Spool tension not tightening enough (if at all)

[PTasker15]

I bought a Lew's KVD LFS Reel the other. Brand new from the factory. Last night I spooled up some 20lb test and tied on a 3/16oz Texas Rig to practice pitching and short casting with and found even with:

The Drag Locked Down

Spool Tension Knob turned as high as humanly possible

Centrifugal Brake Pins all turned on

Magnetic Brakes set to max

 

That the lure falls way too fast and cannot be controlled. And that's just 3/16oz, I planned to use up to 1oz lures with this. Any Ideas on fixes? I've serviced reels before so I don't mind opening her up. Just don't want to go through Lew's warranty because I need this reel in 2 weeks for a tournament and cannot afford another meanwhile. Thanks in advance.

[garroyo130]

Sounds like a tension knob issue. Any spacers missing under the cap? 

[PTasker15]

35 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

Sounds like a tension knob issue. Any spacers missing under the cap? 

Dont appear to be. Ill switch knobs to see if that's the issue.

[garroyo130]

13 minutes ago, PTasker15 said:

Dont appear to be. Ill switch knobs to see if that's the issue.

 

Thats honestly the only thing I can think of. Theoretically you could pull the gear set, drag, and brakes off but should still be able to tighten it enough to prevent free fall using just the spool tension knob. Could also be the side plate isnt properly locked into place? In either case, the spool shaft seems to not be making contact with the spool tension knob. 

[Eric 26]

@PTasker15 Can’t you exchange it in time if it’s brand new?

[FrnkNsteen]

As you tighten down the spool cap, are you able to eliminate the side to side play? If so, then it SHOULD be able to apply enough force to slow the spool. I actually just run all of mine with no tension and just tight enough to eliminate side play.

 

I had one Lews LFS that just wouldn't tighten up. Turns out it was missing the carbon disk that goes in the cap. To test, you can cut a small piece of one of those square bread bag clips and put it inside the cap. If it tightens up then, ... Something is missing.

 

In my instance, I contacted Lews customer service and they sent me a new cap.

[WRB]

The drag has nothing to do with the spool released to cast.

You said you swapped tension knobs and that didn’t work but the original knob works on that reel.

The side plated are tighten properly, no gaps?

 Try swapping the spools, if that works return the new reel!

Tom

 

[postoak]

Did you remove the tension knob at some point?  Maybe you cross-threaded it.  It's easy to do.

[PTasker15]

Forgot about this. I did swap the tension knob with one from another spool and it worked flawlessly. Oddly, the tension knob from this reel works just fine on the other reel, so no issues. I did contact lew's about a replacement. Hate to see it, got really scared there for a second.

[PTasker15]

On 11/12/2023 at 1:25 PM, Eric 26 said:

@PTasker15 Can’t you exchange it in time if it’s brand new?

No since I did it online, but Lew's being Lew's, is sending me a brand new cap on them. Might not be here in time, but I appreciate the customer service.

[papajoe222]

Just an FYI for everyone; brakes and magnets do not have any effect when checking spool tension by letting your lure fall from the rod tip. The spool needs to spin much faster than that for them to come into play.  I won a bet with a guy at my club that claimed they do.

[PTasker15]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:15 PM, papajoe222 said:

Just an FYI for everyone; brakes and magnets do not have any effect when checking spool tension by letting your lure fall from the rod tip. The spool needs to spin much faster than that for them to come into play.  I won a bet with a guy at my club that claimed they do.

I know, but trust me when I say my spool was spinning THAT fast even at full tension before I put a new knob on there. They sent a replacement knob which also did not work, yet the knob from a different Lew's Reel works perfectly on the KVD and the KVD knob works perfectly on the other reel. It feels like the KVD Knob was not made for the KVD Reel at this rate lol.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

There’s likely a rubber o ring by the threads to apply some tension on the cap. Make sure it is seated all the way or it can keep the cap from tightening. Did the new cap come with the spacers? There’s some simple that’s just not obvious yet. 

[PTasker15]

On 11/19/2023 at 1:57 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

There’s likely a rubber o ring by the threads to apply some tension on the cap. Make sure it is seated all the way or it can keep the cap from tightening. Did the new cap come with the spacers? There’s some simple that’s just not obvious yet. 

There is no O-Ring. Both old and new knobs have spacers. KVD knob doesn't work on KVD Reel, KVD Knob works on every other reel. Other reel knobs work on KVD Reel. Very odd.

[postoak]

Remove the tensioner cap and press against the end of the spool shaft with something semi-hard (so as not to damage it) and see if the spool becomes harder to turn.