Thanks for further replies. Beechmerelake, I have managed to separate the cam from the bail wire but cannot release the other side . Screw is worn and stuck unfortunately. When I receive the new bail spring I will follow your instructions as closely as possible. That said the more I explore the reel the more problems I seem to find! There is the damage to the housing at the rotor ( I will look into the suggestion by Liphook about cold weld to rebuilt the housing damage. I have used this previously and it’s a great product I think) . It’s not clear what affect this maybe having on the bail function but clearly there is or was friction here that is or has caused damage and that is worrying. The spring on the rotor release mechanism under the spool is clearly not right either, having consulted the schematic and identified a replacement albeit in Sweden and or sale with the whole rotor mechanism! The spring currently in situ is either the wrong one or a modified or made up one. Whatever it is it is not providing adequate tension for the mechanism. It appears way too big and has several loose coils unlike the correct one ! I will attempt to post pics. Overall I think I’ve been sold a reel that had been modified or patched up to function in the short term after a fashion. It was rather immediately apparent that the bail function was poor and unlikely to be reliable to use . That both springs are inadequate and the housing at the rotor is damaged indicates what looks like a historical problem which given the age of the reel perhaps understandable. My kids paid £40 for the reel
![Angry :Angry:](./images/smilies/icon_angry.gif)
and while I think getting a new spring is acceptable, but further replacement parts if I can find them would make it difficult to write off as an EBay gamble that didn’t pay off and I’m not sure whether to throw more cash at replacing more parts or to quit. I have seen a ‘ not working / for spares ‘ reel that while a further cost and gamble might provide a route to one functional 333 and a spares reel and spool. I have had some similar experiences with Mitchell’s that due to their wider availability I have always found solutions but this is a bit less common a model I think and I am a little out of my comfort/ ability zone. Any further advice or thoughts from those with more experience woul be very welcome!