Ardent Finesse 2000 Line Lay "gap" at top

[jplee3]

Hey all,

I noticed my Ardent Finesse 2000 had a very slight bottom heavy line-lay but the bigger issue was that there was a slight gap at the top.

Before:


There's only one plastic spool washer above the geared washer (there's a brass washer under the geared washer), so I tried removing the plastic washer and wound the line back on. Line lay looks a lot more even and there's much less of a gap. Is not having the plastic washer there going to be problematic or cause damage to the spool though?

After:

[foakes]

I think you might do better, and have less wind tangles — with about 1/8" less line on the spool.

Make sure you are winding it on by hand with a rod — instead of a motorized line winder —

Experiment with the washers — leaving the brass or nylon one off, as you have done —

Also, check the position of the bail guide and bail wire pick up — bend if possible and necessary —

Sometimes, the type or brand of line will also affect the line lay —

Best,

Fred

[jplee3]

I think you might do better, and have less wind tangles — with about 1/8" less line on the spool.

Make sure you are winding it on by hand with a rod — instead of a motorized line winder —

Experiment with the washers — leaving the brass or nylon one off, as you have done —

Also, check the position of the bail guide and bail wire pick up — bend if possible and necessary —

Sometimes, the type or brand of line will also affect the line lay —

Best,

Fred

Thanks Fred! I'll go ahead and remove some line. Does it still not look right outside of that though? I am winding by hand and using a microfiber cloth to add some 'tension' - I have the line passed through the nearest eyelet to the seat on the rod as well.

I've never heard of bending the bail wire - is this to allow more 'room' or space above the spool regarding the line lay?

I have wound on some cheap no-name 10lb braid and then on top of that Yo-zuri Hybrid 6lb.

[foakes]

Actually, on that type of reel — it is really where the line guide sets — and I am doubtful that bending the bail wire will help much — if at all.

Your close to getting it even, I think.

Best,

Fred

[philaroman]

are you sure the spool was merely riding high -- I'd expect more bunching at the bottom, "before"
& better results "after" (unless that's normal line-lay for a budget Chinese Ardent)

instead, is it possible you lost some oscillation range (top)
solid debris stuck in the grease in one "corner" of the oscillation slider, might cause that

[jplee3]

are you sure the spool was merely riding high -- I'd expect more bunching at the bottom, "before"
& better results "after" (unless that's normal line-lay for a budget Chinese Ardent)

instead, is it possible you lost some oscillation range (top)
solid debris stuck in the grease in one "corner" of the oscillation slider, might cause that

So best to open up the reel and inspect the internals for excess grease perhaps?

EDIT: I ended up opening it up and there was some excess grease but not sure how that will have impacted the line lay... as of now the reel is still open because I discovered that the ball bearing on the left side had a good amount of rust...UGH. So I am soaking it in Corrosion X. I don't feel like doing a full tear-down of the reel at the moment either so will probably just soak it overnight wipe off as much of the rust as possible and then go from there. I should probably just get a new ball bearing for the thing though. I was wondering why it felt slightly off when winding! I've only used the darn thing a couple times too but in the surf or around saltwater so that's probably why.

[philaroman]

specifically, check the oscillation disc gear (#54) & slider/block (#53)
https://ardentoutdoors.com/images/stories/virtuemart/product/8368-B.pdf
the nub on the disc travels inside a channel in the slider
if something is preventing the nub from going full distance side-to-side,
the spool won't go full distance up-and-down
excess grease wouldn't cause that, by itself, but something solid stuck in the grease, might
(like, sand or salt build-up)

[jplee3]

specifically, check the oscillation disc gear (#54) & slider/block (#53)
https://ardentoutdoors.com/images/stories/virtuemart/product/8368-B.pdf
the nub on the disc travels inside a channel in the slider
if something is preventing the nub from going full distance side-to-side,
the spool won't go full distance up-and-down
excess grease wouldn't cause that, by itself, but something solid stuck in the grease, might
(like, sand or salt build-up)

I cleared it of any grease but no difference - I don't think that was the problem. It could just be a mis-measurement somewhere. I know of one other person who has this reel and hasn't had the issues I've had. Anyway, Ardent is saying I can always send the spool in for servicing or what not. But maybe I'll just live with it and see how it fishes haha.