When I attempt to turn the handle the pinion and main gear sometimes are not aligned right so I can't turn it. It looks to me like the pinion gear is not sitting in the right place all the time. With the newell bridge assembled the way it is I am not sure how to go about fixing this problem. I've read on some other forums that newell has issues with quality control so I'm worried that I may have a "lemon". The reel is a "no letter" series reel that I bought a couple years ago. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
This is fairly common in Newells and sometimes in Penns as well when you take the sideplate off. You have the sideplate off I assume? Once you put the spool back in and put the sideplate asembly back in to place, it should fix the problem. The shaft on the spool should go through the pinion and align it correctly. I hope this is just the problem. If it still doesn't catch once the spool is back in, call up Norma at Newell and see what can be done.
