Plueger Purist Baitcast problem 2024

dulouz reply :

I am having a strange problem with my Pflueger purist baitcast reel. Lately it has started binding when I reel in, it casts just fine. It gets worse the longer I fish. It seems to bind when the levelwind is moving to the right, but not the right. I have cleaned and re-greased the levelwind twice, which temporarily fixes the problem.

I have noticed that water from the line and my hands seems to be the cause. The more moisture is on the reel the more it binds. When I let the reel sit and dry it works just fine.

Does anyone have any insight on this problem?

Thanks,

David

RussBert reply :

How's the condition of the worm gear and the pawl? Any visible wear?

Does the pawl bind in the line guide? Is there too much pressure being applied to the pawl when the cap is screwed on? Was there a shim under the cap that may have got lost? (which would then make the pawl too loose)

dodgeguy reply :

you have grit and dirt on the end the levelwind binds on.it binds bwcause the grit and dirt take up the space and can't be compressed.

dulouz reply :

Thank you for your insights... here are some more questions.

I purchased this reel used and I don't know how old it is, I got it at the beginning of this season. The worm gear doesn't appear to be worn. What would I look for to tell if it is badly worn?

The line guide, pawl??, has some side to side movement, as does the worm drive itself.

The screw on the pawl is not accessable unless you take the handled off and disassemble the reel. It appears there is still a washer. What is the purpose of this screw and how would it be an advantage to adjust?

Would using grease on the worm gear instead of oil make a difference on how the reel performs?

RussBert reply :

Quote
Thank you for your insights... here are some more questions.
The screw on the pawl is not accessible unless you take the handled off and disassemble the reel. It appears there is still a washer. What is the purpose of this screw and how would it be an advantage to adjust?

Would using grease on the worm gear instead of oil make a difference on how the reel performs?

That comment leads me to think you have not dis-assembled the reel. You must to thoroughly clean and check the levelwind system.

The pawl engagement is pre-set when the reel is assembled. Being a used reel, who knows if a previous owner ever messed with it?

The pawl is the part in the line guide that rides in the worm gear. It sits under the cap in the line guide

dulouz reply :

I have not completely disassembled the reel. I did take the side cover off and the spool out to clean what I could. I am a bit nervous about taking the entire reel apart.

How often is it necessary to get in and clean the insides of the reel?

bilgerat reply :

I found a schematic of the reel, it may help:

http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/albums/shakespeare/Pflueger_Purist_LP_Baitcast.pdf

RussBert reply :

Quote
I have not completely disassembled the reel. I did take the side cover off and the spool out to clean what I could. I am a bit nervous about taking the entire reel apart.
How often is it necessary to get in and clean the insides of the reel?

When the levelwind system is binding up would be a good time

But I'm one of those guys that takes apart a brand-new reel to see how it's built, and see's if there's anything I can do to make it "better"

dulouz reply :

Well, I fished with my problematic reel all day today and I discovered this: When it starts to bind I wiggle the pawl side to side and it works fine for a while.

Some of you have mentioned the screw adjustment on the pawl. What does this do???

It seems like the pawl is halfway jumping out of the worm gear. Is this a sign of wear or just a simple adjustment???

RussBert reply :

Quote
It seems like the pawl is halfway jumping out of the worm gear. Is this a sign of wear or just a simple adjustment???

Wear

There is no "screw adjustment"

Some reels have a shim (or two) in the pawl cap which adjusts the pawl's engagement., some don't

bilgerat reply :

The pawl itself could be worn or the pawl spacer is missing (items 15 & 16 on the schematic)

dulouz reply :

Thank you everyone for your help. It seems that my levelwind and/or pawl are worn out. I have only been using baitcasters for a year and didn't realize they required more maintanence than my cheap spinning reels. I guess buying a used reel didn't turn out to be such a great deal after all.

RussBert reply :

Quote
Thank you everyone for your help. It seems that my levelwind and/or pawl are worn out. I have only been using baitcasters for a year and didn't realize they required more maintanence than my cheap spinning reels. I guess buying a used reel didn't turn out to be such a great deal after all.

Have you dis-assembled the reel and found the problem? If so, what specifically is worn?

On the bright side, replacement parts are reasonably priced. Order them direct from Pflueger

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

Quote

Quote
I have not completely disassembled the reel. I did take the side cover off and the spool out to clean what I could. I am a bit nervous about taking the entire reel apart.
How often is it necessary to get in and clean the insides of the reel?

When the levelwind system is binding up would be a good time

But I'm one of those guys that takes apart a brand-new reel to see how it's built, and see's if there's anything I can do to make it "better"

Your reel should be cleaned and lubed at least once a year, possibly more often depending on use and conditions. Since it's used you don't know what has/has not been done.

Since your level wind issue is intermittent, I would suspect dirt rather than wear, but only an inspection will tell for sure. I'll be happy to go through it and get it up to snuff if you'd like. If you want to tackle it yourself, PM or email me and I'll try to help you out.

Mike

dulouz reply :

Mike,

I appreciate the offer to look at the reel, but it I live in Iowa. I will have some of my more experienced baitcasting friends to look at it before I do anything.

Ultralight Maniac reply :

I own the left handed version of this same reel.

Purchased it new in January and it started doing this exact same thing to me on about my 3rd trip out with it.

I also noticed that it appears to be intermittent. It works fine for a few minutes and then gets so bound up you almost can't retrieve.

