Penn Squall II 15SD - drag not tightening down enough

[circlehook]

I can't get the drag to tighten down more than 5 or 6 lb (measured by tying the line to a digital luggage scale and gently tugging). The reel has been like that since new but I thought I would try and troubleshoot this before sending it off for repair. Definately less max drag even compared to my less robust reels.

Actions:
I've taken the reel apart and:
* replaced the concave washers (one was almost flattened) and verified the new ones are oriented face to face ie. ()
* inspected the versadrag setup and verified they are set up for max drag
* tried degreasing the versadrag washers and lightly re-gregreasing with cal's drag grease, .. about half a rice grain worth between each drag plate and drag washer
* I also tried replacing with new versadrag washers with minimal improvement (when very lightly greased) . I figured I would post this before trying anything else with them

Questions:
* I'm not sure whether to grease or completely degrease the "fiber drag washer" part 4 in the schematic https://www.mysticparts.com/Assets/images/pennparts/schematics/sqlii15sd.pdf
* apart from what I've done, is there anything else I'm missing. There's not a lot of parts in this reel so I'm at a loss what is causing the max drag to be low. I'm nowhere near the advertised 20 lb of drag


Thanks

[Hardy Boy]

You can play with the washers and try adding or mixing. I've seen this on squalls and I've had varried luck increasing the drag.


Todd

[MarkT]

Yes, grease the washers! Another metal washer in there to heighten the stack should get you more drag.

[Bill B]

Is the braid slipping on the spool?  Seems like 5 lbs is when the braid starts to slip.  Bill

[Bryan Young]

I agree with Bill. I cannot count how many times that I was faced with this same issue then duh, dang slipping braid.

[circlehook]

I run mono on this spool.

Anyway, fixed . I took it apart , added a bit more grease to the drag washers and re-assembled .

The one thing I did different (compared to the schematic) was assemble the last "heavy metal" drag washer (7H) with the bulge facing the reel handle (it was previously assembled with the  bulge facing the drag stack - as in the schematic) .

The added depth acted like a small shim and I can now crank the drag down to where it feels tight but smooth.

Hope this helps someone else

[MarkT]

That'll do it. The Belleville/top hat washer faces the handle. Tightening the drag presses down on it helping to press on the drag stack. Upside down it just acts like a flat washer.