (VS) replace over 50 parts at no charge.
Dan told me that occasionally the will get a bad batch of seals and this problem will occur. It was something that they were very familiar with and had a resolution for.
My advise is to call Dan at the VS service number and describe what the problem is. Dan may remember me so you can use may name and sight the problem I had last Summer. Hope this helps.

Paul Iemma