Old Ambassadeur 5000C

[AU7172]

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? This old 5000C is giving me fits. After at least a dozen attempts of cleaning and reassembly, I can't get this reel working properly. For some reason, the main gear and pinion gear are not meshing properly after putting the side plate on so the handle just spins and doesn't engage the spool.

[oc1]

The spool shaft/spindle is what holds the pinion in place.  They will not mesh until the reel is fully reassembled with the spool and frame.

[AU7172]

Thanks for the reply. I understand what you are saying but I can't figure out why it's not working after reassembly. It was working fine before I disassembled to clean it but not going back the same apparently.

[Donnyboat]

Are you winding the star down, then it should engage, good luck, plenty of good people here some one will, find the problem, cheers Don.

[AU7172]

Thanks for the advice Guys but I have tried everything. When I tighten up the drag, it totally locks up.

[jgp12000]

I only have 2-red 5000 reels  to compare to I believe the only difference is bushings vs.bearings.Sometimes I watch videos that jog my memory or point out a key item I missed.This video looks pretty good though.
He doesn't go into the drag stack, but I would verify by the schematic the washers are in the correct order
& the pinion gear orientation.

[ExcessiveAngler]

How about a picture of the drag stack from the side?

[AU7172]

Good video. My reel is of the same vintage in the video. Thanks. I'm doing exactly as shown. I'll post some pics of the gear stack tomorrow