Lewmar 30st removing Spindle difficulty

[Captain Eliz]

I see on Lewmar diagrams and youtube that when you service the winch I have from a 1988 Beneteau Moorings 432 / Oceanus 430 that you should be able to pull the spindle up and out after removing the collets and gears. With everything removed I was unable to remove the spindle from 2 of these winches. It feels like something is hitting internally, but the only thing left other than the spindle are two black plastic collars inside the "center stem." The spindle can move freely up and down easily but gets caught on metal when trying to pull it upward. I do not believe there are any other collets or rings on the spindle inside the mechanism. Has anyone else had this issue? Have you found a way to remove the spindle?

I tried putting two sockets inside the spindle from underneath and using a screw driver as a lever to push it up and out. No luck forcing it. attached is a photo with the spindle at its highest point.

[Paul L]

Not seeing the picture.