I got a Mavic MA40 rear wheel with Campagnolo hub and Regina Extra BX 6 speed freewheel today from my buddy for 25 bucks, i needed it to match my front MA40 with Superbe pro hub. The rim itself is in very nice shape as well as the hub and bearings but the Regina is in ok shape. I know it will ride somewhat decent but it sounds a little crusty and there is a lot of gunk and grease built up on it. I posted a thread before on cleaning a different regina i have but i don't have the tools to disassemble it completely but is there any good techniques to get in between the gears and get the crud out of it? I could upload pics in a little bit. Thanks!

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I don't think they came out too well but here they are

just wrap a rag soaked in solvent around a cone wrench and get in between the cogs, than let it dry and relube... is there more you could do? i'm not sure..

I'm just going to try and floss it out, then use some tri flow, Think it should be good

If you have access to the proper remover ,
un screw it and soak it in something like kero.
then drip oil back in the gap between the moving portions

Thanks guys but i'm pretty sure i got it! used an old shoe lace, soaked it in some rubbing alcohol, used a floss like motion in between the gears. Dried it off and used some lube, looks great!

I've had the best luck with a recirculating parts washer.

You tell the freewheel, as you put it in the solvent bath: "You gotta ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

OK, Harry LOL...... I still love that movie.

I filled mine with as much light machine oil as I could (between the rotating / non-rotating gaps) with the wheel lying flat, and then spun it while shooting compressed air (in that same gap) to force out dirt and debris. Did that several times until the expelled oil was clean, and then re-lubed with bike oil.

Regina's instructions in their original can lids say to clean with kerosene or gasoline (!) soaked into the assembly by immersion, then to spin the freewheel using compressed air at the junction of the rotating hub/ non-rotating body. Once completely dry, lube with a lightweight machine oil. I use WD 40 sprayed directly onto the junction area as I turn it with the thumb of the hand holding the freewheel, and then spin it for a few munties once it is sucked into the gap (you can hear the difference as the solvent soaks the bearings and pawls inside). I let it dry at least 24 hours, and then use a lightweight chainlube (wet) to lubricate in the smae manner. I've not had to completely disassemble one, and have no intention of doing so.

Cleaning the outside of the gunk between the cogs makes it look pretty, but is a purely cosmetic move. The lube is needed on the inside, where you can't see.

All good advice on cleaning up older freewheel and making it look good. Will in the end do little to make it work better it either works good or it doesn't if it doesn't you have to decide is it bad enough to merit replacement.

https://www.jastein.com/Html/Tools_for_Wheels.htm

-Kurt

The true proper use of WD... A cleaner/Solvent... So true...

So i can stick the whole piece in Gasoline and let it dry and re-lube? I've already used penetrating oil to free it up but i need to use a wet lube like tri flow now.

hahaha Good one Charles! Thanks everyone for the input! Really appreciate it guys!

Get your hands dirty!....or buy nitrile gloves.....a big can of WD 40 (spray or gallon can), a plastic basin, a couple of brass (long bristled) brushes to get in between the cogs and elbow grease.......

Chombi

+1. Run alot of Tri Flow through it then let drain out the back. Repaeat untill the drainage has no discoloring. Because Tri Flow is relatively expensive in comparison to WD40 what I tend to do is flush them with WD40, when the drainage is clean then I'll lube them with Tri Flow.

If you really want to super celan it spray automotive brake cleaner into it.

Thanks chombi and miamijim, I'm fresh out of tri flow at the moment so i guess i need to make a trip to Ace. I might have some brake cleaner in my garage i'll have to take a look.

hahaha that's an easy step by step to understand! No text needed +1

I just rebuilt a Regina, but being anal about it decided to completely disassemble and lube. As long as you do it over something to catch all of the bearings, it is pretty easy, but you need a few simple tools, the most important one being the one to remove it from the hub. The other is a chainwhip and a vise configured to hold it. Both of these you can make yourself.

What you did is probably much better because 1) you got it clean 2) it works great, and 3) you saved mucho time counting all of those tiny bearings.

I have to say there is real danger in owning tools - you are much more likely to divert your original intention to any number of time consuming things, just because you can. I used to ride more before I had tools.

-G

Like gmt13 says. I think the difficulty of reassembling a freewheel has become a bit of bike mythology, sort of an urban legend. You get an image like the famous "Spock's Brain" episode of 60s Star Trek, where McCoy starts to fall apart as he faces the challenge of reconnecting Spock's nervous system.

I had a 70s era freewheel that had pulled in sand in the winter. Nothing to lose, so I took it apart, cleaned and reassembled it, the whole time wondering when the "impossible" part was going to happen, and it never did. You stick all the balls to the races with grease. Go ahead and count the balls if you want, but the exact number actually isn't critical. Getting the pawls back into the body wasn't that hard either.

Not sure of the actual intent of some of the procedures described above, but you do not want to flush all the grease out of the freewheel innards and leave it devoid of grease. If the only remaining lubricant is oil, WD40, or anything not including grease, it will not last any length of time. Any liquid lubricant such as oil or WD40 will most assuredly drain out over time, due to gravity and centrifugal force, leaving the innards dry. You don't want that.

IMO, your Regina needs a complete overhaul.



Here's a before and after of a Regina I worked on for another BF-C&V member.