[alantani]

when i first started doing reel seminars 5 years ago, one fourth of the reels brought in were ambassaduers. initially, they took up a third of the time. it took quite a while, but i figured out the right combination of penn ht-100 drag washers and metal washers. my problem was always a space issue. the penn washers i had were always too thick. recently, I (Non sponsor removed) came out with a line of carbontex drag washers that fit perfectly. just slap on a coat of cal or shimano drag grease, switch out the drags and witness the miracle!

many of you have these old ambassaduers. it had been a love/hate relationship.

good looks and cheap, but unreliable. well, i want all of you to pull out those old seized up ambassaduers, and get ready to fall in love all over again. this is one reel that anyone can fix at home. here's how....

first, check out the smoothdrag website at (non sponsor removed) and check out the carbontex drag washers. DO NOT get the old green or black smoothies. (Non sponsor removed) order up a set of drag washers and some of cal's drag washer grease. she is absolutely one of the nicest people in the world. and tell her alan said hi!

next, go the the ambassaduer website and find the schematic for your reel. just as an example, i'm going to pick ambassaduer -> c3 -> 5500 -> 9909.pdf. let's start....

start with the left side plate. back off one screw (key #199) ONLY. squirt a small amount of grease into the screw hole and put the screw back!!!! do not remove the side plate. remove the next two screws, one at a time, and grease them as well.

remove the handle nut cap and screw (key #'s 14868, 96274 and 15359)

remove the c-clip (key #4490)

remove the handle nut (key #15359), the handle (key # 24500), the stainless steel spring (key # 5115), the star (key # 24502) and the cast control knob (key #'s 21717, 20917, and 20090)

remove the right side plate assembly (note that this photo shows the cast control knob still in place. it must be removed first).

separate the reel as shown below.

lube the level wind assembly.

lube the left spool bearing (key #13472) by popping out the nylon sprocket gear (key #23403). don't forget to pop it back in!

lube the right spool bearing (key #13472)

replace the spool assembly (key #970823) back into the frame and insert the spool shaft (key #802630)

now, for the right side plate. remove the two right side plate bridge screws (key # 5229)

NOTE THIS IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE: older reels have a more reliable anti-reverse dog (key #20671). note that the dog has to "grab" the ratchet gear at base of the gear sleeve (key #22079), as shown in the schematic that i've chosen to work with. newer reels have a less reliable anti-reverse roller bearing, as shown in the photo below

if you have a dog, note the proper position of the dog now, and make sure it is reassembled in the same way.

remove the right side plate cover (key #24511). note that the anti-reverse roller bearing sleeve and the two cupped pressure washers (key #5131) stayed with the side plate cover.

grease the screw holes

separate the drag/gear cluster as shown. note left to right, the ....

thrust washer (key #5189)
gear sleeve (key # 22079)
fiber washer (key # 13169)
main gear (key #21200)
3 alternating drag washers (key #20907)
flat slotted metal washer (key #20906)
flat keyed metal washer (key #20905)
cupped slotted metal washer (key #20960)

also shown in the photo are four new carbon fiber drag washers and a second flat slotted metal washer. ignore the second flat slotted metal washer.

apply a generous coat of cal or shimano drag grease to the new carbontex drag washers, rebuild the gear drag/gear cluster and discard the orginal ambassaduer drag washers.


if your reel has a dog (key # 20671), put the dog back onto the ratchet gear (key # 22079), install the spacer (key #22001) and then drop the drag/gear cluster back onto the right side plate base (key #24508) .

if your reel has an anti-reverse roller bearing, replace the roller bearing sleeve as shown in the photo below.

replace the right side plate bridge screws (key # 13369) and install the cupped pressure washers in a "()" orientation as shown below.

find the small white plastic brakes on the spool (key #20211) and press them in. failure to do this and the right side plate assembly may not seat properly.

install the right side plate assembly back onto the frame. make sure that the brakes are pressed "in" and that the anti-reverse dog is also "in." the right side plate assembly should seat cleanly, flush and with a "snap." tighten down the three right side plate screws. now check to make sure that the gear sleeve (key # 22079) turns freely and that the anti-reverse mechanism functions properly.

install the cast control cap assembly.

install the star and spring.

grease and install the handle.

install the handle nut and c-clip

install the handle nut cap and retaining screw.

pat yourself on the back and have a beer. well done!

