Another "reel won't re-enage" question, with a twist.

[postoak]

I don't have the problem but I see people saying this problem can be fixed by tightening the drag down until you hear a pop.  Often this appears to work.  Anyone want to hazard a guess what that popping sound is?

[fishingtx]

9 minutes ago, postoak said:

I don't have the problem but I see people saying this problem can be fixed by tightening the drag down until you hear a pop.  Often this appears to work.  Anyone want to hazard a guess what that popping sound is?

More than likely you breaking the reel😂

[PhishLI]

24 minutes ago, postoak said:

I don't have the problem but I see people saying this problem can be fixed by tightening the drag down until you hear a pop.  Often this appears to work.  Anyone want to hazard a guess what that popping sound is?

Never heard this one before. I imagine smacking it on the ground might do the same thing. Don't do either.

 

If the thumbar isn't coming back up, break it down, check the clutch return and yoke springs, and if they're fine then grease clutch mechanicals while it's apart. Should be good to go afterward.

[Big Hands]

On some baitcasters there is a square nut that the drag star has to get all the way over and it can be a little finicky if you don't know the tricks of getting it all the way on. It won't turn the spool until the star is all the way onto the nut. I have had it pop into place by tightening the nut, but only because it was almost ready to go down over it. I don't recommend giving it extra ugga-duggas to force it into place. 

 

Instead, screw the square nut down as far as you can with your fingers and then it's easier to get the star to slip into place. Then hold it against it while you get the handle and nut attached and it should stay in place. No ugga-duggas required.

[postoak]

 

 

 

The interesting thing is that a number of commenters to those videos say it happened on their brand new, never opened, reels.

[garroyo130]

Youre going far down the youtube rabbit hole. Get out and fish or practice casting or tear some old reels down or something. 

[postoak]

I figured some guru would know exactly why this worked. Understanding why would contribute to my knowledge of reel internals.

[garroyo130]

I complete understand and its great that you want to learn but some of these are just non issues or things that are specific to a single reel. 

 

The first video with the washer upside down is something that has happened to many of us but that we were quickly able to figure out and fix. 

 

The second video, I've never experienced or even heard of. One thing I did notice is he appears to start the video with the drag completely backed off which is why the spool wasn't engaging. He then loosened it even more before tightening it. In my experience reels usually have anywhere from a 1/4 to 3/4s of a turn on the drag star where at the completely loose end of things they do not engage the spool. Simply tightening the drag fixes that. 

[papajoe222]

There is a gear that sits atop the A/R ratchet that has tabs that fit into the underside of the main brass gear. If, during reassembly, those tabs don't fit inside, they press against the underside of the main gear leaving a gap that can allow that A/R ratchet to move up the drive shaft. In that position, it will not trip the thumb bar back into position.  By tightening the drag and turning the handle you can sometimes force that gear to slide into place.

I don't recommend doing this as reels differ in their placement of parts under the main gear and doing this may harm the inner workings.  It's best to take the side plate off and reassemble things in the correct fashion.

[postoak]

Oops, sorry, I posted the wrong first video.  Only the second video shows the problem and fix I was referring to.

 

papajoe222 -  hmm, that's an interesting idea.  That could be it.

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, postoak said:

Understanding why would contribute to my knowledge of reel internals.

I get it, but your concern is over an anomaly. This is highly uncommon.

Maybe the A/R sleeve, which happens to be keyed to the crank shaft AFAIK and not the pressure washer, got hung up on the crank shaft due to poor tolerances. Most slide easily. Some hang a bit on the shaft which deburring can solve. Maybe the ratchet came off of its keyed position on the crank shaft because the drag star was backed off hard and completely, but that still shouldn't happen anyway on a properly assembled reel. Regardless, there are things worth understanding and worrying about. This oddity is low on the list. I doubt you'll ever encounter it.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

10 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

There is a gear that sits atop the A/R ratchet that has tabs that fit into the underside of the main brass gear. If, during reassembly, those tabs don't fit inside, they press against the underside of the main gear leaving a gap that can allow that A/R ratchet to move up the drive shaft. In that position, it will not trip the thumb bar back into position.  By tightening the drag and turning the handle you can sometimes force that gear to slide into place.

I don't recommend doing this as reels differ in their placement of parts under the main gear and doing this may harm the inner workings.  It's best to take the side plate off and reassemble things in the correct fashion.

This is unique to certain Daiwa’s it’s the idler gear for the level wind which is under the ratchet in most models

These are case by case issues with no one common cause.  I can say with certainty though that spool tension is not one of them. The internet is a wonderful tool and source but there are pitfalls 

[MickD]

I used to have this issue with a Calcutta 100 when I would have the thumbar in the wrong position when putting the side cover back on.  It had to be either up or down, forgot which.