On my sixth time out with this new reel, I was casting into a school of surfacing bass when all of a sudden the rotor separated from the gear casing. I found the rotor nut had come off so I put it back on and kept fishing - net result- 6 bass up to 29" and 4 blues around the same size. The problem is the anti reverse mechanism. when it is engaged it reverses around one half revolution before it locks, it is a real pain in the butt trying to set a hook and keep steady pressure on a fish. I was hoping someone may have experienced the same problem and can recommend the part that is not working properly. I would bring it in for service but I have no backup and this time of year I can't give it up Thanks in advance for any suggestions

roym

You might to check the anti reverse pawl, if the wings spread out too far it doesn't work right and takes a half a turn or so to engage with the gear.

The anti reverse on the whole SS line is problematic.......

Roy, try to take it back where you got it and get an exchange for a new reel.

Better yet, get a refund and get a 704Z in its place.

-WW

I have 3 penns on the shelf =they look like new ,one is less than a year old =======I,m sick of the problems they give me =============they use to make a nice reel ,,maybe their conventionals are ok ?/==== but these S@#$///////////
I w on,t use them again ////

the old green ones were great :::::::::::

:mad: :mad: :mad:

Not a whole lot of experience here, but I have owned a 5500SS for about a year and I don't like it. The antireverse is horrible> I've used many other spinners that I liked better. I think Penn is the BEST reel company ever but I'm dissapointed with the new SS series, have used a 8500SS and 6500SS also.
Trade it for a 704Z - my friend gave me one, an older one and I opened it all up, scrubed all parts in Simple green, soaked all metal in Paint thinner and put it together packing it with Penn lube. AWESOME REEL I have to say, it's my surf reel and I love it.:D

Thanks guys. I originally bought the 5500ss for its lightweight 14 oz and as I typically throw jigs and plastic for hours on end, it was a perfect match to the St Croix rod I got for half price at Decathelon. The combo is so light I can cast for hours w/o aggravating a rotator cuff repair. The combo, particularly the rod, can handle larger fish 20+ lbs as well as making cathching schoolies enjoyable. Although the 704z is a superb reel, at 19 oz it is a little heavy for my use. Any anti reverse problems with the 360 Slammer? I understand they have no reverse spooling. Can Penn screw up something that doesn't exist???

I was told MANY TIMES that in a few years the Slammer series will replace the SS series. I dont know if it is true, but I have replaced mine and i'm happy:)

I have an older 5500, it is 11 years old with over 1,ooo fish to its credit and never failed me yet. Maybe something with the new ones. My son has a new one, not many fish on but no problems. My dad has an older one, no problems either.I guess we were lucky. New slammer reels look nice.