Could use some help with this Abu 120.

[Retroman83]

Hi friends. I recently picked up a 120 in pretty nice shape. No line grooving or wear. I’ve had several Abu spincast but none with this problem. The problem, the pickup pin seemingly does not extend far enough. Line keeps jumping off, even with tension, constantly. This is to the point that’s it’s not fishable. I thought my mistake was using cheap 10lb line but even with 8lb Trilene, same problem. There is zero wear on the pickup pin rotor. I have even warmed the line before spooling to help set some memory. I have around 30 spincast reels but this one has me stumped. Does anyone know if this was a common occurrence with the 120. Any advice I would really appreciate!

[Paul Roberts]

I don’t have many spin-cast reels myself. Pickup issues were most often line issues, but it sounds like you’ve tested that. Have you compared the rotor/ pickup pin mechanism with others, esp other 120’s? Something is out of whack -a spring or mount impeding pickup travel? Curious.

[john elder]

Can you pull out on the pickup and make it extend farther? If so, might be bent enough that its hanging up on the exit hole or weak spring. Light filing would fix the former and replacement the latter. Just some guesses.. no experience with that reel. I have had the opposite problem of a pin not fully retracting, so that an aggressive cast resulted in the plug going 50 feet while the line went 2 ft! Lost a couple River Runts that way!

[Midway Tommy D]

I think JE may be on to something with the pin coming out far enough. Tough to tell for sure from the photo, but it looks kind of dirty around the pin/spring area. Maybe there's something preventing it from extending fully.

[Paul Roberts]

Yes, try pulling up on the pickup pin as John suggests. Does it come up further? Indicating that it's being impeded in some way.

[Retroman83]

Thanks guys. The pin does indeed pull out nearly twice as far the pin mechanism on this reel doesn’t rotate around the spool hub like a Johnson for example, so it can’t be worn down. When you click it, the pin sits flush the way it should so any adjustments would be bad. The spoon screws on without a hitch and It clicks and engages like butter.

I’m starting to think this might be a design problem. The 120 was not a common reel.

[Paul Roberts]

I assume the angular piece is a "spring"/lever under tension that moves the pickup pin in and out? If so, perhaps it is slightly bent so that the pin travel is reduced? Might try a bit of tweaking?

[Midway Tommy D]

I don't think it's a design flaw, I have a feeling that maybe a part is worn or bent, or one of the two springs needs some adjusting. There's really not much to these reels that can go wrong.

Here's a schematic for it. Click on it once to enlarge and click on it again to enlarge it more

[Paul Roberts]

If not the armature travel...perhaps the pickup coil spring has compressed?
I have a spinning reel that has a pin to hold the bail open. The spring that activates it was compressed. I stretched it back out a tad. A quick fix.

[Retroman83]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. This is an odd spinner head. The center hub is what controls how far the pin travels inward, and the smaller pin SHOULD controls how far it travels outward, but it doesn’t make it that far. The spring pushes the pin inward. The reel pin sits completely flush when casting, the way it should. This reel has ha very little use, and I can see why. This one’s a doozy.

[Paul Roberts]

Is there a gasket/washer missing from the central hub? It looks like there might be. Possibly with part#6718.
In the photo you provided, it looks as though there may be a dark (leather, rubber?) washer in there that may be corroded?
Or... perhaps the threaded piece needs to be raise on the shaft?



Guess I'd check everything against the schematic Tom provided.

[Midway Tommy D]

This is an odd spinner head.

No, it's really not. It's quite similar to the Abumatic 170, except the 170 has two pins. Same instructions as before to enlarge the thumbnail:


I know a lot of guys that swear by the 120s, 140s & 170s.

Here's a 170 disassembly/reassembly video on YouTube that might help you figure out the problem.

[Retroman83]

I guess odd wasn’t the best choice of words lol, just unfamiliar. I can diagnose a Zebco or Johnson rotor easily but the only other Abu I’ve had was the big 190 that I sold. Thanks for the suggestions and videos. After studying many pictures and videos, especially ones showing how far the pickup pin travels, and where it sits, I’m fairly certain there is actually nothing wrong with this reel It’s as if the fat line pin just doesn’t seem to work well. It very well might just need a very high memory line or something with a lot of coil.

[Midway Tommy D]

Here's a video that better shows how to service take an Abumatic 170 completely apart and also adjust the inner rotor plate. It should help a lot for adjustment of those mechanical parts.