After successfully upgrading one of my 505 sideplates to newell 200 gears and a 5 stack and a stainless gear sleeve, I thought the second side plate would be easy. It was not.
I kept having problems. Things wouldn't mesh right. Then the pinion wouldn't align right. I tried changing pinions. Then they got mixed up with 500 pinions. Now i gave no clue which one is which. I even had to double check the plate. It was as if the diameter of the main gear was too large, even though it was the same as the penn gear, and that caused the pinion to be angled relative to the spool shaft and the hole in the plate.
I changed to a staunless steel yoke, newell 500 gears in 4 to1, coarse thread stainless sleeve, coarse star, 5 stack. All seems to ojay. Cant figure out what I was doing wrong. Lets see how it holds up inde strain next week.
try replacing the bearing. sometimes they are off even if they look and feel ok..... :-\
Thanks Alan.
Took a 505 spool and a 500 spool, figured out the right pinion, used a new yoke and it's all better.
I think I underestimate the importance of a new yoke with an old reel