Well decided to brake down my 302 today to do a much needed service on it. Pics will be posted soon. There was some corrosion buildup on the lip of the spool and on the reel arm, so i soaked them as i was doing the cleaning, then touched them up with a wire brush.
As i removed the drag stack i realized that the last Guy that serviced it had put the drags in out of sequence which i believe is the reason that the drag seemed to skip. Then as i removed the spool i noticed that the bell housing was full of sand and grime. The grease inside the body of the reel was a mixture of blue and brown grease.
After full disassembly i cleaned all the parts and gave them a decent buffing. Put some TSI 321 on the bearing which was in great shape. And fully greased down the body with Penn blue grease. I also sprayed down the inside and outside with Corrosion X HD.
After all said and done she is back together and work smoother than before. All that i have left to do to it now is install a CF drag stack, and get a power handle knob for it to help out when fighting big Cobia (Ling / Lemon Fish) this spring.
and so it begins..... ;D
And more pics from Chris
Chris,
I have tons of parts for the 302/402 reels. A bunch of reel bodies, rotors, side plates, and bearings. The drag washers you need are Penn's 6-155's.
Do you have any of the 6-155's at the house. Also would you be willing to sell that box of 302/402 frames and parts.
Very nice Chris!...
Good Job Chris! ;D
Thanks guys. All in all it was very simple. The only 2 issues i ran into were;
1. The spindle for the spool was locked down. Took about 10 minutes to finally brake it loose. And
2. It took a good minute to finally see the C-clamps that were holding the oscillator slide to the axel. Once i found them every thing just fell together.
Doing the same to one I I found. Just sent Handi2 and email with a parts request.
I just read your email and will pull the parts today. Do you need the metal and HT-100 drag washers?
Strong work Chris!
That's all there is to it. Alan and the other pros have taught us the basics, now we just have to dive in and do it! :D
Gentlemen-may I post a request regarding a 303 I recently scored on the Bay...? My first Mitch and they are interesting! The reel was packed with varios goo posing as lube(actually was grease of at least 2, maybe 3 extractions). After disassembly and cleaning, I discovered a tiny key?? in the mess. A check on the Mitchell site(Soo very useful), places the key on the pinion in a hole( I think). True or not? Somewhere else? Also no friction washers were found in the drag, just an extra metal unkeyed one. So-- how many friction washers are used? On breakdowns I've seen it appears there may be as few as one!! Got a sheet of CF and can make some( 1mm) but need some input. Those schems are hard to read on the Mitchell site. Love this forum-- thanks Alan!! WC :) :) :)
Quote from: Kozmo77 on July 14, 2015, 05:01:30 PM
After disassembly and cleaning, I discovered a tiny key?? in the mess. A check on the Mitchell site(Soo very useful), places the key on the pinion in a hole( I think). True or not?
Kozmo, you are exactly correct! That nearly-invisible key (part #81404, which has caused generations of Mitchell fans to tear their hair out) goes into the hole on the pinion gear (part 81404)... oriented lengthwise. Without it, the rotating head will not turn.
Good luck! It's a great reel, if a total headache to re-assemble. ;)
~
A~
Many thanks beautiful lady!! Have read many of your fine posts and consider your guy extremely fortunate with impeccably good taste! :D :D
Quote from: Kozmo77 on July 14, 2015, 05:37:46 PM
Many thanks beautiful lady!! Have read many of your fine posts and consider your guy extremely fortunate with impeccably good taste! :D :D
You're most welcome, Kozmo. BTW, my guy is actually a gal... and
I'm the fortunate one! ;D
~
A~
Aiala nailed it, Kozmo --
Without the "key" -- the pinion will not operate.
Guard it carefully -- they are second cousins to dog springs -- they like to go off on their own -- never to be seen again. If there is a lot of grease on the pinion -- these are nearly invisible -- if the pinion is dry -- they fall out. Just need to know this in advance.
Here is a drag stack blow up from the underside of a new spool -- might help a bit.
Also included a new key -- so others can see what you are working on.
Best and good luck,
Fred
(http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx130/foakes1/ADF78BB8-5CA5-4990-9DBB-24F707C0DCFA_zps7sroxltv.jpg) (http://s748.photobucket.com/user/foakes1/media/ADF78BB8-5CA5-4990-9DBB-24F707C0DCFA_zps7sroxltv.jpg.html)
OOOh MY!!! ;) ;)
Thanks so much friends. Fred, really appreciate the layout from the spool. I fabbed 3 CF washers and got the rest of the metal discs in the pack, but last ones under the master spring are out of sequence- will fix!!! Love this forum!!WC ;D ;D ;D
I have the pinion keys if ever needed.
To update the drag system get 6 Penn 6-155 HT-100 drag washers. With an empty spool and the spools spindle in place do it like this for a super smooth drag.
6-155 drag washer, round brass washer, 6-155 drag washer, eared brass washer, 6-155 drag washer, round brass washer, 6-155 drag washer, eared brass washer, 6-155 drag washer, round drag washer, 6-155 drag washer, then the original top hat washer on top for the spring to sit on. Grease the drag washers as you go.
If you cant fit that many always end up with a round drag washer on top. Most people use 4 drag washers but sometimes I can fit 6. The top ones is just to make things turn smoother.
Thanks Handi!! Evidently you culled the waffle washer and spur to make some room. I assume the top hat is the flanged sleeve next to the coil. Will tinker and improvise. May I presume on you offer in the future if I need some Mitch parts? Will gladly pay ;D ;D
Great reels but the tiny c clips and key are indeed maddening....Mr. Oakes has one of my 402's (on Aiala's recco ;) now that I just could not get smooth after about four dissassemblies.
