yeah, sounds corroded.....

It's a brand new reel. I think one of the washers is catching on the threads of the shaft ?? Didn't really give it a chance I guess. Only tried a couple times with some outward pressure and moving from side to side. I will check it out this evening.
Well a good thing about the 2 newer avets I took a part was that the large spool bearing and the one in the drag plate housing were NOT packed with grease and the shields were off of them?? Are they reading your forum Alan

The tiny bearing was actually oiled eith a little grease in it and only had one shield on it. It made cleaning them and the relube a lot easier. I finally got my Reel X from Dawn and I have started the long process of relubing all of my saltwater spool bearings. That should keep me busy for at least 2 weeks. Lol
Thanks for the info. I will let y'all know how the handle tear down works out. Hank