I've got an Ambassaduer that did the same thing. The reel is 8 or 9 years old and only used twice. I did figure out though, that if you hold the spool tight and turn the handle backwards about 1/8 of a turn it tends to lock up. I'd like to find the part to fix it for another spare.

[This message has been edited by Erik (edited 12-12-1999).]