help re mitchell repair

[john elder]

I imagine this is one for Milt, but anyone willing to throw a pitch is fine. I've got a little 309 (i'm a mutie) that quit working properly in mid-fishing trip...bail stopped holding open for casting. Almost certainly this bail spring needs replaced and maybe that will cure it all. However, the "blade" that slips through the slit in the center to make contact with the main shaft when you throw the bail isn't hitting the slit about half the time...catches up below the slit in the spool. Nothing appears to respond to tightening and it doesn't appear to be bent, when compared to it's 308 cousin I have. hope this really technical 'splanation makes sense and maybe someone can point out the fatal flaw...would love to get this one back in the game before going out after more albacore (just kidding...that's rainbows).

je

[piscesman]

John,
Even if the bail spring is broken the trip lever should engae when bail is opened. Did you check the little spring clip inside to make sure it has tension on the lever? Try a little oil and compressed air after removing the spool. I only use the "lefty" reels and have never had that problem. I'll probably figure it out sometime around 3:00 am and scream it from my sleep! I only hope my wife won't kick me out of the house thinking it's some other women's name...Good luck.
Kim

[john elder]

I'll pester it some more and if I can't get it to go, I'll post some pics...it all seems to work freely. I set it up and it works for a couple clicks of the bail, then the 'blade' catches below the slit and it screws up again. I assume since Milt posted and didn't offer the answer, it must be something he or Ben ground out in the Reel News sometime and is tired of people asking the same stupid questions...I'll have to go browsing and see if it's in the copies I have.

[SWIM JIG]

dogone, sunday I always take the wife out to dinner (her choice) even if im dead! John, its a rater simple fix, ( first thing is look at the bail wire, go to the oposite side of the bail spring, now take off that screw, and see if the bail wire pops away from the rotor, if it does the carfuly bend id back so it just rides on the rotor, if it is a tight fit with the screw out then you must bemd it outward, it must just ride free. When that is done place a SMALL amount of oil in the rotor area and replace the bail wire and screw. Those bail springs rarly go bad, they just get abused, see if you now have spring tension? if so oil very lightly. look at the arm that goes tru the rotor, is it bent down ? if so carfuly ben it upward to it ingages into the bail spring part of the bail wire assembly. if it engages then set it and crank the reel see if it trips ok. if not with the spool out look downd on the arm in the rotor is the rap around spring ok? and does the arm have spring resistance when you move and let off of it? That trip leaver is generaly 2 pice. John, if you will send me a stamped business size envelope I will mail you back a copy of a factory diagram. My adress is Col. Milton Lorens 759 TERRA LANE AMHERST OHIO 4401-1116-07 ) If the bail spring is broken or the trip leaver spring advise I will also send along mitchels parts address so you can get parts. Again SUNDAYS belong to the wife! ha ha , the other 7 days are mine. SWIM JIG

[FSREPAIR]

John,

Even though you don't think anything is bent I would say the problem is the trip lever and that it is bent. 95% of the Mitchell 308s - 309s I have worked that have the problem you described was due to a bent trip lever. Sometimes it is simple to get the trip lever bent back into the correct configuration and other times it can be more challenging. The easiest fix is to replace the trip lever. To try and describe how to rebend your trip lever is quite complicated and almost impossible without having the reel in hand. One other thing to check is that the pinion & bearing assembly is screwed properly into the rotor and that the rotor is seated correctly into the body. Check the small set screw, which holds the rotor assembly in the body of the reel, that it is not loose or broken. If those check out OK then the problem is most certainly a bent trip lever. Randy Heller

[john elder]

thanks to both of you! got to go watch the VJ/Tiger dual, then I'll give your tips a try and report back.

best,
j

6 pm west coast

Well, VJ kicked his butt...probably the best thing for him...maybe he'll get serious again, fire the blonde, and threaten Niclaus's records!

At any rate, I pulled the 309 out and followed the Masters' trip thru the reel (thanks again, Milt and Randy!). Everything was just a leeeetle bit off...bent the wire bail back a bit, loosened and then re-tightened the set screw holding the trip lever while it was in place in the "catch"; bent the protruding end of the trip lever up slightly to make a better fit in the bail catch...a little oil...voila...we're back on the lake! I set and released the bail 20 times or so, til I got that glare from the wife saying Enough...One thing that I noted was that the screw holding the trip lever in place could be tightened more, but that's when the trouble would start again...it's not loose at all, but not turned that last quarter turn. hmmmm, maybe that's all that's wrong with my golf swing, too...yeah, right.

great little reel.

[SWIM JIG]

John, take a close look at the screw holding the trip leaver, it has a lip on the underside and if you losen it a bit slide the tripleaver around as you start to tighten it, it will then go all the way down and tight with the trip leaver being free! the spring also fits in the grove. you will see when you get the diagram! yup its in color , dated 3/76 red is for the left hand parts ie (309) cant help you with golf, never done that, have fished in THE GULF OF Mexico ! got some nice fish. Did you ever think about casting the ball? still requires a swing. nuf on this ! ha ha Your Ohio Conection SWIM JIG Milt

[john elder]

Milt: Got the Mitchell diagrams and they are actually readable! Thanks for all your help...this should keep me in the water for quite awhile!

best,
je