penn 320gti/321gti/320gt2 rebuild

penn 320gti/321gti/320gt2 rebuild

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penn 320gti/321gti/320gt2 rebuild - 2 May 2008 4:58:59

Alan Tani

Posts: 183
Joined: 15 May 2006
From: saratoga, california, usa
Status: offline

this rebuild post has been long overdue. the penn 3 series graphite reels have been workhorses since the day they were introduced. there are 5 reel sizes and 9 models, including the 310gti, 320gti, 321gti, 320gt2, 320ld, 330gti, 330ld, 340gti and 345gti.

we will start with the largest selling single model reel in the world, the penn 320 gti.

it is one of the easiest reels to work on when it comes to routine bearing service. removing the right side plate assembly (key #1) requires only the removal of four right side plate screws (key #32).

the reel breaks down to the frame assembly (key #183), the spool (key #29L), and right side plate assembly (key #1).

this gives you easy access to left side plate bearing (key #40). it's an abec 5 and the size is 4x11x4 if you ever need to replace it.

you also have easy access to the right spool bearing (no key #) in the bridge assembly (key #3).

one of the problem i see with this reel is corrosion. in the worst cases, the spool shaft is totally rusted to the pinion gear (key #13). good thing we got to this one when we did.

lube the right side plate bearing (key #40).

lube the worm gear (key #42) in the levelwind assembly.

reinstall the spool (key #29L) into the frame (key #183) and set both aside.

now for the right side plate assembly. remove the handle lock screw (key #23A).

remove the handle nut (key #23).

remove the handle assembly (key #24).

remove the tension spring (key #8) and the drag star (key #10). you may save the tension spring to reinstall later, but i typically discard these because they promote corrosion.

push the eccentric lever (key #21) forward and in gear. back out each of the four bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17).

the bridge assembly (key #3) should fall out easily, so catch it before it does. leave the right side plate (key #1) in the "up" position so that the bridge screws do not fall out.

a quick inspection of the main gear (key #5) reveals a little surface corrosion. this will have to be cleaned out or you may have a few "bumps" when you crank the handle.

here is an exploded view of the bridge assembly (key #3) and drag stack.

now we're going to rebuild the drag stack. we will start by replacing the fiber washer (key #4), found underneath the main gear, with a penn ht-100 carbon fiber washer (part #6-875).

slap a thick coat of cal's drag grease on the drag washer.

slide the washer down over the gear sleeve of the bridge (key #3), then install the main gear (key #5).

grease each drag washer (key #6) in turn and install them in order, alternating with the keyed and slotted metal washers (key #7). don't worry about the excess grease, it will simply squeeze out the sides.

one thing to make sure of is that the little tab of the keyed metal washer seats properly in the groove of the main gear. sometimes it rises up and rotates a little and you functionally have only a single drag washer instead of 5.

you left the right side plate intact, right? ok, place two fingers over the four bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17).

you can now flip it over and not loose the bridge screws.

install the pinion gear (key #13).

install the bridge and main gear assembly as a unit and turn the bridge plate counterclockwise 90 degrees.

note carefully the orientation of the dog spring (key #14) on the dog (key #15). it will be installed in this position.

lay the dog spring (key #14) over the peg first.

pull the dog (key #15) over the top of and down onto the bridge screw (key #16).

rotate the bridge plate (key #3) 90 degrees clockwise and press the bridge plate down until it seats properly.

with a right hand assist, flip the right side plate assembly (key #1) over to give you access to the bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17).

seat all four bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17) halfway, then screw them all down snugly.

check the function of the anti-reverse system.

check the function of the eccentric lever assembly (key #21) or freespool lever.

lube the bridge bearing (key #3).

lube the spool shaft (key #29L). remember, you will have to keep after this. the spool shaft has a nasty habit of seizing up inside the pinion gear.

install the right side plate (key #1) and screws (key #32).

here is the upgraded spool tension control cap (key #26B). the flare on top is large enough to insure that the cap will not fall off. quite a few of these have. remove the old cap and install the new one.

install the star drag (key #10) and turn it down until it clears the shoulder of the the gear sleeve (key #98) that the handle (key #24) rests on.

