Pro Gear 545/ Stainless pinion yoke

[stiffblade]

Hello all,
Trying to install a new pinion yoke on my Pro Gear 545. No brass Penn parts in stock at my parts place so I buy the smoothdrag stainless steel pinion yoke. Well after 2 hours of working on the reel, I gave up. A few times the gear lever would not engage and the dog clicks in and out of the gear sleeve, like it is not catching the teeth. I assembled and disassembled about 5 times and they were all no go's. I put in the (used) brass Penn pinion yoke and it worked flawlessly the 1st time.

Soooo, do I need to use a stainless eccentric jack WITH the stainless pinion yoke for it to work? Brass and stainless don't like to work together?  The part is still in the reel, but could one be thinner than the other that is somehow causing a problem? I am taking a mental day off from this one and working on it tomorrow! Time for a beer!!

Dawn or alan, or anyone?? Any suggestions? Do I really have a major benefit using the stainless vs. the brass pinion yoke in this reel?



Stiffblade 

[alantani]

you will on occasion find a stainless steel pinion gear that has eaten into a soft brass yoke.  it has been enough of a problem that someone had to make a stainless steel yoke.  this is where calipers really help.  you can check dimension exactly.  there may be a difference because you are working with a progear and not a penn.  interesting, though.  your progear 545 should have already come with a stainless steel yoke.  it is certainly possible that there are enough differences between the yokes of the progear, the penn, and the after market stainless parts to cause this problem.  like so many things, i would like to get the reel in hand. 

also, there a two sets of bridge screws.  the screws that pass through the yoke are only threaded at the tip.  that is done specifically to avoid this problem.  are the screws in your reel threaded the entire length?

[stiffblade]

Alan,
Quote: "the screws that pass through the yoke are only threaded at the tip.  that is done specifically to avoid this problem. are the screws in your reel threaded the entire length?" Come on Alan!! I have learned at least one thing from you!! Yes I had the correct screws in the pinion yoke
Anyhow I did notice that the yoke has a "flat" side to it as the other has a "rounded side" to it. I talked to Wes from Ken's custom reel shop and he advised me that the the smoothdrag SS yoke are a little thicker than the brass, or at least the original Pro Gear part. Luckily I found some original Pro Gear yokes and I am going to install those when I get them in. In the 3 of 4 Pro Gear 545's I have one has shiny SS parts, the second has a phosphate coated SS parts and the third reel has the Penn brass parts. I have one of each generation I guess.
Another question would be: What side would you suggest to go up against the eccentric jack? The rounded or the flat?
Thanks,
stiffblade

[alantani]

rounded! 

it never hurts to go over basics.  a guy from the local shop spent a couple of hours trying to figure out the problemwith a low profile baitcaster.  turns out the spectra was slipping on the spool.  it happens to the best of us!