Newell S533-5.5 problem

[walkernut]

I won this in a give-away aboard an 8 day long range trip two years ago. I used it a few times without washing it down and found the jack lever stuck when I next went to use it. I can't seem to fix anything unless I strip it down to it's barest components. I guess I just like to spend all day piecing it back together.   Everything works fine now except for when I put the short screw in the end of the crank spindle. When turning the handle I noticed how much effort I needed to put into it in order to turn the spool.  It feels as though something is sticky on the inside  Even when the reel is in free spool and the drag is backed off, its still difficult to turn the handle.  Since I can't figure out the function for that screw and the reel appears to works fine without it, does anyone see a potential problem by leaving it out.
Gary

[Acord95ex]

I think that screw serves the same purpose as the e clip that goes there in some newells..I dont know what it's for except to make it less convenient to take the handle and washers off lol but not sure how it would affect your handle being hard to turn.

[walkernut]

I like to solve mysteries so upon further analysis I have come to a conclusion that because the top of the spindle rests slightly below the top of the sleeve that when the screw is even finger tighten into the spindle it cinches the two together so when the drag is tightened it prevents the sleeve from rotating around the spindle. If the top of the spindle extended above the top of the sleeve this wouldn't have been an issue for me. Possibly it was position above before I dismantled everything. The handle nut keeps the handle from coming off the end of the sleeve so I don't see a need for the screw. Kind of like an appendix that no longer serves a useful purpose but when it causes trouble, then have it removed. There is another post on this forum "S550 4.6 problem" similar to mine whose replies didn't help me much to come to any conclusion. I'm just learning about how reels work so feel free to jump in with your thoughts.   Gary

   

[alantani]

in some models of newell reels, you could clamp down on the handle nut so much that the handle nut itself would bind up against the screw that holds the gear sleeve on.  the fix was to place a spacer underneath the handle nut so that it would not seat so far down. 

[10ozgrabba]

in some models of newell reels, you could clamp down on the handle nut so much that the handle nut itself would bind up against the screw that holds the gear sleeve on.  the fix was to place a spacer underneath the handle nut so that it would not seat so far down. 

I found this to be especially true when I replaced my handles with thinner custom ball type handles. a few stainless washers from Lowes did the trick.