Cassette slipping

[obscurasky]

Do you use spray lube (GT85 etc)? It tends to work its way down and wash out the grease from freehubs - then they get rusty inside and die.

I went through 4 shimano freehub bodies before finding this out...

You're right that spray lube can cause freehubs to fail, but ironically you can also use it to fix them. It might not be in the manual, but I've done it and it works; Freehubs often fail, not because they're worn out, but because the little teeth inside 'stick in' and fail to engage the hub when you exert pressure on the cranks. One way to free the teeth is to remove the freehub and spray stacks of lube inside it. Keep twisting the free hub until the teeth free themselves and the hub works again...... and then some more to be sure. Leave the thing somewhere warm over night to make sure all the solvent in the spray lube evaporates, then next morning get as much ordinary oil as you can inside the freehub. It probably wont last as long as greese would, but does the job!

 

[Senri]

Be carefull with grease in the freehub. For the bearings it is ok, but as soon as it will go to the little rattle levers, it will make them stick, causing freehub slip.

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Easy fix on a Shimano hub, just need the right tools!

Out of interest, what in the way of tools do you need? I have the freehub off the hub as it were. Now I wnat to look inside to see if it can have it's life extended.

 

[obscurasky]

Easy fix on a Shimano hub, just need the right tools!

Out of interest, what in the way of tools do you need? I have the freehub off the hub as it were. Now I wnat to look inside to see if it can have it's life extended.

I think modern ones are generally 'pressed' together and can't be disassembled. The older ones had a threadded insert with two little grooves on the top that you could fit something like a flat screwdriver tip into and gently tap with a mallet to unscrew. Once you get it open though they're a nighmare to get back together - springs and little pegs everywhere. Nice to see what's inside, but not really the effort if you're planning to re-fit the thing.

 

[Xesh]

Be carefull with grease in the freehub. For the bearings it is ok, but as soon as it will go to the little rattle levers, it will make them stick, causing freehub slip.

I grease all my freehubs with an injector that I've got. Never had any problems due to slippage so far. I do use a light teflon based grease though.

This one: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5954

 

[hamster]

The other one I've done is to take a bean tin of motor oil, heat it up on a camping stove for 5 mins or so, then drop the sick freehub body in. Leave overnight and it often recovers.

In the old days :roll: it was a way to lube up freewheels...