Hey guys. I took my citica apart yesterday after buying it for $25 used. I wanted to take it apart and clean it all the way down to the gears. I am not very familiar with the insides of a baitcasting reel. But anyway I took it apart and ended up messing it up. I eventually fixed it back up but one problem. The drag tightens a tiny bit but then becomes loose again and just spins around without getting tighter. I put everything back in the reel exactly how I found it. The drag worked before I opened the reel. Also, the piece that adds the anti reverse to the gears is catching on the gears and making the reel click when I turn the handle. What should I do about that? Thanks guys for any help you guys give me. Other than that the reel is looking great.

UPDATE: I fixed the drag. The drag star wasn't tight enough on the nut that tightens the drag. Therefore it was just rotating in circles. DUH

The problem you describe is a common problem for those reels to those who don't put it back together right.  I will give you $26.  You get a $1.0  profit and I'll take the trouble.  

Not spending anymore money. The reason I took it apart myself is because I didn't want to spend the money. Also I love projects. Any help is appreciated with figuring out the clicking noise.

Pinch the ears inward on the pawl or take it out altogether. There are multiple threads and reel experts that say the back up pawl causes more trouble than good.  They can weaken, get dented, come off and cause major damage.  That said, I have some in my reels and some out.  If they make noise, I normally pull them out, but have pinched them together too.

 

Good reel, BTW.  Not Shimano's finest effort, but better than most other manufacturers.

 

Where did you get a deal like that?

How does the anti reverse work if the pawl is out of the reel? It is a pretty annoying peice in the reel. I bent the ears out because the ears would catch on the gears and the handle wouldn't turn. So now the anti reverse works and the handle is smooth, but it just makes a little clicking noise. I found it in the back of a shelf at Academy Sports and they said it was used and it had a couple scuffs. I cleaned a whole bunch of old grease and old springs/screws. Best $25 dollars I've ever spent.

Pinch the ears inward on the pawl or take it out altogether. There are multiple threads and reel experts that say the back up pawl causes more trouble than good. They can weaken, get dented, come off and cause major damage. That said, I have some in my reels and some out. If they make noise, I normally pull them out, but have pinched them together too.

Good reel, BTW. Not Shimano's finest effort, but better than most other manufacturers.

Where did you get a deal like that?

^^^

The anti reverse bearing is all that is needed.  . That said, you can bend the ears in, and grease the area it makes contact, and it should be OK.  The pawl is a backup, if you leave it in.

 

Google "The life cycle of the pawl 2coolfishing".   All the info you need on your problem.

The pawl is simply there as a back up in case your anti reverse bearing goes out. I would say in bass fishing it's very unlikely to be needed. Some of these reels get used on salt and supposedly on a big pull it can do some damage to that bearing.