# Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 7000 HELP!



## stxhunter

I decided to clean my reel the other day and ran into a few problems. 

The problem: when the thumb release is depressed it sometimes takes several revolutions until it locks the spool again. Main problem, the gear on the spool doesn't always engage the gear where the drag washers are located which is connected to the handle. If I spin the handle slowly everything seems to work well, if I speed up the retrieve the spool gear disengages and the spool will begin to turn freely. If I crank down on the spool tensioners the problem is reduced, if I crank down on the tensioners all the way the reel freezes up. 

I tried flipping the washers on the 7000 and I'm still having issues. I know it has to be something with the main gear set/drag washers, but I can't seem to figure it out. I've looked at the schematics online and it looks like everything is in the correct place.


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## Dipsay

Can you give the exact model number or copy and paste the schematic? There are several 7000's to choose from. I gotta idea what the issue could be but want to compare the schematics first..Dip


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## Reloder28

Did you leave the shim washers in the spool caps the same as they came out & put them on the same side?

Too much (or sometimes any) grease on the spool drive gear, any grease or oil on the drag washers can cause this. The last time I rehabbed my old 6500 I replaced the drag washer pack with some newer hi-tech stuff, ceramic I think, & that really made the reel operate like butter during heavy drag runs.


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## johnmyjohn

I have four of them. What you discribe is the parts that ride against the inner plate need grease. That would be the thumb bar and the other release and locking parts. If that don't get you going the yoke which holds the drive gear is not sliding right, maybe due to the springs need a little stretching or grease again. Those two springs provide the tention on that drive system. Hope that helps a little.


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## stxhunter

The reel just says ambassadeur 7000 high speed. It's red in color. I'm going to take a picture of where I think the problem is


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## stxhunter

Not sure if you can tell, but there is a smidge of space right where the screw driver is pointing. I can feel the gear engaging, but if any pressure is used on the spool it disengages. Also, if I crank the handle fast and stop the gear also disengages.










Not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I don't remember this space being there when I took it apart. It doesn't seem like there is a way to make it more compact, there are some prongs that keeps it pushed up.


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## stxhunter

Reloder28 said:


> Did you leave the shim washers in the spool caps the same as they came out & put them on the same side?
> 
> Too much (or sometimes any) grease on the spool drive gear, any grease or oil on the drag washers can cause this. The last time I rehabbed my old 6500 I replaced the drag washer pack with some newer hi-tech stuff, ceramic I think, & that really made the reel operate like butter during heavy drag runs.


The shims are in place. I will remove some of the grease, but there isn't much on the gears, more so on the surrounding areas.


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## johnmyjohn

Tough to judge but it looks like maybe you're missing the washer at the base of the main gear shaft. The reason I say this is because the anti stop clip looks like it is at a bad angle in the picture?


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## DirectDrive

Make sure that the main gear/drag stack are seated all the way.
Here's a tutorial on another 7000 model and it has an unusual pinion feature.
Yours may be the same...
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=1026.0

ABU Schematics are here :
http://www.abugarcia.com/support/reel-schematics?page=6

Those reels use a "foot number" that will help you dial into the correct schematic. It's stamped on the underside of the reel foot.


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## stxhunter

the way it was described on alan tani's website is pretty much what's happening with mine, but I've never experienced that before (at least that I can recall, maybe I just never noticed it?). Basically I can spin the handle quickly, stop, and the spool spins a little more with some clicking noise being heard. To me this is not normal, it sounds like the gears disengage and just barely touch each other allowing for the few seconds of free spin.

This is the reel, it does NOT have a number on the foot


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## KenD

Hi. That brrrrrt you are hearing when you crank hard, and suddenly stop and hold the handle is very normal...it will only happen on the bench not in the water. When you eyeball the pinion, you will note that there are two ramps, and a little hook on each side. When you engage the reel, to reel after a cast, the ramps guide the hooks on to the pin on the spool to crank. When you go backwards as you do when cranking hard and then suddenly stopping, the spool is in reverse, so the ramps cannot guide the hooks on to the spool. The brrrt is the result of the yoke springs bounding the pinion up and down. you can get a 5000 or a 6000 to do this as well, if the spool is heavy enough.

As to why the reel will not come to cast, from reel, there's some good info in the thread. Another thing to check would be the cast caps on the side plates**. The RH one under the star should be full tight against the sideplate boss, and the LH cap should be snug enough to prevent over-runs, and still maintain a tight spool. 
You don't want to hear the spool "clacking" side to side. And, if there is no foot number on the reel foot, then the frame's been switched out over time, to a factory replacement. The replacements are not marked with a production date.

See the little margins lathed on to the sidwalls of the spool. These will aid in centering the spool in the frame. It may take a couple of tries with the shims to center. Usually the RH side has three shims, and the LH side has 2. Sometimes 2 on the right, and two on the left.

**Oh yeah: I almost forgot: the 7 uses 2 different cast caps: one taller than the other: the tall one has that little triangle to aid in casting when dialed to zero on the wheel, by moving the wheel to zero when the cap is set for that day. The one under the star is shorter, and no triangle. Every now and then a rodster will mix these up.

And last... it looks like the handle on your 7 is red....if it's original, and never changed out, you have a 7000WM model. (A run made for Wal-Mart)
http://www.abugarcia.com/sites/default/files/schematics/7000WM%201100.PDF


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