we are going to upgrade the reel with a 4/0 senator power handle (part #24-349H). the price just went up on these and are now $24, from $13 several months ago.

install the new power handle (key #24) and the handle screw (key #23).

install the handle lock screw (key #23A).

and you're done! congratulations.

now for a couple of comments. first, the positives - it has a 4/0 senator drag set capable of delivering 25 pounds of drag or better. the drag #6-320 drags have the same inside and outside diameters as the #6-113H drag washers from the 4/0 penn 113h. here you have 113h drags on the left, 320 drags on the right.

the difference is the thickness. the #6-113h drag washers on the left have a fiberglass core, making them thicker. the #6-320 drag washers on the right do not. the performance of these washers is identical.

the gears are similar as well. you have a #5-320 main gear with a 4:1 ratio on the left and a #5-113h main gear with a 3.25:1 gear ratio on the right.

note, however, that the teeth on the main and pinion gears of the penn 113h (right side) are much larger than the teeth of the main and pinion gears of the penn 320 gti (left side). the smaller teeth of the 320 main gear will shred much easily than the heaver teeth of the 113h main gear.

i damaged the main gear of this left handed penn 321 when i cranked the drags down to 28 pounds. well, um, i was curious. just ordered a new main and pinion gear. it was a $23 mistake. let's keep these drag settings under 20#'s of drag from now on.

the 320 has a small spool that will hold 300 yards of 80# spectra. the soft brass main gear limits the drag range to under 20#'s. i would not call the 320 a true third generation reel, but it can take excellent advantage of the new spectras and high test monofilaments. the spool in the middle is from a penn 320 gti. on the right is a jigmaster spool, on left is a squidder spool.

there are a pair of spool bearings that can easily be cleaned and lubed to deliver excellent freespool times.

and finally, there are also handle options available for this reel.

now, the negatives - the levelwind is the single most problematic assembly that i have ever dealt with. maybe it's just me, but i order up alot of worm gears from pennparts.com. i believe this is due to the drag sticking under a heavy load when the line and the leveler are 180 degrees out of sync. special care must be taken to always keep the line and the leveler in sync and the drags can be greased. this should take care of the levelwind problem.

but think about this. what if we took the levelwind assembly out? you would have to remove the idler gear (key #64), the line guide carriage (key #46), the pawl (key #47) and the pawl cover screw (key #48). you can actually leave the worm assembly (key #42) in place so that you don't have holes in the frame. here's a left handed penn 321 gti that has been stripped down.

since this reel is going to have to cast well, we will pull out the left side plate bearing (key #40).

we'll pull the shields off, clean out the old grease, lube it with corrosion x and re-install the bearing open.

to service the bearing in the bridge (key #3), you need to gently tap out the bearing with a hex socket. careful here. by banging on this bearing too much, i damaged and had to replace it. if your bridge bearing is still smooth, please service this bearing just from the outside, leaving the bearing in place.

the bearing is an abec 5 measuring 8x16x5, just in case you need a new one.

remove the shields, clean out all of the old crud and lube it up.

i used the sanding bit for a dremmel to open the bearing cup a little. now the bearing slides in an out more easily.

with the bearing installed open, the new owner will be able to pull the side plate, remove the spool and service (or at least relube) both bearings after every trip. he will be casting for yellowtail. clean bearings are critical.

and this is the result!

so now you have a pocket rocket with a very strong light graphite frame, easy to throw all day long, a small spool that's gives you great casting distance, the capacity to hold 300 yards of 80# spectra and a short 30, 40, 50 or 60# topshot, a drag stack that will deliver 20#'s of drag, decent spool bearings, plenty of handle options and (ta da!) a levelwind option. ok, i know that's lame, but you actually could put the levelwind assembly back in. it's also available in right hand and left hand models.

i would still call the shimano tld star 15/30 the best reel in this class, but the penn 320gti, 320gt2 and 321gti have to be the most versatile!

