Reel Will Not Engage

[irbjd]

I am having an issue with an Aldebaran 50.  Sometimes the reel will not engage after casting.  There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to when it happens.  Sometimes it will not happen for 10-15 casts and then it will happen for several in a row.  I tore the reel down and cleaned it (ran through ultrasonic) after the first time it happened.  It seems like the pawl is not getting far enough down to get in contact with the anti-reverse ratchet.  Any thoughts?

[Wompus Cat]

While I do not have this particular Reel   I have others similar and if everything is assembled right and nothing warped or bent I  found that these things need to be Squeaky clean in the areas in the pic below AND I have strengthened the springs  on the Bridge  shown by the arrows by stretching them a bit and it helped . Good Luck

[alantani]

holy moly, these are expensive!!!!  https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Aldebaran_MGL_50_Casting_Reel/descpage-ALF.html

chances are the kick lever is damaged.  sounds like a job for shimano.  

[irbjd]

holy moly, these are expensive!!!!  https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Aldebaran_MGL_50_Casting_Reel/descpage-ALF.html

chances are the kick lever is damaged.  sounds like a job for shimano.  

They are not cheap.  But it sure is nice casting a sub 5 ounce reel when you're fishing all day. 

Mine is a JDM model, so not as expensive as the US version.  The associated downside is Shimano will not work on JDM reels.

[philaroman]

read through these older posts...  might get some ideas:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=32211.msg376988#msg376988
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=27336.0

[Lunker Larry]

Just worked on a Quantum Cabo doing the same thing. Kick lever was worn along with the ratchet gear being a bit rounded out. Reel is no longer supported so filed at least 1/16 off the kick lever to get rid of the worn portion and also had to file and square up the ratchet gear. Works perfect now

[ReelClean]

Another gotcha today (may not be your situation but in the same general area); I reassembled a baitcaster today and I got an occasional light knock when freespooling which got worse if you backed off the spool cast cap and tilted the reel RHS down.  Turned out that the pinion gear had the slightest burr in the base that sits in the RHS sideplate bearing bearing that supports it when in gear.  it was enough to hang the pinion up just enough  sometimes to not allow it to completely clear the spool pins.  The yoke springs couldn't overcome the stiction.
cheers
Steve

[irbjd]

While I do not have this particular Reel   I have others similar and if everything is assembled right and nothing warped or bent I  found that these things need to be Squeaky clean in the areas in the pic below AND I have strengthened the springs  on the Bridge  shown by the arrows by stretching them a bit and it helped . Good Luck

I tried this over the weekend.  The issue seems to be less prevalent now than before.

[Wompus Cat]

While I do not have this particular Reel   I have others similar and if everything is assembled right and nothing warped or bent I  found that these things need to be Squeaky clean in the areas in the pic below AND I have strengthened the springs  on the Bridge  shown by the arrows by stretching them a bit and it helped . Good Luck

I tried this over the weekend.  The issue seems to be less prevalent now than before.

like I stated in my First Post IF everything is in good shape then Stretching those Springs can Help but as THE BOSS said you probably need the lever he says. They get worn over time and it may be hard to see it . Stretching the Springs is a Band Aid for now.
Glad it's working for now .

[philaroman]

the older links I posted might be different models, but have good photos of precisely the type of minute damage/wear/rounding to look for on kick lever & pinion engagement slots...  you really need decades of experience to recognize that stuff without magnification (or, even, with)

what's the model-year?  there may be an almost identical US model -- I'd start w/ concurrent Calais or Chronarch, as possible source of parts (actual BODY would be same; color/handle/features may be different)

been a while since I looked, but TackleTour forum had a big contingent of guys specifically into high-end Japanese lo-pros...  they may know which major parts are US/JDM inter-compatible

[boon]

I was inside a Lexa that wasn't automatically kicking over. All parts looked pristine. Gave them all a really good clean and very lightly lubricated relevant parts with TSI321, works flawlessly now.