Tiagra 30W LRSA - Freespool Clunking and not turning

[demerol]

Hello all - First post and a fix to a problem. Hopefully this helps someone. Refer to the http://www.shimanofish.com.au/media/fishing/shimano/saf/documents/all_schematics/lever_drag_reels/TI30WLRSA_v1_m56577569830878035.pdf PDF file for the part numbers listed below.

SCENARIO - I was trolling with my Tiagra 30W LRS this weekend. The reel is ~9 months old and I have had no problems until this weekend. Upon putting the reel in freespool, I felt a "clunk" and the spool would not spin. Pulling on the line, I noticed it was locked tight. When I pushed the drag lever a few clicks above free spool, I could manually pull the line.

DIAGNOSIS - The issue had to do with a loose screw on the handle side of the spool inside the reel. The screw in question is labelled TT-0654 or simply 654 on the schematic. Upon inspection, one screw was protruding and it was slightly bent such that the flat head of the screw prevented forward or freespool, but allowed for reverse or loading spool. When the drag was set, this must allow some room for forward spool.

FIX - This fix does not require removal of your line from the spool. Remove the 601 screws from the Left Side Plate (TT 0691). There are 5 screws here. The two opposite the Harness Lug (TT 680) are slightly shorter than the other three, so keep them separated so they go back properly. This base plate is stuck on rather well with grease, so gently rock it after screw removal. Removal of the left base plate allows for removal of the spool. When you disengage the spool from the Right Hand Plate A (TT 0679) you will see 4 tiny Phillips head screws on the Alert Rachet (TT 0686). Inspect these screws and tighten them to be flush with the Alert Rachet. Once tightened, be sure they are flush and no lip to the screw is present. Position the spool back in place and temporarily hold the Left Base Plate in position while you test the free spool. You should notice that the clunking is gone and the reel freespools without a hitch. If so, put the Left Base Plate screws back in. If not, recheck your Alert Rachet screws to verify they are properly flush.

Again, this was a disheartening thing to have happen while out on the troll, but hopefully if this happens to you, this will fix the problem. Tight lines and go catch some fish!

[Tightlines667]

Demerel,

Thanks for posting this.  Those ratchet screws can, and do occasionally work themselves free, since they are subjected to vibration everytime the clicker is working.  They come with blue lictite from the factory.  Conversely, this can make their removal difficult, at times, on older reels that havn't been serviced.  I would also add that one should be careful not to overtorque them when tightening as they are small, and the heads can and will shear off under too much pressure.

[demerol]

Thank you tightlines - Very true about those screws. One thing I've learned over the years with machines (both finesse and blunt) is what we all tell our kids -> if something doesn't feel right, don't force it. The components in these reels are a lot like a nice watch and if it's not performing smoothly, something is wrong. Forcing it is much more likely to break it beyond repair.