I plan on sending it back to Pfleuger during the winter but my temporary fix for the problem was replacing it with a Revo and making the Purist my pitching and flipping reel.

dulouz reply :

Thank you everyone for all of your help, but I am still having problems. When the reel is dry it works fine, and the more moisture that gets on the worm gear the more it binds. Someone suggested using grease instead of oil on the worm gear. That helped, but the problem is still there. Does that still sound like the pawl/worm gear are bad?

Ultralight Maniac reply :

I took mine out today and before I left I sprayed the worm gear with some Reel Magic. Didn't have a lick of trouble with it today and I used it quite a bit.

If the problem is being caused by the worm gear getting wet then the Reel Magic may help to repel the water.

dulouz reply :

I was fishing with a friend that was going to take a look at my reel. Before we started he sprayed Ardent's line butter on my spool. I used the reel all day and it didn't act up. Maybe that repelled the water. I don't understand why water would make it act up, but that is what I have narrowed it down to.

RussBert reply :

There is no "magic potion" that you can spray onto your reel and make mechanical problems go away. You gotta open up the reel yourself or have it profesionally serviced. The rest is all just wild-azzed guessing.

Ultralight Maniac reply :

Quote
There is no "magic potion" that you can spray onto your reel and make mechanical problems go away. You gotta open up the reel yourself or have it profesionally serviced. The rest is all just wild-azzed guessing.

So you're saying that my reel, that wasn't working correctly, didn't work correctly all day yesterday?

We both had the same problem with the same reel and used similar methods, not magic potions, to get the reel to work correctly again.

I'm guessing that our guessing was the correct guess. Water getting in the worm gear is somehow causing it to bind up.

The first time mine started doing it I could fish with it for awhile and then it would start binding. I could set it down for 30 minutes and then pick it up and it would work for 10 to 15 minutes before it started binding again. This leads me to believe, or guess, that it is an issue with moisture getting in the worm gear and spraying our magic potions (water repellents) on the worm gear is a viable solution.

Ultralight Maniac reply :

Did a quick Google for "Pfleuger Purist Review" and found several people experiencing the same problem with this reel and most of them also commented that it started after the reel had some moisture on it.

SharkHat reply :

Actually, what I think he was saying is that you may have avoided the problem without actually fixing the problem.

The line butter may have helped you get some hassle free fishing in, but it didn't fix the underlying cause of the problem.

RussBert reply :

Quote
Actually, what I think he was saying is that you may have avoided the problem without actually fixing the problem.
The line butter may have helped you get some hassle free fishing in, but it didn't fix the underlying cause of the problem.

exactly.

You're not fixing anything by spraying with lube, you're only masking the symptoms.

Are you guy apprehensive about opening up a reel? There are many reel tech that frequent these boards and the price to fix the reel is very reasonable.

dulouz reply :

[quote author=54425B43585159585558534E370 link=1283741372/20#20 date=1284953862

Ultralight Maniac reply :

I have had mine apart and found no obvious reason for it to do what it does.

After reading the reviews from others who had bought the same reel and experienced the same problems. I'm saying at this point it is some kind of design flaw.

Whether it was improperly lubricated at the factory or some material the pawl or gear are made of causing it to not work smoothly when moisture gets in the gear I don't know.

The problem is intermittent and from my experience with it, on the water, appears to be triggered by moisture on the worm gear as the problem will go away, at least it has for me, if you switch reels and the worm gear has time to dry out.

What I do know is that giving it a squirt of water repellent fixed, or masked, the problem and I was able to enjoy my time on the water.

Even if it is just a temporary fix it will get me through the fall months until I take my reels in to be cleaned over the winter months or I send it back to Pfleuger before my warranty expires.

I do however appreciate your help.

dulouz reply :

This problem is just bugging the **** out of me. I spent the last half hour outside with a practice plug trying to recreate the problem by spraying the worm gear with water. It worked just fine. What if it isn't the water itself, but particles suspended in the water? I usually fish in a murky farm pond or back waters of a very muddy/sandy river.

On a side note... I have Cabela's reel I have cleaned once in the year I have owned it. It has fished the nastiest pond scum, and been covered in it. Never once, have I had this problem with that reel.

Ol� Dirty Basstard reply :

Quote
Thank you everyone for all of your help, but I am still having problems. When the reel is dry it works fine, and the more moisture that gets on the worm gear the more it binds. Someone suggested using grease instead of oil on the worm gear. That helped, but the problem is still there. Does that still sound like the pawl/worm gear are bad?

This could be making your problem worse. The general rule of thumb is grease gears & oil bearings (and things that spin). At this point, dulouz, I think your best bet is to take apart that reel, clean it and re-lube with grease and oil in the right spots. If the problem persists, contact Pflueger for a recommendation and/or parts. It's not such a risk because the reel already isn't working right.

dulouz reply :

I have tried cleaning it several times. I used a little oil, a lot of oil, a little grease, a lot of grease, and spraying reel butter all over it. It is so inconsistent. Sometimes it works perfect, others it barely turns. I have done all I can do and have found a reputable reel service a short drive away. It will go visit the dr. when the season is over.

dulouz reply :

For anyone still interested... I had a friend look at my reels and he found a simple thing I had overlooked. The worm gear is housed in a tube (more or less), and the line guide assembly goes all the way around the tube. The problem was that I had not been lubricating the OUTSIDE of the worm gear housing. zOnce that got some oil on it my reels performed much better.

dodgeguy reply :

that's part of what i meant in my post.grime can get on that tube and bind up the levelwind.

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Plueger Purist Baitcast problem 2024

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