Penn Squidder Handle - play in handle before reel engages

[barnacle]

I have an old Penn Squidder which has some play in the handle.  By this I mean that there is forwards and backwards play before the reel will engage.  Otherwise the handle feels fine and is properly sitted and functions as it should.  Is there an adjustment or repair that needs to be made so that the handle will feel engaged without forwards and backwards play?

[RowdyW]

First locate where the play is. Is it a worn fit between the handle arm & the gear sleeve? Then you need a new gear sleeve & possiblely a handle arm. Is the play between the pinion gear lugs & spool shaft lugs? There is supposed to be a certain amount of backlash there. Is the play between the pinion gear & main gear teeth. The teeth can not mesh solidly or they will bind under load. Your back play can not be assessed without accurate measurements of the precedding parts or by an educated guess by someone actually holding the reel that is fimiliar with that reel. Just saying your reel has backplay does not by itself mean much as all reels have a certain amount of backplay.         Rudy

[Petah]

Sounds like normal backlash caused by the dog and ratchet gear spacing. Cortez Conversions makes a gear sleeve that has a 9 tooth ratchet
gear instead of the stock 8 tooth which helps in taking up that handle slop. He's currently out of stock on that and there's a whole slew of people anxiously waiting for him to make some more!!
Hope that's helpful!!!

Peter