Originally Posted by
FBinNY
It means you don't know AW hubs and your hub is probably fine. You have the cable adjusted 1 gear too loose. The so called dead spot (no engagement) occurs between when the clutch engages the right side output ring, and the planetary cage pins. Meaning it's between 2nd and 3rd gear.
Please disconnect the cable and turn the sprocket with the axle held either in a vise or the frame, see if the shell overruns the sprocket. If yes, that's 3rd gear, pull out the indicator rod a bit and you'll find the dead spot just before it engages 2nd, (1:1 drive), and if you pull it out a bit more you should find low, shell turns slower than sprocket.
I suspect that if you only have 2 gears they're 2nd and 3rd. When AW hubs only have two gears the one lost is usually low, because wear on the ends of the driver keeps it from disengaging the 2nd gear driving pawls, and 2nd gear overruns 1st.
I certainly don't pretend to be an expert on SA hubs, but this still doesn't add up. With the cable disconnected the hub runs in direct 1:1 gear. The shell does not overrun the sprocket.
I can pull out the indicator rod a bit and find the dead spot, a little bit further and I'm in the next gear and the shell turns slower than the sprocket. If I pull it a bit further, there's no change.
I will have a look and check again that I'm not being daft. It's always possible, but I'm 99% sure that what I've described is correct.