I got a nasty backlash today, and while I was trying to pick it out and the line (20#braid) got tangled in the worm gear/level wind. I managed to get it out but then the level wind wasnt' moving. When I got home I took the spool out and tried turning that little screw on the level wind. That seemed to fix it, I think. My question is did I really fix it and what is purpose of that screw?

If anyone who works on baitcasters could shed some light on the subject I would greatly appreciate it.

Need more info what brand/series is the reel?

Shimano Curado 301 DSV.

Little Screw...

If you turned the pawl cap which holds the level wind pawl, all you did was add a little pressure to the pawl. There is a small shim/spacer that is in the cap that adds the right amount of pressure to the pawl.

If it is missing turning the cap will help until the pawl wears enough to have to tighten the cap again.

Usually when this is done enough you will pop the cap with the threads right off of the pawl then you will need a new part. Check to see if the shim/washer is there, by unscrewing the cap.

BTW when the D series reels came out they had an issue with the line carriage being to tight on the tolerances and binding (not traveling) and they (Shimano) had a fix.

Tight Lines!!!

I will check to see if that spacer is there. So is this pawl cap something that goes out of adjustment frequently, or only when it gets disturbed?

If the shim is in place and the reel is maintained, the pawl cap shouldn't require much attention.

I suppose its possible that you unknowingly loosened the pawl cap while trying to detangle the line, which would explain why tightening it solved the problem.