written 4/30/2008 at

_____________________________

alantani@yahoo.com

Post #: 1

penn 330 gti rebuild - 6 May 2008 13:43:14

Alan Tani

Posts: 183
Joined: 15 May 2006
From: saratoga, california, usa
Status: offline

the penn 330 gti is simply the bigger brother of the 320 gti with the same spool as the 3/0 sized penn 112h. it has all the same advantages, and disadvantages, of the penn 320 gti. the only real difference is the larger frame and spool.

to remove the right side plate assembly (key #1), remove the right side plate screws (key #32).

the reel breaks down into three pieces, the frame assembly (key #183), the spool (key #29L) and the right side plate assembly (key #1).

lube the left side plate bearing (key #40).

lube the worm (key #42) in the levelwind assembly.

here's a look at the spool (key #29L). it is a 112h spool on a different spool shaft.

put the spool (key #29L) back in the frame assembly (key #183) and set it aside.

now for the right side plate assembly (key #1). remove the handle lock screw (key #23A).

remove the handle assembly screw (key #23).

remove the handle assembly (key #24).

remove the star drag (key #10) and tension spring (key #8). i typically discard the tension spring at this point.

push the eccentric lever assembly (key #21) forward and into gear, then back out all four bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17) and leave them all in place.

the bridge assembly (key #3) will fall out easily, so catch it without turning the right side plate (key #1) upside down.

here is an exploded view of the bridge assembly (key #3) and main gear clustger (key #5).

we're going to switch out the fiber washer (key #4) for a drag washer (penn part #6-875).

grease the drag washer (part #6-875).

rebuild the drag stack, starting with the #6-875 washer underneath the main gear.

slap a thick coat of drag grease on all the other carbon fiber drag washers and rebuild the drag stack.

place your left and middle fingers over the bridge screws and lift up the right side plate.

now flip it over and everything should stay in place.

install the bridge assembly (key #3) and rotate the bridge plate 90 degrees counterclockwise from it's final position.

install the dog spring (key #14) and dog (key #15).

rotate the bridge (key #3) 90 degrees clockwise until the bridge plate seats properly.

with a right hand assist, flip the right side plate (key #1) over.

set each bridge screw (key #'s 16 and 17) halfway, then snug them down until they seat properly.

check the function of the anti-reverse mechanism.

check the function of the eccentric lever assembly (key #21).

lube the spool shaft (key #29L).

lube the bearing (no key #) in the bridge (key #3).

install the right side plate assembly (key #1) and right side plate screws (key #32).

install the star drag (key #10) and turn it down until it clears the shoulders of the gear sleeve (key #98).

install the handle (key #24). note that a penn senator power handle (part #24-349H) may be substituted here as well.

install the handle assembly screw (key #23).

install the handle lock screw (key #23A).

done!

written 5/5/08 at

(in reply to Alan Tani)

Post #: 2

RE: penn 330 gti rebuild - 6 May 2008 20:52:11

Michael Oates

Posts: 2086
Joined: 18 July 2006
From: Drummond Cove
Status: offline

Alan,
From someone that was recently charged $70 to replace the drag washers on a 330, many thanks.
I'll be giving it a crack myself next time, and this thread will be extremely helpful.

Mick.

_____________________________

Executive Director -OatesFishWest

(in reply to Alan Tani)

Post #: 3

RE: penn 320gti/321gti/320gt2 rebuild - 1 June 2008 23:19:19

Neil Bradbury

Posts: 15
Joined: 21 February 2008
From: Mandurah
Status: offline

Yes I agree Mick thanks Alan, I have the 330GTI which is well over due for a bit of love and care and you have just given me the confidence to go forth and explore.

_____________________________

Born to Fish forced to work......not original but true!

(in reply to Alan Tani)

Post #: 4

RE: penn 340/345 gti rebuild - 2 June 2008 0:43:05

Alan Tani

Posts: 183
Joined: 15 May 2006
From: saratoga, california, usa
Status: offline

here are the schematics......
http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/images/pennparts/schematics/340gt.pdf
http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/images/pennparts/schematics/345gt.pdf
and here is your reel. the spools are the same as size as the penn 113hl and 113hlw, respectively. they are not interchangeable because the spool shafts are different.

we are going to start by backing out all of the left side plate screws (key #'s 16 and 16A).

carefully remove the left side plate (key #27), leaving the levelwind assembly in place.

