9m levelwind drive

[quabbin boy 62]

Awhile back I had a problem with several of my 9m level winds, had a mixture of lint, dirt and grease fouling up the worm. better cleaning and TSI 321 on the worm fixed that.... except for one problem child, replaced the whole worm assembly, same problem. took it apart and reassembled it 9-10 times, couldn't find it. Looked at the drive gear with the worm out, and it wasn't turning consistently. then, I pulled down one of my USA made 9ms, the plastic idler gear sat lower in the side plate than the problem one. so i ordered a side plate assembly from Mystic and reassembled it last night... and it's a different reel. No binding, level wind works perfectly. Probably wasn't drilled quite right, but it looked perfectly fine at first. I had looked for a blueprint of this reel, or a dimension chart, but was unable to find one, so I figured I'd just change it out. really satisfying to find a solution to something that's been bugging me for awhile. 

[Wompus Cat]

Great Find and Fix .
Thanks for coming back and telling everyone.
Quality control MISSED THAT ONE FOR SURE.
Might have been Drilled on the Day after a Super Bowl .

I have a BRAND NEW Ambaasadeur Ulra Mag XL Plus in the Box .
with a Factory  FUBAR Frame .
It is Twisted ,works but hard as Hell to turn .
Not a Mark on it !

[foakes]

The nylon idler gear is designed to be a sacrificial part — ideally protecting the rest of the reel from damage — or even a finger from serious damage.

One time — I had a "9" on the bench that was getting a full service and replacement of a few parts.

After the ultrasonic cleaning — reassembly — lube & tuning — there was a "catch" in the rotation cycle — which was evident before disassembly also.

Found a tiny part of a brass gear tooth that had broken off and gotten wedged into the idler gear — nearly missed it except with a magnifying glass.  Popped out the brass shard with a pick — and the reel was perfect.

In our neck of the woods — the 9's & 209's are used for lead-core trolling our nearby waters for various Trout and Kokanee.  They get heavy and steady usage — and the stresses on the mechanisms are sometimes extreme.  But they hold up well for many years of use.  Great reels!

Glad you worked out the solution, QB.

Best, Fred

Best, Fred