Hello, I'm looking for a bail spring to fix a reel. Usually I work on shimano spinning reels, but this is an Abu Garcia c3. It says "Made in China" on the reel foot, and also has a sticker with the number P046. When I googled C3 I found out how many different iterations of the reel there are. I'm supposed to clean the reel as well, but don't want to go through all that if I'm unable to get a new spring! Thanks for any help. I think I'll have a few questions coming up on the spinning reel forum over the next week....
That reel looks familiar, and I might have one in the bone pile --
But that is too many to look through on a cold winter day --
And many of us have bail springs also -- I may have 1000 loose.
But I would need the old spring to match it up -- or another reel for a match on the bench.
These are of course, basic Chinese plastic reels -- even though it reads ABU.
As such, many manufacturers sourced components from the same suppliers -- so likely the bail spring needed is fairly common. Just a matter of matching.
Do you have the old spring, and a pic of where it nests in the mechanism?
Best,
Fred
Quote from: lifeofRiley on February 03, 2017, 10:18:34 AM
Hello, I'm looking for a bail spring to fix a reel. Usually I work on shimano spinning reels, but this is an Abu Garcia c3. It says "Made in China" on the reel foot, and also has a sticker with the number P046. When I googled C3 I found out how many different iterations of the reel there are. I'm supposed to clean the reel as well, but don't want to go through all that if I'm unable to get a new spring! Thanks for any help. I think I'll have a few questions coming up on the spinning reel forum over the next week....
Do you have the old spring? Can you please post a picture.
The reel was an attempt by Abu-Garcia to revitalize interest in the fulcrum drag design by introducing it first in Europe as the C33 (limited run because of a trademark dispute with Pure Fishing) then as the C3 model in the US, ect. in 2004/5. They didn't go over real well and were discontinued within a year or so, mainly because the quality was on par with other China made reels of 10/12 years ago, and not that expected of the ABU Cardinal Series' of the past. I have both, a C33 & C3, both NIB & still in their plastic bags & cardboard spool protectors that have never had line on them or been on a rod. I opened the C3 up to view the mechanics and was quite disappointed to see the quality of the internals. It was also the first time I saw a spinning reel with a "shuttle screw"/worm shaft, which resembles a casting reel level wind gear. I was flabbergasted, to say the least, at how the old Cardinal quality had been down graded. Those 2 reels are some of the smoothest reels I've ever turned but I closed it back up and promised myself I'd never use either of them due to the internal design. They have so many moving parts it's almost baffling to the mind. I've never understood why they decided to engineer them so complicated and with so many parts.
Anyway, a bail spring, it's called a "plunger spring", & parts shouldn't be that difficult to find or to adapt from some other similar reel of that design & from that plant.
You won't find any parts specifically for that C3 reel nor will you find a schematic, not even through Abu-Garcia. It's almost like they forgot it ever existed.
Here's the schematic part, Plunger Spring part #11 (1115094). You might try to cross reference the part # to some other similar reel.
Some interesting information Tom, thank for sharing.
Sal
Here are some pictures of what I found. The first picture shows the condition of things when I first removed the cap which sits over the spring mechanism. The middle picture is the parts, and the third picture is of things "reset" to how I'm assuming they should be. Once I had the reel back together it worked perfectly...for about 3 bail trips, after which it went back to its former state. I removed the cap and it looked exactly how it did in the first picture. I'm guessing either the trip plunger is worn and/or the bail arm. The spring seems pretty stiff still so I think thats good.
You can get all 3 parts, 10, 11 & 12 for about $15 shipped right now from this guy (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-ABU-CARDINAL-3-REEL-TRIP-PLUNGER-HOLDER-1115095/222371369240?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3Ddec44563f419417ebb71710e5f1052d8%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D291994911099).
Just noticed he also has the bail arm (#8) (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-ABU-CARDINAL-3-REEL-BAIL-ARM-1115092-/222371372252?hash=item33c65ddcdc:g:KisAAOSwjDZYclXv), too, for $6 if that happens to be worn and the culprit creating the misalignment.
BTW?, ......just a thought...... you should consider identifying yourself with maybe a name & avatar.
It you added a link it did not come through Tommy. Software is sort of squirrely today.
-steve
Steve, "from this guy" in blue is the link via the hyperlink icon/button on our tool bar. It is a direct link to to the plunger holder. Run your mouse over those words and a line will appear under it, click on it "voila" you're there.
Quote from: lifeofRiley on February 04, 2017, 04:47:56 PM
Here are some pictures of what I found. The first picture shows the condition of things when I first removed the cap which sits over the spring mechanism. The middle picture is the parts, and the third picture is of things "reset" to how I'm assuming they should be. Once I had the reel back together it worked perfectly...for about 3 bail trips, after which it went back to its former state. I removed the cap and it looked exactly how it did in the first picture. I'm guessing either the trip plunger is worn and/or the bail arm. The spring seems pretty stiff still so I think thats good.
You might want to look at the trip mechanism for the bail, If that is worn it would cause a lazy bail not to trip.
Joe
I order the new bail arm, spring, and plunger from the guy on ebay. The bail trip worked better but was still struggling to close from time to time. Then I really cranked down the screw that holds the bail arm onto the rotor and all is fixed. Spinning reels I tell ya.....