Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Yes, that pressed in washer will make it harder the clean out the bearing

Quote from: MolBasser on March 01, 2026, 11:41:37 PMBearing cup is not threaded well (this is a known problem I think) and the bearing doesn't spin for diddly so I basically have a bushing.

To fix the tension problem you can take a pair of groove/slip joint pliers to the "tabs" that surround the female threads in the side plate.

Very gently squeeze on opposing tabs thereby tightening up the tension in a circle.

A piece of thin brass sheet or similar in the plier jaws can help prevent marring.

I am at a loss to find the post where I did this on another Penn reel, but my "Goto" is:
1. You need something that you can use to put through the center hole and "hook" the bearing.  Old Man Joe's modification of snap ring pliers is good, but I also have an assortment of dental tools, nails with part of the head shaved off, and cotter pins with grooves machined in.
2.  A good socket (3/8 or 1/2") that the bearing cup just fits in.
3.  A vise.
Bearing cup in the socket where the shoulders of the bearing cup on on the outside rim of the socket, but the bearing cup itself is inside.  Clamp socket firmly in vise.  Reach in through the drive portion of the socket with your extractor of choice and insert/grab the back side of the bearing and...whale away.  Works best if you remove the retaining ring/washer first, which is usually as easy as just levering/prying it out with a fine screwdriver before you employ the socket/puller arrangement.  Sometimes they can be stubborn.  I have to try and find the pictures I posted on a reel rebuild of when I did it, but my memory not so good anymore. - john

You can put a lot of money into a Squidder, but no matter what you do, it still has slow 3.3:1 gears and dime size drags. A Newell 200 series is a Magnum Squidder with 5:1 Jigmaster gears and drags. A ProGear 255/251 is a fully aluminum frame/sideplate Magnum Squidder. Choose wisely!

Thanks for all the tips folks. I'll get those bearings out and cleaned when I do the drag stack. A 5+1 carbontex wet drag stack in a squidder running 20# mono is PLENTY of drag. And sure, it's slow. Sometimes there is a good place for that.  Also, I have a modded jigmaster, if I need those capabilities..

The 416 is a great reel.  I'm happy to have known them.

Sal taught me to not worry about the bearing or free spin time.  It doesn't take much lure weight to require liberal use of the spool tension knob..  The spool tension vastly overwhelms any difference in a brand new bearing and an old recently lubricated bearing.

It takes a highly educated thumb.  Slowing it down without having to resort to spool tension is difficult.  Adding magnets is possible but there is very little available space under there.

Quote from: oc1 on Today at 04:40:53 AMThe 416 is a great reel.  I'm happy to have known them.

Sal taught me to not worry about the bearing or free spin time.  It doesn't take much lure weight to require liberal use of the spool tension knob..  The spool tension vastly overwhelms any difference in a brand new bearing and an old recently lubricated bearing.

It takes a highly educated thumb.  Slowing it down without having to resort to spool tension is difficult.  Adding magnets is possible but there is very little available space under there.

This is certainly true. For me there is a certain level of wanting it to do what it is supposed to do with freespool. But in the end it takes an educated thumb.

Here it is so far.....

That's a great base to build on; screws are clean, trim rings sit square, older maroon model—-probably got you some steel gears there, too.

Quote from: cbar45ive on Today at 06:45:15 PMThat's a great base to build on; screws are clean, trim rings sit square, older maroon model—-probably got you some steel gears there, too.

The main gear looks to be brass, but I haven't really touched that side of the reel as I was waiting till I got the drag set.  But I just got my tax refund, so I splurged and bought the CC squidder kit this morning, which now solves my bearing problem. Lol.

I also got went to mystic and ordered the SS sleeve and star as Cortez Conversions said they were out on their website.  So now I will have a very good condition 140/6 frame laying around.  I'll probably find something to do with it....

ETA:  I had to go check, and yep.  Steel main gear, not brass.

A guy on Bloody Decks just picked up a 146 with Accurate frame and side plates at a garage sale... for $15!

Quote from: MarkT on Today at 09:51:33 PMA guy on Bloody Decks just picked up a 146 with Accurate frame and side plates at a garage sale... for $15!

I'm going to the wrong garage sales.....