remove the spool (key #29L) and set it aside.

find the bearing washer (key #153) and set it aside.

lube the right spool bearing (key #55).

lube the left spool bearing (key #40).

install the bearing washer (key #153), the spool (key #29L) and the left side plate (key #27). grease all the screw holes.

reinstall the left side plate screws (key #'s 16 and 16L).

lube the worm gear (key #42).

now, for the right side plate. remove the handle lock screw (key #110).

remove the handle assembly screw (key #23).

remove the handle assembly (key #24).

remove the tension spring (key #8) and star drag (key #10). i typically discard the spring.

ok, now this is important. see the gap here? the right side plate is actually two pieces, a right side OUTER plate (key #1) and a right side INNER plate (key #1B). to service the right side plate, you need to remove the outer plate and leave the inner plate in place. got it? good! ok, let's start!

remove the two long (key #31) and three short (key#38) right side plate screws. do not remove the spool tension control screw (key #26B) in the center or the eccentric screw (key #22).

carefully separate the outer plate from the inner plate.

if the gear sleeve (key #98S) is not badly burred, you can lift the gear cluster off in one piece. otherwise, you may have to pull the pieces off one at a time.

here is an exploded view of the gear cluster. going top left to bottom right, you have a fiber washer (key #4A), the 113h main gear (key #5), five 113h carbon fiber drag washers (key #6), five 113h metal washers (key #7), a belleville tension washer (key #18), a bearing washer (key #4), a bearing (key #55A), and another bearing washer (key #4).

to eliminate the sticking caused by the fiber washer (key #4A), we are going to substitute a penn ht-100 drag washer (part #6-855). i have noted that these washers will soon be in short supply. there is no problem using a #6-113H washer. and honestly, if you don't need the drag to be super smooth, you can even leave the original fiber washer in.

it is very important to properly service the gear sleeve bearing (key #55A). carefully remove the retaining rings and shields on both sides, pack the bearing with grease and replace the shields and retaining rings.

apply thick coat of cal's drag grease to each carbon fiber drag washer and rebuild the gear cluster.

place a small bead of grease in each screw hole.

carefully replace the right side outer plate (key #1) with the eccentric jack (key #11) in the "up" position and the eccentric lever (key #21) in the "back" or "free" position (not the "forward" or "in gear" position shown in the photo).

replace the long (key #31) and short (key #38) right side plate screws.

install the star drag (key #10) and turn it down until it clears the shoulder of the gear sleeve (key #98S) to properly install the handle assembly (key #24).

install the handle assembly (key #24).

install the handle assembly screw (key #23).

install the handle lock screw.

and you're done!

now for a couple of comments. the 340 and 345 gti's are basically 113hl and 113hlw's with a graphite frame and a levelwind assembly. these frames do not seem to be the most sturdy frames in the world. i've seen several frames come in pretty badly loosened up. not a good thing for a level wind reel. seriously not a good thing for a 4/0 sized levelwind reel. and for a reel of this size, it would be easy to blow out the levelwind assembly if the line tried to go one way and the leveler tried to go the other, particularly if the drags had seized up. regarding 4/0 sized reels in general, most guys are moving away from straight monofilament because of the stretch. with 100 feet of mono either straight out or straight down, it's like fishing with a giant rubber band. spectra is really the way to go. but if you're using spectra, a 4/0 sized reel is waaaayyyyyyy too big. so if mono is all you have access to and a graphite levelwind reel suits your needs, go with the penn 330, 340 or 345 gti. if you have access to spectra, go with the 320 gti or gt2. the 320's have the best power to weight ratio in this series.

