Freewheel lubrication

[mattface]

OK, winter eats freewheels. Fairly regularly, the pawls get sticky, and I need to drip some lube down in there to free them up.

Really light oils will rinse off too easily with the salty slush, but I'm afraid to go with anything too thick either as it might get sticky on sub zeroº F temps.

I use T-9 on my chain which seems to hold up pretty well and is never too sticky in the cold, but I'm afraid the combination of wax content and cold might not be good inside the freewheel. What's your preferred freewheel lube for winter conditions? 10w30?

[MichaelW]

Do you ever flush them out with wd40? This removes most of the crud then add more oil.

[mattface]

Yeah I do that from time to time, but what oil should I pour in there? I've heard motor oil, but that seems too thick for -10º F type conditions.

[vger285]

i use boshield then maintain with some lpd-9..or light oil,i bought a gallon of singer sewing machine oil several years ago and it works pretty good.about the same texture as 10w-40

[Eatadonut]

+1 for singer sewing machine oil. I've successfully used motor oil thinned with mineral spirits, but that's messy.

[BenyBen]

About once a month I take my freewheel off and soak it into degreaser for an hour or 2, then I put it back on the wheel and use a folded cloth in a back and forth motion to take all the dirt off (it looks like new after).

Couple that with cleaning your chain once or twice a week, and your freewheel (and chain) will live longer.

I use Finish line oil (http://www.gearbikes.com/images/oil_small.JPG) afterwards, then wipe the excess. Excess oil seems to make things stick.

Oh, and try to add a mudflap to your fenders.

[squegeeboo]

Whats a free wheel?

[BenyBen]

http://www.globalbikesonline.com/catalog/images/7%20speed%20freewheel.jpeg

[squegeeboo]

oh, the rear shifting gear thingy, thanks. I suppose I should get around to cleaning mine at some point...

[PsySal]

About once a month I take my freewheel off and soak it into degreaser for an hour or 2, then I put it back on the wheel and use a folded cloth in a back and forth motioCalvinn to take all the dirt off (it looks like new after).

I think he meant the internal part of the freewheel body with the clicking pawls, not the sprocket teeth. But, I think your advice is still good and should help clean out both. :)

Actually I revived a (very) stuck freewheel last summer by just soaking it in soapy water, but I would have used degreaser if I had any.

[jbrians]

letting a light oil soak into and thru the freewheel will do a few things. it will rinse out the old gunk and lube the mechanism as well. Don't worry about snow/slush cleaning out the lighter oil as it's internal and protected. You can do a pre lubing with WD 40 or varsol, etc. if you feel the need. A 5-W30 motor oil is light enough for most winter needs.

[cruentus]

What you need is a synthetic oil that will not thicken in cold weather.

This stuff, for example. http://www.synthetic-oil-online.com/amsoil_0w30_synthetic_motor_oil.htm