Shimano TLD 30 2 spd, noises in left side

[retiredandfishing]

Just got this TLD 30 2 speed in the shop.  Operates fine until serious drag is applied.  Then it makes for lack of a better word, crackling sound from the left side as you crank and if you reel slowly you can feel a jerkyness.  At least I think it's coming from the left side, which is weird because there is nothing over there that could do that, just the clicker.  I put new spool bearings (3) in thinking maybe one of them was bad but that didn't help.  The pinion bearing seems fine, no binding or noise.  It operates fine as long as you don't apply any extreme drag.  Trouble is this is a serious big halibut reel for a guy in Alaska and he needs a lot of drag. The only other thing wrong about this reel is that the Shimano decal is missing from the left side and it covers a hole that the spool shaft sits in.  So that when it's  missing you can see the end of the spool shaft. 

Any thoughts or idea's on this would be great.  Oops wrong forum. Going to repeat this on the Shimano forum.

[handi2]

I'm really not sure about the noise unless it is the pinion bearing.

Hold it by the outside edges while pushing and turning with your index finger,

If you feel anything it's bad. Most of the time they won't turn at all.

I wouldn't recommend a TLD for a lot of drag.

Keith

[thorhammer]

Hey someone slide this out of Ambassadeur and into Shimano. Blasphemy

[ReelClean]

Just got this TLD 30 2 speed in the shop.  Operates fine until serious drag is applied.  Then it makes for lack of a better word, crackling sound from the left side as you crank and if you reel slowly you can feel a jerkyness.  At least I think it's coming from the left side, which is weird because there is nothing over there that could do that, just the clicker.  I put new spool bearings (3) in thinking maybe one of them was bad but that didn't help.  The pinion bearing seems fine, no binding or noise.  It operates fine as long as you don't apply any extreme drag.  Trouble is this is a serious big halibut reel for a guy in Alaska and he needs a lot of drag. The only other thing wrong about this reel is that the Shimano decal is missing from the left side and it covers a hole that the spool shaft sits in.  So that when it's  missing you can see the end of the spool shaft. 

Any thoughts or idea's on this would be great.  Oops wrong forum. Going to repeat this on the Shimano forum.

Check the LH sideplate keyway, I have seen one that must have been locked up on something big and the roll pin through the spool shaft managed to cut a ramp (like a cam slot) in the sideplate so that when you applied load the pin just cammed out.  Needed to replace the frame.
Cheers
Steve

[retiredandfishing]

I know this is old but thought I would follow up with the solution.  Turns out this was a pinion bearing all along. The crackling noise and lack of binding threw me.