Penn 704Z gear slop???

[johnachak]

I purchased an old Greenie 704z. It needed some TLC. I had to replace the spool shaft as it was bent. I replaced everything that looked like it needed replacing and it works well. There is some slop from forward to reverse. It looks like there is some small amount of play between the main and pinion gears forward and back. Is some play here normal? I've heard that these gears normally don't wear. I haven't worked on a 704Z in quite a while and I just don't remember. My friends that have em, have them shrink wrapped inside their boats so that's no help. I want to have it ready for the season
Thanks,
John

[surfcaster]

Hi this is the reel I use most often,I have many  of these reels, Sounds normal.They  all  have "slop"and are clunky.A/R is loud Even the brand new ones. I clean& grease them in the winter. I have dropped them in the sand rinsed them in saltwater & hose them off wd/40 them when I got home from fishing. I have never had to replace a main or pinion,I have one with worn out teeth on the main gear it works the same as my brand new one, it is a nearly bullet proof reel sometimes the ratchet or plastic behind it goes bad, or the brass crosswind roller on the gear. when you screw on the handle if it is missing the handle washer between the handle & main gear it will still work but not as good.[ "contributes to the slop".] If the bearing seizes up on these reels it works almost  the same just becomes a bushing.The parts prone to fail are the line rollers , springs, & most parts  of the bail. I swapped all the drags out with 3 fiber drags. Some say to change out the teflon under spool washer but, that will make the line lay uneven.
  Tight Lines. Richie

[handi2]

What he said. They are sloppy like that.

If you hold the rotor tight and turn the handle just a little there should be the slightest of play. 

[swill88]

I worked on an old black 704Z and it,too, is a bit sloppy.

Also, whenever the spool goes all the way in to its deepest point it makes a loud 'floppp' sound.

I just can't remember if it did that before servicing. (CRS syndrome)

Steve









goes all the way

[johndtuttle]

I worked on an old black 704Z and it,too, is a bit sloppy.

Also, whenever the spool goes all the way in to its deepest point it makes a loud 'floppp' sound.

I just can't remember if it did that before servicing. (CRS syndrome)

Steve



goes all the way

Sounds like you are missing the teflon washer under the spool.

[swill88]

I worked on an old black 704Z and it,too, is a bit sloppy.

Also, whenever the spool goes all the way in to its deepest point it makes a loud 'floppp' sound.

I just can't remember if it did that before servicing. (CRS syndrome)

Steve



goes all the way

Sounds like you are missing the teflon washer under the spool.

Thanks John... will check it tonight and report back.

[johnachak]

What he said. They are sloppy like that.

If you hold the rotor tight and turn the handle just a little there should be the slightest of play. 

Thank you everybody, I appreciate all the responses. I had to change the drag washers, the spool shaft and the bail spring. One was good, the other was a different spring kind of juryrigged. It only had the teflon washer, the metal ones and one either leather or fiber washer. Iis all cleaned and lubed now. It's smooth but is a little clunky changing directions, etc. I can't wait to use it. The ball bearing was perfect, it looked and spun almost new.

[oc1]

Aren't the green ones just Spinfisher 704, without the Z?  Z's are the black ones?  I have a green 710 but they came with a plastic spool.  Never did bond with that reel but had long love affairs with a 712Z and a 716Z.  Except for fading and nicks they all work as well as they did out of the box.
-steve

[cbar45]

Aren't the green ones just Spinfisher 704, without the Z?  Z's are the black ones?  I have a green 710 but they came with a plastic spool.  Never did bond with that reel but had long love affairs with a 712Z and a 716Z.  Except for fading and nicks they all work as well as they did out of the box.
-steve

You got it. Z-series are the black frame/black spool (and later black frame/gold spool models). Early 704 Z's had metal side-plates and cast spools, while later models came with machined and anodized spools--but plastic side-plates. The late models also did away with the oil port for the main gear shaft, while adding an additional bearing at the point where the handle connects to the main gear.

Speaking of gear slop, you might be pleasantly surprised if you come across a fairly new John Deere green Spinfisher 700. This reel was introduced in the mid-60's and is the granddaddy of all the Spinfisher models. In contrast to 704's and 704 Z's, the 700's had very little play in their gearing--perhaps because all of the tooling used in their manufacture was brand spanking new..

Chad

[surfcaster]

I had  an old green 705 with a steel main gear in it .It's the only one I have seen,have a couple earlier 700 reels & a 702 they have bronze mains
I don't know if it is stainless but, a magnet sticks to it. Some stainless is non magnetic.
  I made it into a 705z for my lefty son. John I have plenty of 704 parts if you need anything I changed most of mine over to the 706 style.Tight Lines, Richie                                                [][/img]

[cbar45]

Richie, that is interesting.

If the magnet is being attracted to the gear itself, (and not the steel shaft), it has to be a ferrous metal of some sort.

Then again, I've seen a few of the teal-green 704/705's sporting an aluminum alloy main gear of similar color.

More often than not, these reels came with the silver "rainbow style" side plates.

Chad

[cbar45]

Rummaging through my parts bin, found this 704 duraluminum main gear for comparison:



Chad