Originally Posted by
pastorbobnlnh

...that is--- until it doesn't work.
Give @
plonz a break FBinNY! He asked a good question and he deserves honest and polite responses.
Originally Posted by
SJX426
.... the question is, how do you know if a freewheel is quieter than it should be? I like mine quiet too. .....!
I might have been nicer, but I'm from NY and shoot from the hip. However, I honestly cannot see how taking something apart to find out why it's working well makes any sense. The old rule that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here.
Freewheels are very simple mechanisms, that operate under optimum conditions. When under load, they are locked up with no moving parts. When they are moving (freewheeling) there's near zero load (the weight of the freewheel and chain). As such there's not much that can go wrong except for rust. The symptom of a problem is slippage or delayed engagement which indicate that the pawls are not engaging quickly and/or fully. That's when you fix it (usually by a simple flush and oil process)
Quiet operation is a positive in freewheels the same as it is in watches. As long as you hear the ticking of the pawls when freewheeling, it doesn't matter how faintly.
BTW- No offense to anybody is intended but folks here on this forum tend to be overly obsessive about their bikes. Bikes need reasonable maintenance, but more isn't better, it's just more time spent tinkering and less time riding.
Both my original answer and this one are consistent with my product which is intended for folks who want good maintenance with minimal effort.