Need help with vintage Abu 5500C!

PunkPino · December 02, 2015, 03:27:13 AM

http://imgur.com/lGcjMRf

So I bought this reel plus a fenwick rod at an antique store. Both seemed in good condition. Went home and took the reel apart and cleaned and regreased and oiled everything. I tested it out for the first time at a small pond today and it casts fine, although I think my issue might be causing it to cast a little short.

Some of the issues are:

1. I noticed when I was setting the spool tension knob, the line would sort of hiccup as it came off the spool causing my lure to not fall smoothly. It would slow down ever so often then resume speed.

2. I also noticed that while reeling in, and there being tension on the line (as if I was fighting a fish), I would feel the same "hiccuping" happening through the handle. It would be smooth for a 1/4 of a full turn, then there would be some resistance and it would keep repeating.

Anyone know what could be the problem?

oc1 · December 02, 2015, 08:59:51 AM

If it happens every quarter turn then the problem is probably in the spool or bearings and not the clutch or drive. Probably a bad bearing. Hopefully not a bent shaft or warped spool.

PunkPino · December 02, 2015, 10:24:59 AM

So I was fooling around with it some more this morning and noticed when I have the spool tension knob tightened down all the way and try to turn the handle, the same skipping happens a little more then every 1/4 turn.

I've checked both the bearings under the spool tension cap and the opposite side. Both are spinning fine and lubricated.

Lunker Larry · December 02, 2015, 03:44:08 PM

Check the bottom of the pinion gear. If the grooves that engage the spool are rounded it will skip under load.

PunkPino · December 02, 2015, 09:32:54 PM

Pinion gear slots for the spool look good. It also fits snug against the drive gear without any slippage.

Perhaps it's a problem with the spool itself?

I did notice when I first took the reel apart that one of the two shafts that stick out perpendicular to the spool itself was slightly bent. I straightened it back out as best as I could and put the little black things back on as one of them had fallen off. The problem was there before I rebent it and it still persisted afterwards though.

tholmes · December 15, 2015, 06:37:14 PM

I'm cetainly no expert, but I've been using and working on Ambassadeur reels for a long time. I'm pretty sure your problem is the bent spool axle. It's next to impossible (in my experience) to straighten it by hand. Your best bet is to get a new axle or spool/axle assembly. Call ABU (800-228-4272) and give them the foot number on the reel and I think that they can fix you up.

Tom

thorhammer · December 15, 2015, 07:04:17 PM

If I understand it's the centrifugal brake (the little black things, don't drop one) shaft that is bent, and not the spool shaft itself. That shouldn't cause any effect on retrieve though. I just had a 6500C3 that was reeling tight and turned out to be some salt buildup under the gear sleeve; open it up and make sure it turns freely with a drop oil. that may help the retrieve but I don't know about the chatter. As stated prehiously, I'd also check pinion for wear or not disengaging completely.

Thorhammer

tholmes · December 15, 2015, 07:24:25 PM

Quote from: thorhammer on December 15, 2015, 07:04:17 PM
If I understand it's the centrifugal brake (the little black things, don't drop one) shaft that is bent, and not the spool shaft itself. That shouldn't cause any effect on retrieve though. I just had a 6500C3 that was reeling tight and turned out to be some salt buildup under the gear sleeve; open it up and make sure it turns freely with a drop oil. that may help the retrieve but I don't know about the chatter. As stated prehiously, I'd also check pinion for wear or not disengaging completely.

Thorhammer

Oops! I misunderstood just what was bent. Another thing you might check is the inside of the frame where the spool site, Check for burrs or gunk that might prevent the spool from turning evenly.

Tom

tholmes · January 18, 2016, 06:51:26 PM

As it would happen, I encountered a similar issue just last night while servicing an ABU 4600C3. Hesitation in free spool and a slight "thump when retrieving.
I traced the problem to a damaged tooth on the level wind cog gear inside the left side plate. It might be something else to check out.

Tom

exp2000 · January 19, 2016, 12:48:44 AM

Yeah, the best way to approach a problem like this is by a process of elimination.

By compartmentalising the reel you can narrow things down till you pinpoint the fault.

Example:

Detach the gearbox and rotate the handle. Does the problem persist? No? So that area is likely OK.

Next remove the idle gear and test again for the problem. If it is no longer there, the worm assembly may be the issue.

Keep going like this and disconnecting components till you trace the source of the issue.

It's just like a chess game

~

Pro Reel · January 19, 2016, 01:05:35 PM

Most likely is a problem in the line guide system. The line guide moves while reeling or casting, so when you are setting the tension, the line guide is moving slow. The hiccups you feel are the areas in the guide system that are binding. It could be a tooth or several teeth on the nylon gear in the side cover or on the spool. It could also be bad spots on the worm shaft but that would not be felt on every revolution.

exp2000 · January 19, 2016, 04:17:38 PM

Not so long ago I used the above approach to isolate an ABU fault.

When I reassembled the reel, there was very little free-spool.

WT? I had just serviced it!

So by using the above process, I was quickly led to a fault I would have never expected - the worm drive.

Why would I have never suspected it? Because I had just fitted a brand new replacement part.

But the new part was uncharacteristically tight in the nylon end bush providing resistance to rotation.

As it turns out, many worms in this batch were out of tolerance.

So you can see how effective this approach is in diagnosing faults.
~