PENN 525GS questions

[Kwagga]

Hi Alan / guys

I've recently bought an almost new Penn 525 GS - still had the original grease in there!

Stripped the whole reel to pieces, cleaned, lubed everything and assembled again.

Just 2 questions:
1) Is there a replacement bearing for the bush in the tension knob maybe?
2) There's almost no freespin on the spool when releasing it - only a few seconds.

I use Penn XR1 oil in all my reel bearings and never had this problem before.

What could cause this problem - is there to much friction on the spool arms when running threw the pinion gear maybe?

Hope to hear from u guys soon.

Cheers.

[Jeri]

Hi,

The GS 525 should spin like a demon, it was the core reel that Penn used to develop all their European surf casting reels, though did replce the centrifugal braking system with various magnetic systems, and in later models used ceramic bearings as standard for these reels. They should really spin well. Might you have too much end float tension - most surf anglers run with almost none, or none.

The GS 535, 545 & 555 were all historially used down in southern Africa for surf reels, and there are still quite a few in active service. The 525 model has since been discontinued, and been replaced with the 'Swell' and similar models, but sit basically the same as the original 525.

Hope this helps.


Cheers

Jeri

[Kwagga]

Hi Jeri

Thanks for the reply - is there still lots of fish coming out in Henties - been there last time in 2006.

I've changed/set the braking system so that there's no braking of any kind.

The cast control knob is also set loose so there's no friction / braking except the spool bearings and the tension knob bushing.

There's also the friction of the spool shaft running threw the pinion gear - but that's it.

I put a very small piece of rubber on the end of the line with the reel in my hand and put it in free spool and with all my other reels the spool start turning slowly but not the Penn.

Must I clean my bearings again - maybe strip them completley and try again - haven't done that before.

Let me know.

Regards Hein

[Jeri]

Hi Hein,


Plenty of fish left in Henties Bay, Mile 72 yesterday Sue and I had 3 up to 6kg, someone came to the shop just now for more bait - 15 Kob at Ronde Bos - so they seem to have reappeared after the holiday makers have gone home - who says fish aren't smart???

I would try cleaning out the bearings again, we clean with benzine, keep doing it until the benzine doesn't get dirty. Then dry the bearings and oil with some of your favoured lubricant - currently advising folks to use 3-in-1, as a cheaper solution than rockt fuels - it spins well, and will negate the problem of your bearings being the issue with this reel.

Hope that helps,


Jeri

[Fish-aholic]

Hi Kwagga,

For your first question about replacing the bushing for a bearing; I personally wouldn't bother. The bushing situated below the spool tension cap (key# 26B) has no relevance to the spools speed, it's there as a means of support to the spindle/spools shaft when retrieving under loads.

As for your second question; does it seem like the spool is binding? Are you getting a few seconds spin time and the spool comes to a sudden stop? Something that is easily overlooked after servicing the Penn 525 graphite series, is over torquing the side plate screws unevenly. Over torquing the side plate screws (key# 32) can distort the graphite frame causing loss of free spool through binding. Back off the screws and button up lightly and evenly; not too lightly, though, you don't want the screws to back out through use.    

Also take note of the little screw (key# 39S) found below the side plate ring (key# 2).  Over torquing this little screw can cause hairline cracks in the cage as well as binding I explained above. These should be lightly screwed.

If the problem pursists, check your spool bearings again and give them another clean as Jeri suggested. Remove the bearing sheilds and check the spin time before lubing to see the functionality of said bearings. A clean lube free bearing should get around 10 seconds or so spin time, and if this is what you find with yours, the bearings are fine to lube and replace. You can also check the bearings by holding the outer race in one hand and with the other, use your finger to add pressure to the inside race and rotate. If you feel any roughness, toss it.

As for the pinion gear adding friction; when you completed your service, did you clean the inside of the pinion gear the spindle shaft runs through? It can get very dirty inside there causing friction. I use white pipe cleaners folded in half to clean the inside. A dirty pinion gear will soon turn the pipe cleaner black. Once clean, I use the stick of a q-tip with the tips cut off, smear a little oil onto the stick and pass this through the pinion to add a very thin coat inside before greasing the outer teeth and replacing.  

Worth checking the copper shim (Key# 40B) below the spool tension cap. This is a point of friction from dirt, oil and corrosion.

Hopefully you'll sort out the problem with the above information. It's just a process of elimination to find the source. My first port of call would be checking if you have unevenly torqued the side plate screws  

Hope you quickly find the solution.

Steve

[Kwagga]

Jeri.
I stay in S.A and just love Henties - must go there again some time - otherwise just fishing Struisbaai & Langebaan alot.
Will clean the bearings again - maybe removing the bearing shield like Steve said and check everything.
Thanks for the advice and stywe lyne!

Steve
Will check the side plate screws again and make sure they are evenly torqued.
I'm very particular and hopefully haven't done any damage to the frame etc - not that I know of.
Will strip the bearings by removing the shields - what is the best method to remove these shields cause there are tiny and tight areas to work in?
Will clean the pinion inside also - but there wasn't any dirt in there when I cleaned it.
I spoke to another friend of mine and said mostly it could be the spool shaft that cause to much friction inside the pinion gear - he normally polish the shaft for less friction but will use that as a last option!
Thanks for the advice so long.

I'll keep u guys posted and hopefully sort out this problem.

Regards Hein

[Jeri]

Hi  Hein,

One of Alan's tutorials shows how to get 'removable shield' bearings apart – the key is that they have a very thin circlip holding the shield in place – need good light and good eyes to see the circlips sometimes. With your 525, I am not certain whether it has the same bearings as my 535, but they are 'removable shields'.

My 535 was bought from the RSA importer, I don't know where your 525 originates from? The thing with Penn reels in the past, is that a good number were imported from Europe, there are even a few 525 Mag and 525 Super Mag reels around, and these were never brought in by the RSA agents.

So, pop the bearings out, give them a good clean, and look for the circlip holding the shields, then follow Alan's tutorial. For surf casting, I would suggest that an oil like Hot Sauce or Singer Sewing Machine oil will give you good speed with the bearings, though not the very long term protection of various greases. Like Alan, I have found a sharp pointed scalpel the ideal tool for removing the circlips.

Steve is also very correct about the over tightening of the frame screws, have seen a lot of reels with graphite frames suffer this problem – folks over tighten so that they don't lose the screws in use, where a small spot of 'thread lock' will do the same job. Not a problem with aluminium framed reels.

One thing with these very small reels is that they are so light in construction, that with a normal 'finger spin' type of test, they lack the weight of spool to spin for prolonged periods – so, the finger spin test is not a real test of their casting ability. Strap it on a rod, and give it a few casts, and you might find that it spins just fine, and possibly too fast. Casting situations are the real test, my personal 525 Super Mag (imported) does not have a huge finger spin time, but I can't cast it without a reasonable amount of magnetic braking, and that reel has hybrid ceramic bearings as standard – so the casting test is probably the finite test for the reel.

Next time you are in Henties Bay, you will have to drop in for a coffee, just to give you another problem, the Kob are jumping at the moment, and south of Walvis Bay was fishing its socks off at the weekend – the Kob run was on!

Hope that all helps.

Jeri