when your lever drag reel will not go back into freespool

Started by alantani, March 29, 2019, 04:34:38 PM

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alantani

ok, so your lever drag reel will not go back into free.  you push the lever forward and throw the lever into gear.  then you push the lever back to the free position and it's still slightly in gear.  can you ever fiddle with the reel and get it back into free? there are two problems that pop up commonly, and two ways to fix it.

one, there is corrosion along the spool shaft where the pressure plate bearing sits.  in this case, you throw the lever forward, pressing the stainless steel drag pressure against the drag washer.  the reel is in gear.  when you push the lever back to free, the seized up drag pressure plate stays into contact with the drag washer and you get no freespool.  if you shimmy the spool right to left, you should be able to free up the pressure plate and suddenly you have freespool again.  in this case, the spool shaft has to be cleaned up and usually the bearings replaced. 

two, the cam is damaged, or the "hex" base that is part of the side plate that the cam rides on is damaged, or both.  in this case, when the reel is in gear and you push the lever back to free, the cam doesn't fully return and the reel stays in gear.  the drag is considerably less, but you still do not have freespool.  you might be able to work the lever back and forth a little and get the cam to drop back into free.  here, either the cam, or the side plate, or both, have to be replaced. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!