 

[alantani]

Yes, that was a tough one to edit. Very nice, informational post! Please... when you link non sponsors know that it will be removed. I have gone through all your posts and removed lots of links. I realize you are trying to be helpful, but I have to respect the deals that I have made with those that pay for our banter on ifish. Please read the AUP on ifish for more information. Thank you,
Jen

jen, sorry, i didn't know that. i don't post here often and just "clicked" rather than "read" when i signed on. i will be sure to leave them out. thanks!

 

[alantani]

Hi Alan... Can you advise how to tell which schematic goes with a particular reel? I have Ambassadeurs that range in age from one month, to twenty years old. In the past I've tried to match the serial number on the reel foot to a schematic, but I've never been able to see a clear relationship (but then, I'm not the brightest bulb either). Thanks !!

sorry, i'm with you on this one. it's important to have the reel in hand when you call ambassaduer for parts. if you are sitting at a computer when you call, they can tell you which schematic matches up. there have been so many small changes to their reels, i don't see how anyone can keep things straight. alan

 

[alantani]

Re: carbontex upgrade for the 5 and 6 series abass

well, greased carbon fiber is a little different. you can leave the drag washers cranked down or back them off. either way, they will last forever. if you keep them clamped down, you can keep water out for sure.

both cal sheets and shimano have a pure teflon grease. they both cost $5 an ounce and have melting temps of about 650 degrees farenheit. coarse woven carbon fiber is used by all penn reels (the ht-100), shimano (two speeds only), all accurates, progear (classic series only), ambassaduer (the record only), all tiburons, large okumas (two speeds only?) and daiwa (two speeds only). of these reels, only the shimano two speeds enjoy a zero failure rate, because the drags are greased.

it's important at this point to make sure we're not talking apples and oranges. my definition of drag failure is different from most people. so here's how i determine if a drag is functioning properly. put the reel on the rod and run the line through the guides. pick your desired drag setting, typically 25-33% of your line weight, sometimes less. find a lead weight that matches. tie the line to the weight. reel down. crank down on the drag. lift until the butt of the rod is at a 45 degree angle. now adjust the drag until the weight drops 1 foot every 5 seconds. if the drag on your reel is smooth enough to do that, then i say it works just fine. if it's herky jerky at all, then, by my standards, it fails.

all reels that cross my bench get greased carbon fiber drags and have to pass that test before they are returned to their owners. and i've never had someone return a reel to me because the drags "failed."

 

[alantani]

Re: carbontex upgrade for the 5 and 6 series abass

nice info alan, I have had all my newer ambassaduers retrofitted with the old stlye anti reverse dogs, they newer ones would start failing with in 2-3 seasons of moderate to heavy use. The chance to improve the drags has me fired up i would rather let the drag do more work and let my thumb heal up

funny you mention that. shimano had the same problem with their calcutta line of reels. they had an anti-reverse roller bearing as their only anti-reverse mechanism. lots of guys got their knuckles banged when the roller bearing failed.

the new calcutta reels all have a dog in addition to an anti-reverse roller bearing. very nice reels. i just bought a calcutta 300 and love it. well, i do now after dumping the dartanium drags in favor of penn ht-100 drag washers and shimano drag grease.

 

[alantani]

my answer would be "i think it's critical" and "i don't know for sure but i believe the drags would seize immediately."

i'm really not sure why it works the way it does. teflon grease, either cal's or shimano's, keeps these carbon fiber drags smooth forever. my penn 113h's are still good after 8 years. on the flip side, i've seen hundreds of drag washers that have seized up after being fouled with wd-40, reel magic, corrosion x and any one of a dozen hydrocarbon greases.

understand, gentlemen, i'm a pharmacist, not a polymer chemist. this is what i know about teflon grease. you start with a liquid fluoropolymer (liquid Teflon) such as a perfluoropoly ether. to thicken it up, you add varying amounts of PTFE (poly tetrafluoro ethylene). this will give you the desired viscosity. their melting point is 650 degrees, but it has no flash point. since there are no carbon-hydrogen bonds, these compounds will not burn. i think that's what makes this grease ideal for drag washers. there is none of the physical or chemical breakdown that you would find with petroleum grease. in short, teflon grease doesn't burn.

um, it's also $5 an ounce! :hoboy:

 

[alantani]

the shimano service center can ship some to you. local tackle shops that carry shimano reels can order the grease for you. for the drag grease, do a google search for smoothdrag.com. e-mail me it you're still having problems. thanks! alan