theres a geek motto:
if you cant unbuild it, you dont own it.
to answer your question :
all repairing efforts are worth it - at least you learn something by doing it. like me, learning when i first openend a dx shifter back in the days of 95 that i will never unbuild a shifter completeley again, plus that shifters are expensive and that an altus shifter fits to a dx sti.
first of all :does the hubshell wobble on the axle ? then youve got to tighten the freewheels bearings.
so heres a how to - the hubs a 1990s xc limited but it should be pretty much the same at your comp.
tools you need are: one mabe two chainwhips, cone wrenches, a flat screwdriver, a hammer, some WD 40 or similar, and a good bunch of FAT.
remember: dont loose a ball of the bearings !
first step - remove the casette with the chainwhips.
second step - remove the axle bearings and the axle.
third step - what you see is this:
a rubber seal covering a steel ring at the outer side of the freehub body - at the inside you'll see the kone of the axle bearings.
you dont have to remove the rubber ring but if you do it looks like this :
take the flathead and lever the steel (and rubber) ring out - carefully as its not as solid as it looks ...
what you see is this :
thats the inner cone of the axel bearings. the steel ring youve levered out is the seal - the axle cone you removed when removing the axle bearing is the outer cone. take the flathead and the hammer and unscrew this cone/screw. theres a specific tool for this work too, but flathead/hammer does the job and is widely available.
what you see is :
outer bearings of the freehub plus some thin shims lying above of them ...
put all the stuff out and simply lift the freehub body so you'll see this :
you can see the engagement points of the hubshell at the left , plus you see the inner bearings of the freehub body, plus you see the axle, plus you still see the shims that me didnt take out...
at the axle you'll see the clips that engage in the freehub body teeth.
demounting done : rebuilding and repairing:
(better engagement of the hub )
clean everything then slightly bend the springs wider a little bit. then apply a good load of fat at the inner cone of the inner hubshell bearings and place all the balls at position. then apply some (very small amount- thin film only to prevent rust) of grease to the hubshell teeth and put the hubshell over the axle. apply some grease at the outer hubshell bearing - inner cone and put all the balls back in place.
(now you tune how tight the hubshell sits at the axle)
by simply putting all the shims back in place or only some of them. they determine how far you can screw the outer cone /innercone screw unto the axle. and they are of different thickness so maybe you have to try a bit which one should go back in place which one you could leave out. then srew the outer cone back in place. press the steel/rubber ring back in palce ( in case you unlevered the rubber ring like me simply glue it back unto the steel ring ) then rebuild the axle and bearings and cassette. done.
in case you face trouble unscrewing something apply a good load of wd40 and wait two days. then try it again.
good luck...
