Loose bridge shaft

[isurus]

Hi all,

I have a Pro Gear cs500 that has developed a very 'loose' bridge shaft.  By loose I mean that there is a fair amount of 'wiggle' in the shaft when you try to move it side to side (I initially discovered the problem because the reel handle was wiggling/moving around a lot during retrieval).  I disassembled the entire reel (including the shaft/bridge assembly) and everything seemed to be 'ok' (i.e. no visibly broken parts).  Any thoughts/insight on what might be causing the looseness??   Would a bad bridge washer cause this? 

FWI - The cs500 bridge shaft moves around considerably more than my normally functioning cs625 and 650 reels.

Thanks in advance.
-Jeff

[akfish]

If your bridge sleeve wiggles or moves side to side, it should be replaced. If it just moves up and down too much, you can shim it. Bridges wear over time, especially if you are fishing with heavy drag.

[Makule]

As akfish says, sleeve and/or shaft is/are probably worn.  They should be replaced.  If using tight drag, be sure to have enough lube inside the sleeve.  There are also some high pressure lubes available to withstand extreme pressure (Cal's Grease should qualify as one and Inox MX6 may be good too, but I haven't used it).

[Alto Mare]

You will be able to make that shaft tight again, but unfortunately it won't last long. Time for a new bridge.

[Bryan Young]

Hi Jeff,

Contact Randy at RandyHKao@aol.com.  He should have a replacement bridge and gear sleeve.

Bryan

[isurus]

Thanks to all for the input.  I will look into obtaining new parts!

-Jeff