Back in the '70s- pre Stein tool- I was told that the only proper way to lube a freewheel was disassembly and regreasing. Being the lazy and cheap sod I am, I instead just used cheap automotive motor oil (decent chain lube too!) squirted into the gap and let gravity and a little spinning of the wheel to work it in. Sometimes I'd even use (gasps) spray lube- this was considered at the time a sure fire FW killer. I don't recommend any of this, but you know what? It seemed to work, and still does 30 years later.
Kurt Sperry, lazy and cheap in Bellingham WA
On 7/28/06, John Thompson <JohnThompson@new.rr.com> wrote:
>
> gabriel l romeu wrote:
> > and I have been reading the extensive amount of posts in the archives,
> > but I did not read anything about cleaning freewheels.
> >
> > I am willing to dump almost anything into my commercial ultrasonic
> > (using a strong solution of simple green w/ degreaser) that I can get
> > access for relubrication. In the case of freewheels, we used to (1970)
> > spray lubrication in the mating sections (stationary and moving), front
> > and back, to reduce the clickiness.
> > I can imagine the interior, the two rows of bearings with the 'stops' in
> > between.
> > I can think of quite a few thing to do to insure rust protection
> > (biosheild t6), possible lubrication from Phil Wood Tenacious Oil to
> > Teflon based lubrication...
> > But I still can't see it.
> > Any well substantiated advice whether this is a plausible cleaning
> soluti
> > on?
>
> I soak mine in solvent, then blow it out of the interior with compressed
> air. For lubrication, I'm a fan of the Stein Freewheel Injector, which
> injects grease into the freewheel without disassembly. You get an
> eerie-quiet freewheel that way. When you start to hear a faint clicking,
> simply repeat the process.
>
> N.B. Some people are concerned that grease is too thick and may cause
> the ratchet pawls to stick, preventing them from working. In practice I
> haven't found this to be a problem except in quite cold weather (e.g. <
> 10C).
>
> For those conditions, I use an alternative method: clean as above, then
> run a good oil (like Phil's Tenacious oil) into the gap between the
> inner and outer body until it starts to come out the other side. Then
> use your finger to work heavy grease into the gaps (both sides) to seal
> the oil inside the body. This will also give you a lovely quiet
> freewheel, but doesn't last as long as the injected grease method.
>
>
> --
> John (john@os2.dhs.org)
> Appleton WI USA
> _______________________________________________
>
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