A few questions about Penn 50vsw's and 70vs's

[seh34]

Alan,

I have several 50s and 70s with clicker problems.  how do you remove a stuck clicker?

I've let the sideplate sit in mineral spirits, penetrating blaster, oil, and i can't get the clicker out.  I've tried everything i can think of, including hitting it with a hammer. 

the only thing that did was deform it, then i had to cut the assembly with my dremmel.

also, do you have a special tool for removing retaining rings?  i have to buy retaining rings all the time because i can't get them out without ruining them.

i could use a little finesse help i guess...   

[seh34]

ended up cutting apart some longline clips and bending them into a 90 degree L... then i used a grinder to flatten out the round wire to make bearing pullers.. had to use three of them and pull at the same time, it was really tight!

still trying to get the clicker out, don't really know what to do... it's the only one i'm having that problem with.  i hope i don't need a new side plate assembly on top of the clicker.

[alantani]

i' ve got a 70 in line right now.  it will be a little bit later in the week, but when i crack it open i will take a look.  alan

[seh34]

Just thought i'd post an update...

I went on vacation for two weeks and soaked the sideplate in "penetrating blaster" the entire time without any luck.

I ended up clamping the sideplate to my workbench and using the cutting blade on the dremel to cut through the clicker retaining nut.  This let me pull out all the clicker parts and try to drill out the portion of the clicker stuck in the sideplate. [part number 95-70 click tongue bushing on the older version of the 70vs]

It saved me from buying a sideplate but i'm out a clicker assembly.

The problem is that the anodizing has worn off the area so it's raw aluminum against the stainless clicker..

Some of the 70s have over 300 canyon trips on them..  aside from replacing drag washers this has been the only problem I've had.

Once we free them all we'll probably take out the clicker assembly and re-lube half way through the season.  Twice a season should keep them free.