Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Penn International Tutorials and Questions => Topic started by: handi2 on July 28, 2018, 02:53:43 PM

Title: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on July 28, 2018, 02:53:43 PM
I finished two of these lately and the last one I am having trouble with the reel. The reel gets hard to crank when any drag is applied. It has great freespool, cranks just fine in both gears with no drag. Any drag applied and it just wont reel. Drop it back into freespool and it spins and cranks just fine.

All bearings have been replaced and the pinion bearing twice.

Both reels are in great shape and the first came out just fine.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Keith
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: mizmo67 on July 28, 2018, 06:13:13 PM
It's driving me crazy..I know the answer to this but I cannot remember what it was...argh.
I checked my notes file but I never added it....
Sometimes I hate lyme brain.

Our other tech has worked on the internationals more. I can make a note to ask him on Monday if you don't have the answer here by then.

Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on July 28, 2018, 09:03:14 PM
Quote from: mizmo67 on July 28, 2018, 06:13:13 PM
It's driving me crazy..I know the answer to this but I cannot remember what it was...argh.
I checked my notes file but I never added it....
Sometimes I hate lyme brain.

Our other tech has worked on the internationals more. I can make a note to ask him on Monday if you don't have the answer here by then.



Thank you dear... ;D
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: alantani on July 29, 2018, 02:49:41 PM
just because i can't think of anything else, try a shim washer in between the left side plate washer and the pressure plate.   :-\
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Tightlines667 on July 29, 2018, 06:04:51 PM
I guess you have to troubleshoot to see if you csn figure out where things are binding up.  Sometimes if you don't have enough space at tye belleville stack the maingear can contact the spool when the drag lever is engaged, another possibility is the handle shaft has enough side to side play to bind under load.. maybe try polishing it? Playing around with shimming here and there might he in order.  If ai can't find any other obvious problems this is what I resort to.  Easy to shim the tailplate as alan suggested.  Or try shimming the stack.  Also make sure the spool isn't rubbing and the spool shaft isn't bent at all. 

These reels can be troublesome to tune, but at least the tolleramces are loose enough where there is some room to play around with different adjustments.

John
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: TheReelShop on July 30, 2018, 02:34:51 AM
Man I agree.


I can go by several internationals with no issues and wham!! I get one that takes the life out me.


Remove the carbon fiber plate from one or both drive plates. Install everything back and check to see if it still does it. That's one thing I'd do to start eliminating I guess. Maybe something is loose or off (idk) around the mains gear area.

If for whatever reason you hear grind or whatever, see if you find track marks to try and determine where the grinding or contact is taking place that's another suggestion
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: mizmo67 on July 30, 2018, 06:30:00 PM
Relayed from Scott I. here at the shop:

QuoteI would try shims first from both sides.
Only since he said the bearings were done: I would move on to the eccentric cam and cam follower assembly, as these wear over time.
Use new locating pins too.

These are my best guesses. Tough doing via email. I just keep going back to the pinion bearing and spool bearing though, as they are usually the issue.
~Scott I.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: TheReelShop on July 30, 2018, 08:56:28 PM
Curious as to what a worn cam assembly looks like
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Tightlines667 on July 30, 2018, 09:03:55 PM
I have seen marring on the bronze cam follower, or within the cam picket in the side plate, and the pins are sometimes worn flat or groved.  The cams themselves are made of extremly hard material. I have never seen one of these with damage.

John
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on July 30, 2018, 09:46:52 PM
Thanks a bunch guys and girls. I may get back in it tomorrow. Ill check everything once more and then start shimming. First I will shim the left side as Alan has mentioned. Then I will shim the pinion gear end at the bearing.

Everything is smooth and easy to reel. Move the drag lever up past freespool and it gets hard to reel. Its not acceptable to me.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: TheReelShop on July 30, 2018, 11:15:12 PM
Quote from: Tightlines666 on July 30, 2018, 09:03:55 PM
I have seen marring on the bronze cam follower, or within the cam picket in the side plate, and the pins are sometimes worn flat or groved.  The cams themselves are made of extremly hard material. I have never seen one of these with damage.

John

I've seen the marring before. and some of the worn pins (not too crazy though). I didn't know that was considered wear on the cam system
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Penn on July 31, 2018, 11:17:01 AM
With the preset backed all the way off and the lever at strike how much drag do you have? 

tony
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on July 31, 2018, 09:46:32 PM
Quote from: Penn on July 31, 2018, 11:17:01 AM
With the preset backed all the way off and the lever at strike how much drag do you have?  

tony

Way too much Tony. Both drag plates were changed to new Dura Drag. The first reel had no issues.

Keith

The bellville washers are in a soft position. (()).
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Tightlines667 on July 31, 2018, 10:44:52 PM
Quote from: handi2 on July 31, 2018, 09:46:32 PM
Quote from: Penn on July 31, 2018, 11:17:01 AM
With the preset backed all the way off and the lever at strike how much drag do you have?  

tony

Way too much Tony. Both drag plates were changed to new Dura Drag. The first reel had no issues.

Keith

The bellville washers are in a soft position. (()).

Sounds like you might need thinner bellevilles or remove one and ad a shim to reduce the stack height.

Actually the ()() or )()( is softer configs., but taller stacks.  Play around with these.

John
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on August 02, 2018, 07:25:51 PM
One shim on the outer drag plate did the trick. Easy and and done. When drag was applied the outer drag plate was rubbing on the nuts that secure the gear adjustment screws. Shimmed on top of the left side plate bearing.

Thank you all,

Keith
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on August 02, 2018, 07:32:35 PM
Quote from: handi2 on August 02, 2018, 07:25:51 PM
One shim on the outer drag plate did the trick. Easy and and done. When drag was applied the outer drag plate was rubbing on the nuts that secure the gear adjustment screws. Shimmed on top of the left side plate bearing.

Thank you all,

Keith

Rubbing on the dog posts.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Whit on August 08, 2018, 11:02:20 PM
+1 on the locating pins.  I seen them mashed into various stages of disulility.  Sometimes a visual check will tell you the pins are good, but then replacing them makes all the difference.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: alantani on August 08, 2018, 11:15:08 PM
here's that shim washer that i was talking about earlier.  just finished two of these and they did not have or need the washer.  now this third one has a washer,  it provides a little space between the drag pressure plate and the left side plate bearing.  maybe there were differences between some of the different runs of side plates......   :-\
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: Tightlines667 on August 09, 2018, 02:08:33 AM
Shimming in this location is also used to push the outter drag disc away from the cooling shield when the reel is in freespool and the belleville stack height is too small.  A mark from the spoolshaft contacting the tailplate when in full, or rub marks on the outter drag disc (from cooling shield, dog posts, or screws) is a telltale sign it is needed.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: handi2 on August 09, 2018, 05:21:45 PM
That's all it took. I have seen that shim many times on the larger reels. I guess my memory is not working right.

Or the fact that i just quit smoking and my mind ain't right.
Title: Re: Penn 80 SW
Post by: foakes on August 09, 2018, 05:39:49 PM
This was great information plus a solid example of "Alan Tani worldwide Ohana teamwork" in action!

Impressive job, everyone!

Best,

Fred