Pedals, crank, chain & cassette turn, but no drive...

[gbb]

Ok, see if this helps..
Photo of my freehub, same'ish locknut on the top..

Undid that top nut, the freehub just slides off, exposing the ratchet machining in the hub itself...

Freehub, you can see the exposed pawls, clean them with WD or something, apply some light grease or oil. (edited to say..i used some light grease last time, no problem, but this time its made the pawls sticky, so perhaps oil is the better option)

Perhaps that'll help, perhaps it wont. BTW, it took me longer to upload the pics than it did to strip the freehub off. It can be that easy.

Edited again to say..if yours is similar, watch out as you slide the freehub back into the main hub. The pawls sticking out make it slightly difficult to slide it all back in, its easy to dislodge the spring that runs round the pawls.

 

[Globalti]

You will need to hold the three pawls in place against their tiny springs and gradually slip them into the rack while rotating the freehub a little in the backpedalling direction. It will help if your fingers are about 6" long and very thin indeed! As Gaz writes it's pretty esay to do, the most difficult part is ensuring you don't LOSE the three tiny pawls and springs when you slip that freehub out and they go pa-choing! and fly off into the darkest corner of your shed.

 

[Broadside]

An emergency fix to get you by until you have time to strip it down or replace the freehub is to just liberally spray WD40 in to the freehub which will rinse out the compacted grease or dirt that are contaminating the pawls.

You can then leave the wheel cassette side down to allow most of the WD40 to drain out then dribble some light oil back in through the same gap so there is at least something in there. However as Sheldon says, the freehub is the least important bearing on the bike as it is only active while freewheeling, in normal cycling it is actualyy not doing anything.

 

[Maz]

Depending on the freehub it should be possible to remove it with a big Allen key down the hole. Take it to a bike shop and buy a new one.

My freehub doesn't have hexagonal walls down the middle of it (see 2nd picture - you can see down the middle of it).

http://www.cyclechat...ost__p__1614725

...so I'm not sure how to remove the freehub....I'll stick the Allen key down there anyway, just in case!

 

[Christopher]

Once you get the freehub off, you might find that the pawls are still enclosed - IIRC you can't service the pawls on some Shimano freehubs as there's no way to get at them even after you take the freehub off - they are sealed inside. In that case you have to replace the freehub, think you can get spare ones for about £15.

Of course I might be completely wrong - then you just proceed as gbb155 and others have said above. What wheels are they?

For reference, I have Campag, Reynolds, Shimano and Sun hubs and only Shimano seals in the pawla.

 

[Maz]

Undid that top nut, the freehub just slides off, exposing the ratchet machining in the hub itself...

Many thanks for taking the time to upload the pictures.

When I took my top nut off, the freehub remained attached to the wheel.

The hole down the middle of the freehub (IIRC) was smooth, not hex-shaped (see 2nd picture in my other thread - you can see down the middle of the freehub).

but I'll take a look again this weekend hopefully.

 

[Maz]

Once you get the freehub off, you might find that the pawls are still enclosed - IIRC you can't service the pawls on some Shimano freehubs as there's no way to get at them even after you take the freehub off - they are sealed inside. In that case you have to replace the freehub, think you can get spare ones for about £15.

Of course I might be completely wrong - then you just proceed as gbb155 and others have said above. What wheels are they?

For reference, I have Campag, Reynolds, Shimano and Sun hubs and only Shimano seals in the pawla.

Hi
According to the spec they are:

Rims:Jalco Dynamics 270 alloy triple wall rims. Machined sidewalls with indicator grooves.
Front Hub:Specialized forged alloy 24 hole hub with double sealed ball bearings and straight pull spokes. Quick release.
Rear Hub:Specialized forged alloy 28 hole hub with double sealed ball bearings and straight pull spokes. Cassette with quick release.
Spokes:Stainless 14g straight pull.

Full spec:
http://www.evanscycl...d-bike-ec001387

 

[Christopher]

Have a good play with a 10mm allen key Maz as the bolt that holds the freehub on is near the middle of the hub.

Edit: hmm from the pics in the other thread they look like Shimano pattern hubs i.e. a copy of the Shimano way of doing hubs. If you are skint I can let you have a Shimano freehub from the spares box.

 

[Maz]

Have a good play with a 10mm allen key Maz as the bolt that holds the freehub on is near the middle of the hub.

On closer inspection of the photo in my other thread, I think you're rigt. I think I can just make out the 'angled walls' for the Allen key.

 

[Maz]

An emergency fix to get you by until you have time to strip it down or replace the freehub is to just liberally spray WD40 in to the freehub which will rinse out the compacted grease or dirt that are contaminating the pawls.

You can then leave the wheel cassette side down to allow most of the WD40 to drain out then dribble some light oil back in through the same gap so there is at least something in there. However as Sheldon says, the freehub is the least important bearing on the bike as it is only active while freewheeling, in normal cycling it is actualyy not doing anything.

Hi
Do I need to remove the cassette for this temporary fix? Or is there some way of applying the Wd40/oil between the tiny gap between cassette largest ring and hub?

 

[Maz]

OK, I'm stuck...

The 10mm allen key spins freely inside the freehub and doesn't 'catch' on anything at all. It passes through to the other side with ease.
Any ideas how to remove the freehub?

 

[Broadside]

Maz, no need to remove the cassette. Place the wheel flat on a bench then spray the WD40 through the slim gap between the freehub body and the actual hub, using the straw on the WD40 can you will be able to get enough in.

Be careful not to overspray into the hub bearings or you will rinse that grease out too - if that happens then you ought to re-grease that side of the hub. If it helps I can take a photo if the gap that you need to get the WD40 through. I got a knackered freehub working again with this trick, it literally only takes 5 mins.

 

[Maz]

Maz, no need to remove the cassette. Place the wheel flat on a bench then spray the WD40 through the slim gap between the freehub body and the actual hub, using the straw on the WD40 can you will be able to get enough in.

Be careful not to overspray into the hub bearings or you will rinse that grease out too - if that happens then you ought to re-grease that side of the hub. If it helps I can take a photo if the gap that you need to get the WD40 through. I got a knackered freehub working again with this trick, it literally only takes 5 mins.

Thanks for the instructions. All done now.
After the WD40 I put some light oil in the same gap for lubrication.
I did re-lube the bearings since I'd already taken them out.

Still a mystery how to remove the freehub, but that's a problem for another time I think.

Thanks again.

 

[accountantpete]

Looks like you need a 12mm allen key.

Like here

 

[andrew_s]

Perhaps.
Some (cheap) hubs have pressed on freehub bodies that can't be removed.

To get at the pawls of a Shimano pattern freehub, you need to unscrew the wheel bearing cup. There are a couple of small notches at the top edge to allow this (it's a left-hand thread apparently). Shimano haven't sold the special tool needed for several (~10) years, so it's a matter of bodging.

See here
in this case the chap didn't take off the cassette before taking the freehub body off the hub