Hi everybody,I've got a problem with my Squidder.When I turn the handle making the spool spin there's a noise and a little vibration in the gears (feels rough as if teeth assembly get tighter but only in just one spot of the turn) .If I turn the spool with the hand just a little as the drag releases line,noise and vibration dissapear and I can keep on turning the handle in a soft and silent way.The more I tight the drag, noise and vibration are increased, but simply turning by hand the spool and making the drag work a little everything's ok .Sometimes it feels as a lack of grease but also just in one spot of the turn as I said before.The gears lubrication is ok.(Abu Garcia reel lube with PTFE),steel main gear and pinion gear are not worn or out of shape,teeth are ok,also drag washers.Do you have any idea what is the problem? What about a little bit of play between bridge sleeve and main gear center hole? (I didn't measure yet)
I'd appreciate your help.
Ricardo
If your gears are good, quite possibly your gear sleeve is a tad loose. You may need a new gear sleeve or shim it to tighten it up a little to the bridge. A slight play is good, not too tight where it becomes hard to turn.
Thanks Bryan.It doesn't seem to have a slight play more than normal,but 'll check it.I can't explain myself why turning the spool just a little and making the main gear spins as if a fish were running (drag washers and bridge sleeve stay stopped) noise and rough dissapear.That's the reason why I think that if the the main gear center hole width is a little bit wider than the bridge sleeve,the play can cause main gear "excentric" turning and just in one spot gears teeth become tight against each other, then when I move the spool the main gear center get balanced.Have to get a caliper and check it all.
Regards.
Ricardo
so it is not the spool rubbing against the frame or the bridge, right?
You're right Alan,no spool rubbing against frame or bridge.
Maybe slight bend in the spool shaft. Does it occur at the same place in the crank ever time? You may want to mark it somehow and then taking apart the gear assembly, note where the crank is at everytime the binding feeling occurs. Then, hold the spool, crank the handle half way around then release the spool. now were does the binding occur? If it's in the same location, it's not the spool shaft. Assuming that the gears are good, I'd say that it is probably a worn yoke if the binding is inconsistent.
Note, a little flaw or slightest damage of either the main or pinion gear will make the reel feel rough. Some cannot be seen, and if you have cleaned it up, it will expose that flaw even more, even when you re-grease it. Old, stiff grease tends to fill in the gaps, and the cranking may feel smooth, but when the gears are clean, it is more evident.
Imagine a clean car. It looks clean, but when you wax it to a high gloss, you will see all imperfections in the paint (yes, I used to detail cars). The deeper the shine, the more evident the imperfections are. You will see the tiniest dents that were not evident before.
Now, if I'm absolutely wrong, which is a high probability, could you try taking the right side plate off, place the spool in the right side plate, hold the right side plate so that the spool shaft is being balanced in the right side plate and crank the handle. Do you get the same kind of noise/feeling?
Spool shaft is not the problem (I tried five different spools:3 bakelite and 2 alloy ones,also it's in the same location.I used a magnifier for checking if main gear or pinion gear have some damage or worn teeth and both gears are ok.About taking the right side plate off, place the spool in the right side plate, hold the right side plate so that the spool shaft is being balanced in the right side plate and crank the handle as you suggested me to do, yes,rough appears and noise is less audible (less resonance 'cause it lacks one sideplate).I forgot to tell you that when I turn the spool a little (by hand)and rough/noise dissapear when I crank the handle,if I turn the spool again a little bit more, it appears again.I think it's something in the drag system/main gear.Tomorrow morning I'll get a caliper to check all meassurements.Thank you so much Bryan.
Hello Ricardo.
When you shift the eccentric lever, do you feel a little resistance or does it engage smoothly?
Ciao Paesa'! It engages smoothly
Just for the heck of it, do you have another yoke to test? It sounds like your pinion is not doing its job as it should :-\.
I've got a Penn Surfmaster 200,guess the pinion yoke is the same part as the Squidder,if so I'll see what happens.Thank you so much Sal.
Try switching the eccentric jack, # 11-200, at the same time.
Ok. Keta,I'll try switching eccentric jack at the same time.
Well,I just finished testing another pinion yoke and eccentric jack with the same result as before.Couldn't test another main gear and pinion gear 'cause Surfmaster 200 is 3-1 gear ratio and Squidder is 3 1/3-1 (there's a little difference) I think there is not much else to try.I'd swear it's something wrong in the way main gear fits the bridge sleeve or a metal drag washer out of circular shape.¡¡¡I'd need a caliper right now!!!
You might be right Ricardo, but it's usually the pinion. Try the pinion gear from the Surfmaster, it should work.
NO Ricardo, the pinion from the Surfmaster won't work. The main gear is the same but the pinion ID is different.
Well,this morning a bought a caliper and check all measures.I noticed that one metal washer is out of shape (center hole not completely round) and main gear ID is 2/10 of a millimeter and a half wider than bridge sleeve OD.I tried the Surfmaster main gear (1/10 of a millimeter and a half ID) with the whole Squidder dragwasher set (including the ID out of shape metal washer) and cranking was smooth and silent.
I believe the cause of the problem was the 1/10 of a millimeter ID wider of the Squidder main gear.
Ricardo
I'm glad you found the problem. I would think that the pinion or the tip of the sleeve would give up before the inner part of the main gear, this proves that you learn something everyday. Also, from what you've described you might need a larger reel. You might be fishing that reel too hard :-\.
Thanks for the update Ricardo.
Sal
hadn't even thought of that! :-\
You're right Sal.I made the mistake of using the Squidder for big yellow tail fishing last summer in Mar del Plata (Bs. As).I should have used the 349HC but I forgot it at home.Yellow tail's running is so much powerful,at least here in Argentina,and if you're lucky and hook a 39 pounds while trolling,well you know it's gonna be hard.In Argentina this kind of fish is named Pez Limón (Pesce Limone)
Ciao Paesa'
A 39 pound Yellowotail on the troll is hard core in Argentina, San Diego or Anchorage Alaska for that matter!
Ron
Good find. Thanks for sharing. Something that would have definitely drove me nuts, for sure.