Getting old reels smooth again

[smackmaa]

So i have a 5-6 yo okuma epix pro 60 that i used to do a fair bit of rock fishing with, just chucking metals basically. But since getting a tinny about 3 yrs ago i have barely touched it and i cant remember what it was like new but it seems really heavy now with a fair bit of startup inertia required to get it going. I pulled it apart, checked it, cleaned and re greased it, put it back together and can barely tell the difference. If anything, i think its tighter! There was only a tiny bit of rust inside what looks like a wheel bearing housing but it cleaned right off and the rest looked good.
So my question is, what is it making it heavy to turn the handle and what can you do to make it smoother? I've only just started servicing my own reels by the way so i am a novice and why im doing it on older reels.
Cheers
Jake

[Partizan Fk]

Mate im no pro but from what info ive got from the guys on the site if you over grease it can make it tight.Lastime i had my reel done i think okuma charged about $30 for my trio which was pretty good.

[The Doctor]

Originally Posted by smackmaa

So i have a 5-6 yo okuma epix pro 60 that i used to do a fair bit of rock fishing with, just chucking metals basically. But since getting a tinny about 3 yrs ago i have barely touched it and i cant remember what it was like new but it seems really heavy now with a fair bit of startup inertia required to get it going. I pulled it apart, checked it, cleaned and re greased it, put it back together and can barely tell the difference. If anything, i think its tighter! There was only a tiny bit of rust inside what looks like a wheel bearing housing but it cleaned right off and the rest looked good.
So my question is, what is it making it heavy to turn the handle and what can you do to make it smoother? I've only just started servicing my own reels by the way so i am a novice and why im doing it on older reels.
Cheers
Jake

Jake, add to PFk's comment, have you also checked the condition of the bearings? Do they spin freely? Sounds to me like some old rusty bearings - focus on the pinion bearing/s and drive gear bearing/s (if there is any).

[BOOMBOOM4216]

Miss aligned pinion and dive gear set.

Bearings will be noticeably noisy whereas gears will be physically noisy through the handle.