Thor- my 303 is not super smooth, but it is functioning okay. I have some grief from time to time with my little levelwinds( Shimanos,usually) and have had to almost wear out small parts in disassembly. I'm sure The Master will make your Mitch make music!! :D :D
Here is my big question. Has anyone noticed that the breakdowns of the spool that were apparently used for repairmen show the cross-shaped tension washer that goes right under the drag adjustment goes in with the legs up, while the sticker on the spool shows it going in with the legs down? What to do? Down seems to make more sense.
:o :o :o
I was wrong! I am taking apart a bunch of NOS spools, and see that the legs should go UP into the little black knob. The washer will be under constant tension then. Otherwise, they would never touch anything unless the drag was completely backed off. The diagram on the spool is wrong.
Randy- the spool schem is probably right. The cross spring will apply finger pressure against the keyed-threaded nut properly. Much like a throughout bearing in a clutch system on manual trans cars. The plastic winged knob is strongest in the center where it contacts the cross spring. I'm mystified by the waffle and spur system in the middle of the drag pack. Maybe Fred wil tell us if Handi doesn't beat him to it :D :D WC
Quote from: Kozmo77 on July 30, 2015, 07:36:05 PM
I'm mystified by the waffle and spur system in the middle of the drag pack. Maybe Fred wil tell us if Handi doesn't beat him to it.
If I'm not mistaken, that's the click spring assembly, it's what makes the ratcheting noise when you pull line out against the drag. (I had a heck of a time with it, too... Fred helped me out.) Some folks get rid of it in favor of more drag washers to increase drag, but I kept mine original. :)
~A~
Thanks Dear Lady- makes perfect sense! Kept mine in the parts box, NEVER throw away a reel part! The CF discs and the metal washers make a terrific drag system for the 303. The clicker is a wonderful addition- will probably put mine back in someday. :D :D
Thanks, KOZMO. That was my thought, and the way I have been going with it.
:o :o :o
See above! I was wrong. The legs go UP. That should be easy to remember.
With the HT-100's you get rid of the clicking washers in the spool. The drag will be super smooth much like the newer reels made today.
You also don't need any of the parts above the pinion bearing. Neither the plastic part and the metal ring. They can cause the rotor to not spin smoothly and sometimes you can't tighten the rotor nut properly. If you ever get one that when you tighten the rotor nut the rotor gets stiff when turning this is why.
When it's assembled if there is any side to side movement of the spool you have to go back in and place shims on the block that the end of the spool shaft connects to. Most reels need at least one. If you don't have any you can make them out of a 114H dog spring. The flat copper spring's.
The size of the pinion bearing is 9x17x4. Ceramic bearings are a waist of money on these reels. A good SS bearing packed with CorrosionX and grease is the way to go. Cap off the bearing with grease before installing the rotor.
A couple of these are for sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/REEL-OLD-GARCIA-MITCHELL-302-402-PENN-HT-100-UPGRADED-DRAG-SET-MINT-PART-PARTS-/121728477861?hash=item1c57952aa5
~A~ :)
Thank you, ma'am. I will get busy!
Quote from: AmishRandy on August 25, 2015, 09:24:14 AM
Caution: this is scary.
Had a spool acting funny. It wouldn't click all the way around, and it didn't want to unscrew from the reel. It was cleaned as much as it would clean, greased and assembled correctly, and exploded for no apparent reason. Anyone ever seen this? It didn't do the spool body insides any good.
Needless to say, I am now on the hunt for OE drag washers and clicker parts.
Oh Snap AmishRandy. Unfortunately I do not have replacement parts for you. Fred may though.
Fred, can you help?
If you want the clicker parts that you show that are broken I can send you some. Just PM me your address and I will send them out.
Thanks, Keith --
If you find you do not have this part -- I should be able to back you up, for Randy.
Best,
Fred
Randy, when it comes to impossible-to-find parts, Keith and Fred are the all-star miracle workers.
Last year, in a move that would make an imbecile seem comparatively intelligent, I actually threw away the exact part you're seeking, the Mitchell click spring. I despaired of ever finding a replacement, until Fred sent me one. Saved! ::)
You are in good hands. ;)
~A~
Thank you Gents! Saver!
Please send me your address and I'll mail them to you. I'll add some 6-155 HT-100 drag washers if you want to use them.
You can also use one of the drag washers under the spool if the original washer is missing or in bad shape.
Keith
One more thing. If you need a pinion bearing let me know and I'll add it to the package. With the rotor assembled and spun by hand it should be quiet. If it isn't the bearing needs replacing.
Wow! Thank you very much! You guys are life savers! Thank you Keith, for taking the initiative to contact me by email, as I don't get on here much. Also for hooking me up!
Randy
Thank you everyone! It was a rainy day in California(we need it) and I decided to clean my ~50 year-old 302, possibly to put on 50# braid. I put in carbon fiber drag disks and it is much smoother, getting ~10# of drag by my electronic scale. Could the internal components handle 50# braid?
I have to bring Chris's old thread to the top so I can find it.
Quote from: smnaguwa on January 19, 2016, 03:17:38 PM
Thank you everyone! It was a rainy day in California(we need it) and I decided to clean my ~50 year-old 302, possibly to put on 50# braid. I put in carbon fiber drag disks and it is much smoother, getting ~10# of drag by my electronic scale. Could the internal components handle 50# braid?
The internals can only handle a certain amount of drag. Keep it light and the reel will last. Most people around here use 20lb mono for Kingfish and some Cobia.
They are much smoother than the Penn 706.
Thanks for the good advice.
dose aney one have part81404 the part from hell for a mitchell 303 thanks