Bicycle Mechanics - Rear SHIMANO 600 ST-6400 shifter not working

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Chrise510
09-28-11, 10:19 PM
I bought a bike a few days ago and the rear shifter isnt working. At first it had zero resistance so i took it to the bike shop and they sprayed stuff in it but they said they couldnt really do anyhing because they didnt have (said something about a tank) but he told me that i should just spray WD-40 every so often and see if it fixes anything. So i been spraying WD-40 and now it shifts but if i click the shifter to hard it stops working again. If i wait about a min, its like it resets and i can start shifting again. I can shift down but its only when i try to shift up that i have problems. Anyways will this problem get fixed or am i going to have to look for new shifters?

TMP
09-28-11, 10:50 PM
the wd-40 treatment is temporary at best. best to have it rebuilt by Jim Mcvey. here's his group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/100856572916/
sk0tt
09-29-11, 08:09 PM
If spraying the shifter has got it working sometimes, then it will probably get better with a bit more.

Jeff Wills
09-29-11, 10:40 PM
I bought a bike a few days ago and the rear shifter isnt working. At first it had zero resistance so i took it to the bike shop and they sprayed stuff in it but they said they couldnt really do anyhing because they didnt have (said something about a tank) but he told me that i should just spray WD-40 every so often and see if it fixes anything. So i been spraying WD-40 and now it shifts but if i click the shifter to hard it stops working again. If i wait about a min, its like it resets and i can start shifting again. I can shift down but its only when i try to shift up that i have problems. Anyways will this problem get fixed or am i going to have to look for new shifters?

As others said, try more WD-40. It's a consistent problem with Shimano shifters that haven't been used in a long time: the lube inside hardens up and gets sticky, and the pawls stick. Thus, no shifting. Loosen up the brake cable and find the gaps in the shifting mechanism and then squirt spray lube inside. Shift up and down a bunch (a workstand or a helper to hold up the rear wheel helps), and then spray more inside. You need to get the dried-up lube broken up and moving around in there. Clean the puddle off the floor and everything else (hopefully you didn't get any on the brake shoes) and go ride.

FWIW: WD-40 is a good solvent, but not a great lubricant. I'd use something petroleum-base... shop around.