Broke down my 8 SX's ranging from the 1st run original to the new model never used. I greased all the drags, screw holes, etc etc etc per Alan's post on the subject.
I tested the drags before and after, both in the used and abused reels, and the brand new. The results were exactly the same in all reels.
MAX DRAG I saw was 8LBS at STRIKE and 9lbs at FULL, before losing freespool....???? I was under the impression that the reel was to put out 9 strike and 14 full.
Greasing the drags have done away with the "warm-up" surge that is required on the initial pull to get the spool moving, and is much smoother.
I am concerned about the lack of drag I am seeing. Once you get to around 5lbs strike 6 full, the handle gets more difficult to turn, and the lever gets much stiffer. Turning the knob just before losing free spool I get 9 MAX but the lever is almost ridiculously hard to move to full.
Questions: Is something I am doing totally wrong??
Drags are being checked directly off reel, not mounted on a rod.
Are the levers harder to push with increasing drag settings??
Are the handles supposed to get stiff at deeper drag settings?? I know that was an issue early on but I thought they fixed that????
you should easily get 9#'s at strike, greased, dry or sticky, and at full it should ramp up quickly!!!!!!!!!. regardless if the cause, a quck fix might require only changing the belleville pressure washers from "()()" to "(())". perhaps try this and let's see what kind of results you get.
as far as the handle loading up, it should not happen until you get past 10#'s of drag, so check the right main side plate bearing. chances are it's slightly corroded. the avet sx post does not go through the removal of the right side plate bearing. when i wrote it last year, i still did not appreciate how important that was. take a look at the ex 4/02 post to give you an idea. it's very simple.
nothing about these reels sounds right. let's go through them again, service all of the bearings, regrease and clean the drag washer, and then try the belleville's in the stock and heavy positions. i'll keep an eye out for your next report. alan
Thanks Alan, I am going to go through them as you noted, and see the results. All reels are impeccable shape, even the 4 yr old didn't have a spot on it, so I know corrosion is not the cause. I am going to send out an SX for you to look at with my EX's so you can have a look and tell me what I am doing wrong. Thanks as always for your help.
Pulled the reel back apart and dis-assembled the right side plate. I did find a tiny bit of rust on the bearing, on 1 of the 2. I soaked the bearings in Corrosion X for an hour. Put everything back together and tested again.
There is significant pressure on the reel handle with only 5-6 lbs of drag. The reel is hard to turn at strike, even harder at full. I have no idea, but I am seeing the problem in a few of them. I am sending them out to you asap, you should have them by middle of next week. Thanks in advance buddy.
i go through so many reels that i can't keep track. captain johnny, did you ever send me those reels? as far as i know they could still be in a box in my garage ........
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