Garcia Mitchell 488 spin fishing reel how to take apart and service 

Hi Dennis, I was the one who asked for the video for my dad’s 498 pro. Thanks again from Paris, France! As French is my first language, I noticed I could try to return the favor by also sharing some knowledge. The sentence BREVETE FRANCE on the reel means Patented (in) France. The last e reads é like in Café. A “brevet” means a patent and the “é” in the end is like the “ed” in English. The accent on the last e may not show on the writing if it’s in capital letters. Hope you learned something!

Nice video Dennis, You got to love these old Mitchell's they are practically indestructible ! With a little love and maintenance they will go on for generations. I got me a 45 year old 206 which still works like a dream and my granddaughter loves it, so the next owner is already picked by the reel. Until the next one. Peace

😢 Dennis, I now have six of these in three different models. Screws on all these French Mitchells are dangerous as both the screws and the sockets for those screws can easily be stripped. Your 396 video might be illuminating to your subscriber who asked the question. They are largely identical except for a needle bearing on the main gear shaft and the high speed gears. Of course the e96 and 496 are skirted spool reels with a very different bail trip. The line capacity is also slightly different. I nearly forgot - some Mitchell 496 reels have a metal (aluminum I think) oscillation block. The hardest thing for me to learn was how to reset the bail spring on these. First time it took me and a friend together to do it. Now I know how. I have put the Browning side plate seal in all my large saltwater Mitchells though those seals are getting difficult to find. You should use your large Mitchell tool on the 488. You are correct about the “Brevette” term. These reels have a rotor brake on the bail trip side of the rotor. This brake arm has a brake pad on the end that stops the rotor from turning while you have the bail open to cast. You can use a piece or rubber or surgical tubing to make one of these pads.I noticed this 488 like most is missing the brake pad. I’ve taken many of these apart and the broken pad falls out. The other weakness and I believe it to be the worst weakness is that trip ramp on the bearing retainer / brake drum that will easily break. I keep two or three of these brake drums for fear of having one break. I fish with almost all my large saltwater Mitchells (except for a few 498 models). I have never needed my slide hammer to get a bearing out of a 488. I have taken apart that needle bearing a few times but never voluntarily. There is a tiny c-clip on top of that needle bearing to hold it in place on the main gear shaft. The 486, 488, 496, and 498 all have this needle bearing. It is used on the high speed large saltwater Mitchells. Dennis, if you remember, you are responsible for getting me two of my 488s. Those two are in mint conditition and are the midnight blue models. As you can tell, I love these reels! I will fish with my Mitchells until I no longer can. I have never had one mess up while catching even large fish in the surf. Og, Dennis, there is a plastic bump on that brake part with the trip ramp that will always guide you how to turn it to the proper spot. Mitchell was very smart to do that. I have replaced many of the Ferodo drag washer on my big Mitchells. I was happy to see that the axle shaft on your 488 had the metal ratchet. There are plastic ones out there that will crack if the drag is tightened too much. I don’t think the original Ferodo drag washer was rubber. I have some that are pressed cork and some that appear to be some form of composite makeup. I have several spares I keep. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see you did a video on one if my most favorite reels ever! - Chris

Hi Dennis, This is an excellent, methodical servicing of a 486! Well done. I also like to "soak"cover plate screws after disassembly and then give them a light "dip" in grease on reassembly to make servicing easier the next time. Thanks for the heads up on a potential needle bearing fiasco !!! Would 3D printing be an option for hard to find plastic parts replacements ?? Best Regards, Cons

Regarding the Mitchell 600 series of conventional reels, which one is the smallest? I'm thinking for lake use rather than ocean use.

Greetings to you, Mr. Dennis... What is the difference between the Mitchell and the Mitchell Garcia... and what is your assessment of this machine?

I have 8 torpedo grips for that reel