Anti Reverse Pawl clicking noise on Shimano CH100BPV

[GeorgeN]

After cleaning and lubing my CH100BPV, I noticed that the anti-reverse pawl makes a clicking noise while cranking the reel as it engages the anti-reverse ratchet under the drag stack.  If I point the reel straight up the noise disappears.  Does this mean the pawl is bad?  The noise was not apparent before cleaning.  There are two thin metal guides that are part of the pawl assembly that appear to bracket the ratchet plate the pawl engages.  Could these thin metal guides have lost their tone or become spread allowing play in the pawl to ratchet engagement?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks, George Santee, CA

[alantani]

if the noise appears when you turn the reel to one side or the other, that is usually the spool that is hitting something.  what is the orientation of the reel when the noise appears?

[GeorgeN]

The clicking sound is there when the reel is in normal orientation horizontal to the floor as the reel handle is slowly turned.   If I slowly raise the reel up toward the vertical position while slowly cranking, the noise subsides.  When the reel is in free spool the spool spins freely and silently.  I actually disassembled the reel carefully leaving the drag stack together and it is the anti-reverse pawl clicking as the ratchet wheel on the bottom of the stack spins.  If I raise the partially disassembled reel up as described above, the anti reverse pawl to spinning ratchet plate noise actually stops.  The reel functions absolutely normal except for the clicking of the ant-reverse pawl as it meets each tooth of the ratchet plate.  It's as if the fit of the pawl to plate has to much play.  The only thing I can think of is perhaps the thin metal fins on the pawl are not riding on the upper and lower flat surface of the ratchet plate tightly enough allowing a little slap as the pawl engages the plate.  When you raise the reel to the vertical position, I think the pawl's weight and gravity actually dampens the clicking sound.  Thanks for your quick reply.  If the problem is actually the fins perhaps being spread to far, do you think trying to adjust them inward would do any good or should I just try and order a new anti reverse pawl?  Thanks, George

[alantani]

yes, just squeeze the fins together.  if you squeeze too much, you will notice an increased resistance when you crank the handle. just give the fins a light squeeze so that the fins grab the ratchet gear and it should be good.  you need enough "grab" so that the pawl will move backwards if the ratchet gear moves backwards, but not so much that you feel a significant amount of resistance when you turn the handle. 

good detective work.  you've got your self a sticky!

[GeorgeN]

Thanks Alan.

It's encouraging to get good advice from reel maintenance experts like yourself and the many other knowledgeable folks on these forums.  I'm relatively new at doing this as I started last year around the time I joined up with the forums.  I love working on my own gear and have also helped a few friends get their reels in shape from advice and guidance I have received here and from Shimano in Irvine.  I really wish I had more time to work on reels.  It is very relaxing and rewarding for me.

Keep up the good work,
George Santee, CA

[Pro Reel]

On shimano freshwater reels, that AR Pawl is just a back up protection in case your AR clutch slips. Most of the reel techs that work on these reels just remove them and discard them. The reel runs a lot smoother without the AR pawl because you no longer have the metal fins rubbing on the ratchet gear. As long as you keep the AR clutch clean and just lightly oiled, it won't slip, and you won't need the backup pawl. The other thing to keep in mind is not to crank the drag tight and use the reel to pull a snag loose. If you do that, it puts a lot of presure on the clutch and that can make it slip.
Shimano reels manufactured for sale in Japan, known as JDM reels, don't have the pawl installed. They only put them in the reels for sale in the USA. Some say it's because the JDM reels are suposed to be more refined and they don't want that rubbing feel from the pawl.

[GeorgeN]

Yes I kind of thought about why there was a AR pawl in the reel.  I did not remove the pawl, but made the slight fin adjustment that Alan spoke of and I put a little grease on the AR ratchet and the result is that the reel is whisper quiet and very smooth now.  If I have any more problems with the noise returning, I would consider just leaving the AR pawl in the spare parts box.  I never ever put undo strain on my drag system and I have not had an AR bearing fail yet.  The old adage "take care of you reel and it will take care of you.

Thanks for your angle about the backup coverage of the AR pawl, it's definitely food for thought

George Santee, CA

[Zimbass]

Hi George,

As mentioned by pro-reel, I would recommend that the pawl be removed. They can cause a real mess to the internals of your reel when they decide to come apart.

Some say that where the reel is used in cold weather that the anti reverse bearing has a propensity to fail, so the pawl should be left in situ. I am sure that the Japanese weather can be as severe as the US northern states, but they never have them in their JDM versions of these baitcasters.

Only anti reverse bearing I have ever needed to replace was either rusted, or manufactured poorly.

Cheers mate.

Terry.