louky

Could someone confirm that Amazon.com : Park Tool FR-2 Freewheel Remover SunTour 2 Notch : Bike Hand Tools : Sports & Outdoors is the tool I need for this freewheel? Thanks!

grumpus

That's the one you need, but they tend not to work very well particularly if the thread wasn't greased before the freewheel was fitted. Be sure to tighten the axle nut firmly against the tool before trying to crack it, then loosen before unwinding further.

louky

Grumpus: Is that just the nature of the tool with notches, or is there a different brand of tool you would recommend over the Park? Thanks

SurferRosa

Same price on eBay, but with free shipping, and there are several sellers to choose from. Here's one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255434192309

The two notched Suntour freewheel can be a little cumbersome when it has been on the hub for an extended period of time. The Park tool is probably the best choice. Be sure to snug down the tool really well before attempting to remove the freewheel.

redshift1

About half way down, some details on what to do.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/freewhe...he%20freewheel.

I second the advice from the above posters - clamp that tool in. Because there are only two notches, if the tool tilts only slightly under load, there is more chance of dis-engagement with possible subsequent tool and notch damage.

HillRider

The problem isn't with the tool but with the freewheel design. The Park tool is as good as they get. As noted, be sure to clamp the remover tool in place with the axle nut before applying torque. One of the better ways to remove the freewheel is to clamp the tool in a vise and use the rim like a steering wheel to unthread the freewheel. As noted, loosen the axle nut as soon as the freewheel breaks loose.

dedhed

​​​​​​Freewheel removal notch stripped!

Bill Kapaun

The tool does tend to break. Sometimes even when you're "pretty careful".
I'd recommend hosing down the important spot with a "real" penetrating oil vs WD-40 or similar.

You need to clamp the tool, but it will get incredibly tight against the axle nut/skewer used to retain the tool.
You'll want to NOT do much more than break the bond (which may be very strong if it's been on for decades) and then back off the retainer a bit. Repeat once more than you should be good.
DON'T rotate it very much at a time when using the retainer.

3alarmer 

.
...IME the best removal tool for this was made and sold by Suntour themselves, but they are no longer doing that.
Do not be too discouraged if you can't remove it, even by clamping in the Park remover. You can usually accomplish a destructive removal in that case, but you lose the freewheel.

For a very stuck freewheel, I use both heat and Freeze Off in the hub threaded interface with the freewheel body. But nothing works 100% of the time. There are people here who swear that an air impact wrench is the best way to loosen these, but I'm not sure if it works very well with this problematic two notch design for the freewheel and tool.

XxHaimBondxX

What's wrong with it? Teeth look pretty good from what I can see.

Also, it could be easier to remove if you lock the tool in a vice and turn the wheel itself, like a bus driver. (Learned it at co-op)

JohnDThompson 

That's the nature of two-notch freewheels. SunTour is much better than Regina and its two-notch copies (Everest/Caimi, Maillard, old Shimano Dura-Ace and 600, etc.), but it's still too easy to damage the tool, the freewheel, or both. Don't use a Regina-type tool on a SunTour freewheel, or vice-versa, as the likelihood of damage is virtually 100%.

My experience is that SunTour's official freewheel tool is stronger than the Park, but the SunTour tool is getting harder to find.

squirtdad

+1 on freeze off being helpful in lots of situations

louky

I was going to ask about heat. I didn't know anything about freeze off. I am removing it because it's extremely stiff and gummy when trying to freewheel. The chain is piling up when going backwards and the wheel is turning the pedals bigtime on the stand when on the stand. I was going to try to clean it with wd-40 while assembled by spraying and turning til it frees up and then lubing. I guess I could do this on the wheel but it will be messy.

After the comments I am becoming leery of this job but I have the tool on the way. This bike is slated for donation so it won't be the end of the world if I don't get it off.

Also, I had thought of trying my 18V impact. I have had some luck using it on BB's that I couldn't move with a breaker. The issue for me would be stopping quick enough after it starts moving.

Bill Kapaun

DON'T! A recipe for disaster.

A real long breaker bar will give better control.
I had to take a triangular file to relieve the the notches on the combination wrench to fit over the PARK tool.
It was that or grind down the high edge on all my PARK FW/Cassette tools at a time I was without a grinder.
They are too hard to file.
It gives pretty good control, but you still have to pay attention on how you align your direction of force.
IF you have an assistant that won't wimp out on you, have them hold the wheel so you can put one hand on the tool and the other on the "lever" and ease it off. CONTROL!

That's the advantage of using a good vise to hold the tool. You can place your hands opposite of each other on the wheel and control the direction of force better.

