Penn Mag Power Help

[WCFLA]

Hey Folks,
I have a Penn Mag Power 980 that I would like to disassemble, lube, inspect, and then reassemble. Is there anyone out there with a picture tutorial that will assist me in the process? Any insight into this particular reel (which I know very little about) will be extremely helpful too. It also clicks while winding, and it almost sounds like the clicker, but I'm not sure if that's normal.

Regards,
Dan

Ps I will post some pics of it soon.

[alantani]

it's basically a 4/0 senator.  https://www.mysticparts.com/Assets/images/pennparts/schematics/980.pdf   nice reel.  an old style penn international handle really dresses this reel up!


"Edited as per Moderators to correct Scott's Bait & Tackle over to their new store name Mystic Reel Parts / www.mysticparts.com"

[WCFLA]

Thanks Alan! The schematic really breaks it down "Barney Style". I will post pics soon.

Regards,
WCFLA

[WCFLA]

Team,

Here are a few photos of the Mag Power 980.









Below is a link to a video that shows the "clicking" that i'm talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8K-NBADHMo&feature=youtu.be

Regards,
Dan

[SoCalAngler]

Sounds like the dog to me and that should be the sound you hear with these reels.

[Ron Jones]

So, due to the fact that the 970 and 980 use the same rings I'm guessing the 970 is a High speed magged Yellow Tail Special?

Ron

[Bryan Young]

That sounds normal to me. It's the spring loaded anti reverse dog hitting the gear sleeve with integral rachet.  You may be used to the  anti-reverse bearings which are absolutely silent. But this is normal.

[intili]

This is a great reel, i use one for surfcasting, i also upgraded the drags, gear stud and handle, any of the 113H handles fit. I also wanted to try to increase the drag washer count with thinner washers but had difficulty finding thinner steel ones and didnt feel like doing any machine work. This reel would be awesome with incresed drag capacity, as its magnet controls very well. It would be perfect to cast to Tuna!

[john2244]

I agree these Mag Power Penns are great reels.  The 970 and 980 have the same gear ratio, 4.25:1.  The 990 has a gear ratio of 4.7:1.  I use a  couple of the 970's and a 980 for surf fishing (small sharks and rays).   I have used the 990 for throwing bombs to Wahoo and had some problems.  After a Wahoo is hooked and having the drag set at about 15# the frame would flex and the spool would rub on the side rings. I have adjusted this reel a few time and never could get it right.  With less pressure the reel works fine.  I think this reel will now be used for surf fishing when the surf is up and I need 8 to 10 oz of weight to hold the bait in place.

John

[intili]

So, I got a spool, posts and reel seat on ebay to make my 980 a 970. I use the 980 all the time as my primary casting reel, from boat and shore. I would like to find out if anyone knows which other spacer bars out there are the same size as the 37C-970. apparantly the only thing available new are posts. Maybe some newell bars? Thanks.

[doradoben]

WCFLA, I know my comment is late, but I watched your youtube video. I agree with SoCalAngler & Brian about the clicking probably being normal. What did strike me was the reel doesn't seem to want to spin in free spool. Is the left side spool bearing tightened to the point of zero side to side travel or tighter??... to avoid bird nests??.. or maybe it's my over active imagination..

[intili]

OK! I just finished converting my 980 to a 970, $40 spool,stand and posts from ebay. I actually did not use the posts, since my Good friend Larry at Penn(who is awesome!) sent me the factory spacer bars. A few things:
1. the factory sideplates swell with age and are an issue. If i had been smarter, i would have filed them first! Did not and cracked the left side plate. These are not available anywhere. The crack was between upper and lower mount wholes on left side of plate. I cleaned it up and epoxied it, then hand filed it so it would drop in easily. I also replaced all screws except captive right side plate ones with stainless allen key drive from mcmaster carr
2. If the bearings are opened and cleaned, and lubed (i use reelX), and the left spool tension knob is adjusted so minimal sideplay is achieved, free spool is about 20 seconds.
These reels do not have long free spool for two reasons: the tension knob is spring assisted and the magnet exerts force. The original manual for these reels is on Mystic Reel Parts website. It explains the procedure for reel set up.

I love my 980 for general casting from boat and shore. It was just too wide. I also have two 525 Mags which are more prone to birds nesting than the older mags. So now i9 can switch back and forth from 970 to 980. The 980 spool is filled with 65 pound tuff line and is good if sharking from shore. I also used it when snagging bunker and livelining for stripers, and the drsag is easily close to 20 pounds with the added washer below main gear. I would like to try to add more drags within the gear, but havent spent the time to find thinner stainless washers to do so, another future project.....


"Edited as per Moderators to correct Scott's Bait & Tackle over to their new store name Mystic Reel Parts / www.mysticparts.com"

[WCFLA]

Doradoben,

Good catch. The left side bearing was tightened down. Not for any particular reason, just tight.

Regards,
Dan

[Decker]

Looking for a left side plate (complete w/ magnet, bearing and cap, if possible) for a Power Mag 990... Anyone have one to sell?

[mizmo67]

I checked our section for the 990 parts
https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Penn990.aspx
but we are out of the 27-990 plate and the 320A-970 spring.
Still have the 40 bearing and the 302 magnet.

Ebay or other auction sites maybe if someone doesn't have one here.