Coaster brake hub rebuild question
 

Looking for advice on a coaster brake hub problem. After disassembly, cleaning and rebuilding I cannot properly adjust the hub. If the hub spins freely the hub wobbles on the axle. If the cone is finger tightened to remove the loose hub the brake binds in the hub. I must have made a mistake somewhere but can't figure it out. A couple of nights ago I pulled it apart and reassembled an unhealthy number of times.

The bike is a 3G that I rescued from a trash pile with 26 inch wheels. I've rebuilt road and MTB hubs before but never a coaster brake hub. Bel-Ray waterproof grease was used. A DIY YouTube was referenced for instructions but I cannot yet post a URL.

Many thanks for any advice offered.

-edit- I found the problem.

I'm curious what you found? Bearing in backwards?

Hey, thanks for checking. My error was an incorrect placement of the sleeve/dust-cap that seats into the grooves on the driver. Stupid error. I was so focused on the bearings, clutch and brake shoes that I missed the obvious.

I rode it a few miles today on an out & back with a big headwind on the return trip. The rear hub and brake did great. Much smoother now.

The headset keeps loosening up, though. I keep it adjusted properly but it doesn't hold for long. A headset rebuild is the next project for this bike a neighbor threw away.

Nice find. What model is it? I have a 3G Isle Vista that I received for FREE and have ridden 19,200 miles on it so far. Love it. Yea those coaster brakes, simple yet just enough pieces in there to give you a problem once in a while if you're not paying attention.

3G bike
 

That was a great gift you received. Mine is also an Isla Vista. I saw a guy drop it in a trash pile in front of his house while I was riding home on my cruiser. He said "take it, someone stole my cruiser from the front porch and left this piece of junk". I dropped it on top of the lawnmower that I was pulling home and continued on before he changed his mind.

generally at the 3G type low end we would add the wheel with DNF hub, to the pile , rather than bother repairing it..

Consider getting a wheel built around a better coaster brake hub, such as a Sturmey Archer S1C,
or one of their internal geared coaster brake hubs.

Thanks, I'll look for that type of hub when I need to buy a new wheel. In this case I realized my error and re-assembled the hub properly.