Crow Horse Posted February 8, 2019 Posted February 8, 2019 I should know better and the following is the bane of my existence...... I was servicing one of my Mitchell 300 Pro's and successfully tore it down, cleaned it out, lubed and reassembled without incident. I then began to loosen the bail screws to allow oil to drift into the mechanism and apparently I loosened them too much and the spring became undone (something I had hoped wouldn't happen). In my attempt to reassemble it, the plastic bail arm spring guide shot out at mach speed into the abyss. I could present a compelling argument contradicting "Matter can be neither created nor destroyed". After an hour of searching for the AWOL part, I decided to just order a replacement part. Not so easy as parts seem to be as common as hen's teeth. I did find an Abu Garcia part with the identical part number and it looked to be the correct part. I'll see when it arrives. Till then, I'm looking for the correct orientation of the parts for the bail. At this juncture, I feel like a chimpanzee sitting in front of a typewriter trying to type out a work of Shakespeare. Any help out there besides contacting Jane Goodall? Thanks..... Quote
Super User NYWayfarer Posted February 8, 2019 Super User Posted February 8, 2019 Good excuse to go out and buy a new reel. I am being entirely serious right now. 2 Quote
Subaqua Adinterim Posted February 8, 2019 Posted February 8, 2019 (edited) I have that same reel; it's a workhorse that I use for top waters and heavier lures. If you can fix it for the price of a small part, then why not? Look on YouTube to see instructions for putting it back together. Maybe not something for your exact reel; however, there should be something similar. Also, look on the Mitchell website for a schematic. I could take mine apart and take a picture for you, however, I'm reluctant based on your bad experience, which I don't want to repeat. If all else fails, consider sending it off to DVT. Good luck, hope you are able to get it back together. Edited February 8, 2019 by RichPenNY 1 Quote
Crow Horse Posted February 8, 2019 Author Posted February 8, 2019 18 hours ago, RichPenNY said: I have that same reel; it's a workhorse that I use for top waters and heavier lures. If you can fix it for the price of a small part, then why not? Look on YouTube to see instructions for putting it back together. Maybe not something for your exact reel; however, there should be something similar. Also, look on the Mitchell website for a schematic. I could take mine apart and take a picture for you, however, I'm reluctant based on your bad experience, which I don't want to repeat. If all else fails, consider sending it off to DVT. Good luck, hope you are able to get it back together. I'll search more on YouTube. The 300Pro teardown didn't address the bail. Maybe there's something similar.This reel is #4 and is my spare reel. The other 3 are 300 Pro's and I'm hesitant in sneaking a peek at them fearing that the same might happen. I'll wait till the part arrives and then I'll try to figure out the proper orientation/configuration. If all else fails, I'll send it out to have someone more knowing work their magic. I'm not giving up that easy....... Quote
Crow Horse Posted February 8, 2019 Author Posted February 8, 2019 5 hours ago, NYWayfarer said: Good excuse to go out and buy a new reel. I am being entirely serious right now. Even before I cracked open the Mitchell I was looking for another spinner. Not that I needed it but the current situation is much like getting rid of a vehicle because it has a flat tire. Once I get this resolved, I'll look for another reel to add to the arsenal. The current front runner is the Piscifun Carbon X 3000. Time will tell if this becomes a reality...... 1 Quote
Super User NYWayfarer Posted February 8, 2019 Super User Posted February 8, 2019 7 minutes ago, Crow Horse said: Even before I cracked open the Mitchell I was looking for another spinner. Not that I needed it but the current situation is much like getting rid of a vehicle because it has a flat tire. Once I get this resolved, I'll look for another reel to add to the arsenal. The current front runner is the Piscifun Carbon X 3000. Time will tell if this becomes a reality...... The reason I posted is I feel your pain. I took apart a baitcaster to clean it. Dropped the pieces on the floor and had the same gremlins as you grab some. Lost never to be found. I put the baitcaster back in the box and bought a new reel. the box is in my basement somewhere. Quote
Crow Horse Posted February 8, 2019 Author Posted February 8, 2019 Found the same bail system on certain Abu Garcia spinners and this video answers my question about reassembly. Unfortunately it doesn't tell me where my AWOL part is hiding. I'm OCD with certain things as well as competitive (challenging myself), so it would drive me mad if I couldn't get this reel back in service. From now on, if I disassemble anything that has an internal spring, I'll do it in an enclosed container...... Here's the video that shows the same type of bail system that is used on the Mitchell. Quote
Crow Horse Posted February 11, 2019 Author Posted February 11, 2019 Follow up- Success! I actually found the AWOL part and promptly proceeded to launch it again. Fortunately the replacement part arrived and I approached the assembly much differently. Unlike the posted video, I removed the side plate and pulled the spring out the bottom a bit to release the pressure. Once I assembled the upper parts I then put the spring back in it's proper position and then secured the side plate. Live and learn....... 1 Quote
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