SurferRosa

Well, you need it removed so you can service the hub properly.

But you don't need it necessarily removed to overhaul the freewheel. All you need is a hammer and punch. And if you don't have a bench vise handy, just use the wheel itself to help you remove the freewheel lock ring, which is reverse threaded. Now, sometimes you have to punch it several times to free that lock ring. Keep punching. Once the lock ring is removed, keep the top set of bearings separated from the lower set. Use only a little bit of grease in both races. Don't lose those really thin spacers that automatically adjust the freewheel. Clean, but don't lube pawls. It's really simple and a lot better way to service a freewheel than just using wd-40.

HelpSingularity 

In my experience in removing dozens and dozens of Suntour (RIP) freewheels, the absolute most foolproof way is to do what HillRider recommends: clamp the tool in a secured bench vise. I have never failed in successfully removing a Suntour freewheel (Regina freewheels are another story).

Of course first remove the axle nut, place the tool and tighten her up, very snug but not extreme torque. Make sure you are turning the wheel in the right direction. You'll probably hear a crack when the freewheel finally breaks free. Then loosen up the axle nut and spin the freewheel off.

HelpSingularity 

Just dribble some kind of oil into the freewheel. Just set the wheel on the side and spin the freewheel. You'll see the part in the middle that does not move while the cogs are spinning. At the interface dribble some oil in there. I always use Phil's Tenacious Oil but I'm sure just about anything is fine.

WD40 is fine to loosen and clean things out but not as a lubricant. Use something like (or equivalent) a 30wt oil.

XxHaimBondxX

Did exactly the same thing last week because the freewheel had a little play. I removed one and only thin spacer, leaving only the notched washer and the play was fixed. Is it fine riding this way? In all the videos I've seen, there are quite a few of these washers, and it was surprising to find only one, and currently zero. My theory is the races gotten deeper because it was dry as a bone, however, now lubed up it spin very smoothly.

Hope it's just the camera angle, but that lockring looks cross threaded.
​​​​​​​

Trakhak

Quoting for emphasis. If the only problem is sluggish freewheeling, don't bother buying a freewheel puller.

Just drip a few drops of medium-weight oil in at the outer edge of the lock ring while the wheel is horizontal. That's all it will take to dilute the gummy residue (that used to be oil) within the freewheel mechanism. Then spin the wheel while holding the wheel horizontal and the freewheel and the axle stationary to get the fresh oil to penetrate fully. It's always satisfying to feel the resistance in the freewheel mechanism disappearing.

louky

I think it is the camera angle (or else it came from the factory this way).

I will try the trick with the oil.

BTW can someone tell me how to use the quote and the multi guote function?

grumpus

It shouldn't take much squirt and spin to get it running freely. Try to keep solvent away from the hub bearings. A few drops of oil once it's freed up will keep it running smoothly. In the worst case you can disassemble the freewheel to either service or remove it - just tap the face plate clockwise with a punch, remove carefully. Put a rag over the freewheel and invert the wheel while holding the freewheel in place, try not to fling balls all over the floor while lifting the wheel off the outer body. You can now clean, grease (just enough to hold the balls in place) and reassemble, or use a vice or pipe wrench to destructively remove the inner body from the hub.
I used to use the better Suntour freewheels that had adjustable bearings (and four extractor notches) they were worth the effort of rebuilding. Cheaper models maybe not so much, although if they have the right size shims they can be adjusted to run nicely.

SurferRosa

If that was the only way to fix the "play," then I think you probably did the right thing.

squirtdad

I would spray triflow through and then lay it on it's side and let Phils tenacious oil gravity feed through this has worked wonders.

taking apart a freewheel and really rehabbing it is some thing I have not done, especially after having to remove one using the hammer and drift on the lock ring and having 40billion more or less ball bearings drop out and hide in the garage

SurferRosa

It's super easy when you have the removal tool at your disposal, so you can remove the entire freewheel from the hub after loosening the lock ring. Then you place the entire freewheel on a towel, so if bearings do drop out, they won't bounce. There are usually around 25 in each race. They're so small that they stick really well to a tiny line of fresh grease.

It's probably the easiest component to adjust, because, with its thin spacers present, there is no adjustment. You just retighten the lock ring the same way you removed it.

Hondo6

When logged in, you should see "Quote" and "Multi Quote" buttons at the bottom of each post.

To quote a single post, select the "Quote" button at the end of a prior comment vice using the reply button at the bottom of the thread.

To use "Multi Quote", select the check box in the "Multi Quote" button in each post you want to quote; when you're finished, hit the "Quote" button.

Hope this helps.