this is the first accurate i've ever torn down and rebuilt.
my buddy dropped off a bucket of two speed reels several weeks ago, and i just finished them all last night. amazing how similar they are. two penn internationals, two penn kg's, three tiagras, a daiwa and a lone accurate 12. several friends prior had asked if i was interested in taking a look at their accurates, but i had always referred them back to the manufacturer. this guy says that he sent his accurate to the manufacturer twice, and each time it came back with the same problem. freespool was poor and the drag was sticky. so i agreed.
the accurate rep told me long ago that the reel was very easy to work on. i decided to dive in and give it a try. here's the link to the schematic.
pulling the frame off the side plate is easy, just 5 screws (key # 93).
next, remove the preset arm (key #18), the preset arm support (key #24),
remove the spool shaft retainer g/s (key #26), do not disturb or change the orientation of the main lever arm assembly.
and pull the spool. here's a right side view,
and left side view
remove all sixteen spool cover screws (key #72) and the spool shaft assembly,
sorry for the blurry image, but note the water intrusion into the drag washer in the photo above and the two photos below,
the bearings were pulled, the pressed in shields were pried out with a small pen knife, the grease was cleaned out with carb cleaner and compressed air, lubed with corrosion x, and re-installed.
the dry drag washers were then rubbed vigorously with a clean dry rag to remove the loose salt crystals, a generous amount of shimano drag grease was applied to both sides of the drag washer, the washer was installed and the excess grease was wiped off the pressure plate contact side of the washer. the spool was then reassembled.
the spool was re-inserted into the side plate, the lever and retaining c-clip were reinstalled, and the preset arm was reinstalled.
bolt on the frame and you're done. total elapsed time was 45 minutes. the drag was set so that the drag would measure out to about 20#'s at strike when the preset lever was at "H." one trick to this. keep the tension cam assembly in place. note also that the rim of the spool is wider on the left side that the right.
now, a couple of comments. first, this is a beautifully made reel, inside and out!!!!!!! the machinists that make this reel must be very proud of their work. and rightly so.
second, the dry carbon fiber drag washer will foul after exposure to salt water. the three photos make that painfully obvious. it is no more resistant to fouling that any other dry carbon system. shimano two speeds, daiwa two speeds, penn v series internationals and tiburons all use a greased carbon fiber drag system. i think accurate should consider this as well. i do not know what the total failure rate of accurates is, but my series of one reel has a 100% failure rate.
third, when the reel is in freespool and out of gear, the two stainless steel drag pressure plates (key #80) press out against the spool covers (key #'s 75 and 90) and provide some protection against saltwater intrusion. when the reel is in gear, there is a gap that water can enter. shimano tld's and tiagra's are just the opposite. shimano has a gasket system that seals the drag chamber when the reel is gear, and is slightly open when the reel is in freespool. leave your accurate 12 in freespool when you hose it off.
fourth, the shielded abec-5 spool bearings in the accurate 12 were packed with grease. this is probably fine until the grease hardens over time. i think shimano has the right idea with their "ARB" open bearing. with cleaned bearings, this reel now has 45 seconds of freespool instead of 5 seconds.
fifth, i think the design of the tension cam assembly is brilliant! the drag range is almost infinitely adjustable. very cool.
sixth, i think the handle grip is too small. if you agree and want a larger grip, it's easy to fix.
conclusion, is worth $999? yes! but can you afford it?
Linear Mode
