Daiwa Lexa thumb bar problem

My Lexa 300H LC is slightly less than one year old. Recently, the thumb bar wouldn’t engage when I turn the handle. Since I never serviced the reel, I can only attribute it to some dirt or lack of lubrication. The problem is intermittent. I can also just press the thumb bar back up if it doesn’t automatically.

Anyways, I looked up online and it seems like a common issue. I also understand why it happens. The only thing is there doesn’t seem to be a clear solution to this.

Any advice?

Here’s the thread I found online:
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/daiwa-lexa-300-wont-engage-when-i-turn-the-handle.660320/

And here are the photos showing the kick lever, which gets pushed into the teeth of the anti reverse ratchet, when the thumb bar is pressed. When the handle is turned, regardless of drag, the anti reverse ratchet would push the kick lever back, which would push the thumb bar back into position.

For reference, here is a photo of my reel before I serviced it. The thumb bar is not pressed (it’s in the up position) and the kick lever is not engaged with the anti reverse ratchet (which is how it should be).

First off, I don't have a Daiwa Lexa but I had a very similar issue with a Shimano Calcutta. The clutch lever would engage the reel into freespool but the reel would sometimes fail to go back into gear when I turned the handle.

After opening and inspecting the reel multiple times I noticed that the spacer adjacent to the clutch bar had worn, and when I removed it, the plastic was notably thin. I ordered a new spacer and the reel has worked flawlessly since. The worn spacer allowed the clutch bar to flex, causing the issue. Might be work checking this on your Lexa. Good luck.

Hi,

I have sent my malfunctioning reel out to Larry.

http://larrysreelrepair.com/

Larry's
Reel Repair & Cleaning
P.O. Box 2974
Vacaville, CA 95696

(707) 359-4399

Email: larrysreelrepair@comcast.net

Thanks for the reference. Looks like a really good service. Mine is under warranty (just about to expire) so hopefully they’ll fix it or replace it. Either way, I hope the problem won’t reoccur.

I called Daiwa today. Apparently if you service your reel before the warranty ends, you will void the warranty. They say this is because they don’t know what oils or grease you’ve used. Even if they’re right on the technical side (which I doubt), I’m not sure it makes much sense from a good customer service perspective.
Good thing I didn’t tell them I did

They said they don’t know that Lexa series has a thumb bar issue, but acknowledged that dirt in the system or rust could prevent the thumb bar from engaging.

At this time of year, fixing the reel takes 3-5 weeks, counting 5 days from after they receive the reel. Sounds slow to me.

I’ll try to resolve this issue on my own and report back here.