Originally Posted by
Lar-E
Please forgive my newbiness.
The freewheel on my ooooold trek 1000 sounds horrible. I'd like to take it apart, lube it, see how it works, overhaul it, and put it back together. How do I get into the actual freewheel? Baring that, how do I lubricate it?
The freewheel is a Shimano MF-Z012, circa 1988
Thanks for your help.
Inside the smallest cog there's a threaded ring that requires either a two-pin wrench or some other special tool. You also (I think) need a way to hold everything still, and there used to be a freewheel vise available for that purpose. I really don't agree with taking them apart, because it's a hassle (I never figured out the easy way, if any) to get the spring-loaded pawls back in place durig reassembly. +1 to getting a replacement.
You can flush the freewheel once it's off the hub by soaking it in a solvent, letting it drain, then seeing if the drainage runs clean. Try a second time. Then if you have access to an air line, you can blow it out. You can re-oil using an oil injector or just running in oil from the front or back groove, or through an oil port if you find one. New Winners have an oil port on the threads, nad the front and back grooves are sealed.
Seeing how it works might be a luxury.