Rear wheel doesn't rotate when pedaled
 

I had my old bike shipped to me (tennesee to boise) and put it together without to much problem. Inflated the tires, got on it started to petal and almost fell flat on my face....

Origionally when I pedaled forward the cassette would spin freely, and when backwards the chain would sag.

What I have done so far is to take apart the rear wheel to the extent that I could, which is at the point right before I can disassemble the cassette. I do not have the know how, tools, or both to strip the wheel, but I did what I could. I put it back together a few times and tried to get the wheel to spin as I pedaled. This didn't work.

I started to mess with the derailure, adjusting the screws and pushing the lever forcing it to shift as I hand pedaled. Sometimes it would catch and pedal without a problem. Other times it would spin freely. I currently have it to about 50/50 where as before it would never spin.

Thanks for any and all help!!!

Your problem isn't in the hub, it's in the freehub body. The pawls aren't engaging when they should. Drip a lot of light oil into the annular space between the stationary core and rotating body of the freehub and see if that corrects the problem. Otherwise you need a new freehub body.

If the bike is old enough to use a freewheel, the same corrective action and outcome apply.

Buy a new freehub body. They aren't terribly expensive. You'll probably want the shop to do it if you' don't have the tools to remove the cassette. It's not too hard to do, but it will cost you $40 in tools (chain whip and cassette tool, plus 8-10mm hex key).

Is the rear wheel fully seated in the dropouts? Rim or tire rubbing the brakes or frame?

Hmmm.....I do not know what a freehub body is, but I assume it is the extension that allows the cassette to be mounted to the hub. If that is not what it is, then I start at a loss.

I cannot even begin to guess what pawls are, and I think of months when u say annular space.

I will use my favorite tool on my bike, however, a search engine, but I would be grateful to anyone who can be me to it and post what those are.

Thanks alot for your quick responses.

Yep, that's exactly what it is. It is fastened to the rest of the hub by a hollow 10 mm bolt and you have to disassemble the hub to reach it. Freehub bodies are usually replacement items and are not servicable unless you have a LOT of time and patience.

Pawls are little metal tabs that engage "teeth" in the freehub body in one direction to force the wheel to turn when you pedal but pop out of engagement when the wheel turns faster than you pedal or you are coasting. They are what allow freewheels to freewheel in one direction and drive in the other. It sounds like yours aren't engaging when they should.

By "annular space", I meant the little crack between the two parts of the freehub body where you could squirt some oil to try to free up the pawls.