(in reply to Neil Bradbury)

Post #: 5

penn 310 gti rebuild - 2 June 2008 0:53:01

Alan Tani

Posts: 183
Joined: 15 May 2006
From: saratoga, california, usa
Status: offline

this rebuild post is for the last of 3 series graphite penn star drag reels. here is a link to the schematics ....
http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/images/pennparts/schematics/310gt.pdf
and here is our reel, beaten and down, but not out by any means!

we will start by removing the four right side side plate screws (key #32).

the reel breaks down cleanly to the frame assembly (key #183), the spool assembly (key #29L), and the right side plate assembly (key #1). to service (lube) the bearings in the future, you need only go as far as this step.

the left spool bearing (key #40) is hidden underneath the spool gear (key #66), which is in turn held in by a lock spring (key #67). replacing the bearing requires removal of the lock spring. we'll just lube the bearing for now.

lube the worm (key #42) level wind assembly.

install the spool assembly (key #29L) back into the frame assembly (key #183) and set both aside.

now, to service the right side plate. we will start with the handle lock screw (key #23A).

remove the handle assembly screw (key #23).

remove the handle assembly (key #24). note that an $18 jigmaster power handle (part #24-56) would fit very nicely right here.

remove the tension spring (key #8) and star drag (key #10).

now, push the eccentric lever (key #21) to the forward position and back out but do not remove the four bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17).

the bridge assembly (key #3) will drop out cleanly. leave the right side plate (key #1) in the "up" position so that the bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17) do not fall out.

here is an exploded view of the bridge assembly. from top to bottom are the bridge (key #3), the fiber washer (key #4, the main gear (key #5), the five ht-100 drag washers (key #6), the metal drag washers (key #7) and the spacing sleeve (key #9) to the far right.

we will substitute an ht-100 #6-113 drag washer in place of the fiber washer (key #4). note that this is the smaller #6-113, not the larger #6-113h.

slap a thick coat of cal's drag grease on all of the ht-100 drag washers. don't worry about the excess, it will just squeeze out the sides.

rebuild the drag stack.

place your left index and middle fingers over the bridge screws (key #'s 16 and 17) to hold them in place.

now flip over the right side plate (key #1) and install the pinion gear (key #13) if it had fallen out earlier.

the procedure for installing the dog is a little different. install the bridge assembly (key #3) at 180 degrees to its final position. if you used a little excess drag grease on the drag washers, the stack of drags will stay in place and not fall out at this point.

lay the dog (key #15) down over the bridge screw (key #16).

now rotate the backing plate for the bridge assembly (key #3), slowly, counterclockwise, 180 degrees.

as you get close, the dog spring (key #14) should slide in place, up against the dog (key #15).

now press down a little and the bridge assembly (key #3) should "snap" into position. with a right hand assist, flip the right side plate assembly over, holding the bridge assembly in place.

start each bridge screw (key #'s 16 and 17) half way, then cinch each one down snugly.

turn the gear sleeve (key #98) to make sure the anti-reverse dog (key #15) is functioning properly.

flip the eccentric lever (key #21) back and forth to make sure it is functioning properly as well.

this reel features a direct drive button (key #21A). check to see that it is functioning properly. when "on," the anti-reverse dog (key #15) is engaged, the handle goes in only one direction and clicks when the handle is turned.

when the direct drive button (key #21A) is "off," the dog (key #15) is disengaged and the handle will turn forward and back with no click. this feature is commonly used for "wireline" fishing, although the reel is a bit small for this purpose.

lube the bridge assembly bearing (no key #).

lube the spool shaft (key #29L). it is a common problem in the 3-series graphite reels that the spool shaft and pinion gear (key #13) rust together.

install the right side plate assembly (key #1).

install the right side plate screws (key #32).

install the star drag (key #10) and turn it down far enough to clear the shoulder of the gear sleeve (key #98). this allows you install the handle (key #24) properly.

install the handle assembly (key #24).

install the handle assembly screw (key #23).

install the handle lock screw (key #23A).

and you're done!

this reel uses a stack of five penn ht-100 #6-60 drag washers inside the main gear. this drag stack will deliver plenty of drag. the problem is the gear sleeve. it's soft brass and the same size as the jigmaster gear sleeve, only taller. under more than 8-10 pounds of drag, or if the drag sticks, i am certain that the top of this gear sleeve would round off. this reel should perform well with 20# mono and 6-7#'s of drag. looking at the entire series of star drag reels (the 310gti, 320gti/gt2, 330gti, 340gti and 345gti) i believe that the 320 gti/gt2 has the most favorable power to weight ratio.
written 5/25/08 at

(in reply to Alan Tani)

Post #: 6