Repairing or rebuilding Garcia Mitchell reels

[zorthedog]

I have a 300 and I let my 10 year old try it.........he clicked the bail over when it was in the wrong spot and that was the beginning ......I had to take it apart to fix the Bail Spring and so I thought.....I had not cleaned it in a long time(don't try to fix what is not broke) anyway...I took it all apart and gave it a cleaning and put a few drops of reel oil here and there....put it all back together and it was spinning like a champ. Took it out to use it a few days later just to be sure it was OK...all went well until I tried reeling in the line....for some reason it went almost a full turn on the handle and then jammed up. It would not go forward or back.....I am wondering if I somehow lost a shim......I don't know what to do ...and the schematic I find on this site is not very clear to show where shims are supposed to be....anyone have any help??? thanks

[clamchucker]

for some reason it went almost a full turn on the handle and then jammed up. It would not go forward or back.....I am wondering if I somehow lost a shim......I don't know what to do ...and the schematic I find on this site is not very clear to show where shims are supposed to be....anyone have any help??? thanks

Zor those Mitchell reels are not the most complicated but you still have to be careful and take your time. It seems to me the most likely culprit is a spring that somehow was not installed correctly. You can fix this, but you need to be patient.

Set up a reasonable work space where you will not be disturbed. A table with good lighting is a must. As you get older, like me, you will appreciate this even more. Get a copy of the diagram and enlarge it as big as you can (again a tip mostly for us seniors). Slowly and carefully begin to disassemble the reel. This is where your patience will come into play. Make sure you have enough time to strip it down. If you are a good detective, by looking at the diagram as you disassemble it you will slowly begin to see your mistake unraveled.

Did you clean and lube everything carefully? If not now would be a good time to do it. Also if you have any springs or pieces that look worn now would be the time to replace them. Do not start putting that reel back together untul you have determined which parts are worn and need replacement. That would be like repairing a motor of a car by using old pistons. Carefully put the pieces back together according to the diagram. Double check your work at each step of the process. This is the part where a lot of folks make mistakes, you have to make sure not only do the parts fit together, but that the action will be as intended. If there is any binding or tightness at any stage, you must figure out where you went wrong.

If you really get to the point where you feel it's useless, you could bring the reel to any of several shops to be serviced. I don't know what area you are in, but we have some reliable tackle shops in New Jersey. Good luck, take your time, and follow the diagram exactly. You can do this, Zor. And welcome to the site. Why not tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be a fisherman when you get a chance? Where do you fish out of? What do you primarily fish for?

[zorthedog]

Thank you all for your help on this .....I sat down and went over the Reel once again and this time I really cleaned it well. Upon removing all the "grease" I noticed 2 things ...(1) the slide and the Pivot Gear were binding a little...upon closer look, the Pin that the Pivot Gear went on was loose. (2) I also noticed that the Driving gear was missing 1/2 of a tooth, which I think most likely goes back to the loose pin that the Pivot Gear sat on.....So in conclusion...I found a nice guy on Ebay that had gear sets for sale for a very reasonable price and for under 20 bucks I have replaced all the parts and the Reel is working again. I have had this Reel for 27 years and only retired it because me 3 sons bought me a Pflueger Reel for Fathers day .....I still like my Mitchell though...even though the new reel is smooth as can be....I just don't seem to like the feel of it......now I may retire it and use the good old Mitchell again since it it working great again. Maybe some day I will pass it down to one of my boys. Thanks again for your help, and keep fishin!!