The ancient much loved tld 15 was on the blink so i pulled it down following the routine described hereabouts. One thing I wanted to fix was that sensation of coffee grinder you get through the handle when you up the drag.
Ok, so the reel's in in parts and the right main side plate bearing, which I thought was the usual cause of this problem, was fine. Then i noticed that the bearing on the outside of the main shaft, the one nearest the handle, was seized to the main shaft. Got that free so it would move with the spring - no more coffee grinder.
Any way, the reels all back together and good, no parts left over, but I noticed that if you overtighten the handle nut (key #3) even the slightest bit, it makes the handle a lot harder to turn - is that how it's meant to be?
Cheers,
Yocky
Two things can cause your problem: Either the handle is corroded so that it doesn't sit flat on the main gear shaft, or the chrome piece (I think it's called the gear shaft shield) that sits directly under the handle is bent. The handle problem is tough to fix; you'll likely ned a new handle. The other problem can be fixed with a small file. Oh yea: Did you forget the mall brass washer that sits under the gear shaft shield?
i'd take another look at that right main side plate bearing!