Abu Cardinal 55 Rotating Head Problem

[Paul D]

Mike, No offence but wait until you get some more advice, be a shame to damage it, personally not keen on trying to twist bits back etc unless absolutely necessary.
Someone mentioned a fellow member with experience of your reel, contact them

[OldTackle]

The keyed slot is thinner than the thread itself. If you use pliers you will bend it and the axle won't fit anymore. Maybe that is already the case? Does the axle still move freely up and down inside the shaft?
If you use pliers make sure you insert the axle. This way you do not damage it too much and you can "work" the threading back using the axle. Whatever you do: Try to be as focussed as possible and careful.
What I would try first would be to block the handle somehow (in a vise for example but put some cloth in between), then hold the reel body tight and turn the rotor head backwards. The same thing: try to be very careful. If it does not move don't use too much force to to damage the worm shaft or wheel. Second I would then try the pliers on the keyed threading. Instead of wood I would use some metal plates in between to protect the thread from the pliers to prevent damage.
Hope you will get it undone and solve your problem!

[MikeFish]

Thanks OldTackle for your reply, yes the axle still runs up and down freely.
I think i might just leave it as it is as dont want to damage it.
When i turn the handle fairly fast and then let it go the handle still goes round for 4 or 5 times before it stops, its still a smooth running reel apart from the very slight rubbing noise thats coming from the rotar head.
This is my first Abu Cardinal 55 , foot number 790903 built in sweden that i bought on ebay for £28 counting postage so i cant expect it to be perfect for that price , it was a bit dirty when i got it but cleaned up nicely , opening it up found the drag components were in the wrong place, soon sorted that out but not before taken all parts out cleaning them and regreasing them, i learned a lot about the inside of the reel from doing that , it was after that i thought i would take the rotar head off so that i could clean and regrease the parts in there , thats when i found the problem.
I have a lot of vintage Mitchell 300 reels which i think are a easy to work with compared to a Cardinal 55, but saying that i have learned a lot here.

[QuinetteCane]

Mike, Best advice. The price you got it for allows for a professional refurb.
You will finish with an excellent reel properly done and still be quids in.

[MikeFish]

Thanks to OldTackle i took the plunge and just went for it , didn't use a vice , put some oil down nut axle area left it sink in , holding the handle and reel body i eased the rotar round gently until the washer and threads were in line , it worked a treat with no damage i now have rotar off.
Problem now is i cant get the worm gear or the other parts off , there's a rubber type ring further back does that come off first or what , im a learner with this type of reel.

[BeechmereLake]

I would think its the pressure plate that is holding the worm gear in place, I would just remove the main gear inside which will allow the worm gear to move a bit, mite be enough to release the plate so you can remove the rotor, problem you may have is the internal edge of the center of the plate where the axle comes through has cut onto the thread of the worm gear, very possible which ever way you remove it you will damage it.

[Nobby]

At a guess, ...and it's nothing like having the reel in your hand...the curved locking plate has dug into the thread and followed it around.

It should be possible to simply take it back again by locking the reel up and turning the rotor head back again...which will bring the locking tab back with it.

To lock the reel up put the handle is the soft jaws of a vice....or use a lot of rags.....and turn the rotor head clock-wise a little.

This should get the flats of the internal hole in the curved locking tab back in alignment with the flats on the front of the gear shaft again. Then the locking tab should just lift away.

Remember to install the locking tab back again 'wings up'...these grip against a flat of the locking nut.

If you're going that deep into a reel you might as well replace the main bearing. I use these people a lot:

http://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/

Just fill in the 'search by sizes' box on the left. You'll need a metric vernier gauge to take the three measurements but don't worry...bearings are always whole millimetres...no fractions. If there are price options don't 'go cheap' and don't buy a bearing with rubber seals, better no seals for a smooth turn though I think the Abus may have used metal sealed bearings. You'll need to remove the rear one if you go the grease port route.

That is to say that you might consider opening up a grease port from within the reel body to allow easy re-lubrication of the bearing in future........

[MikeFish]

Now that i have the rotating head off there is a round ring type of plate with 2 small holes at the ends , the plate does not go all the way round , there is a small space at the end of the plate , i think this is called the pressure plate .
Do i put something into the holes so i can sqeeze the two ends together to get the plate out.
I think i need to do that to get the worm gear out.

[Nobby]

Weird. When I typed my advice your earlier post just wasn't there....but you appear to have done just what I thought might work.

I'm a bit stuck by your latest description...any chance of some images again?

I 'think' you might be describing a circlip....???

[MikeFish]

I think its just as easy to show a picture of what i mean.
Do i sqeeze the 2 holes together to get the plate out.

Abu pressure plate.jpg