Play in freehub body

raymond82
raymond82 Posts: 330
edited January 2015 in Workshop
Hello,

My freewheel body has some play, even after tightening the bolt that secures it to the wheel quite firmly. Before replacing the body, I would like to know why it has play. Mainly, should there be a spacer between the body and the wheel? If that's not the case, is it safe to assume the body needs replacement because of the internal bearings having worn out?

Thank you!

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,243
    What hub?
    left the forum March 2023
  • raymond82
    raymond82 Posts: 330
    Ah, sorry that's a good point I forgot to mention... It's a Shimano Ultegra hub but quite an old model although it's 9/10 speed.

    I don't have a picture of the hub but it looks pretty much like this:

    ultegra_hub_zps50cea922.jpg
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    I think the Shimano freehubs have two bearings, so does the axle also have play? If so then you just need to readjust your cones.
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  • raymond82
    raymond82 Posts: 330
    DesWeller wrote:
    I think the Shimano freehubs have two bearings, so does the axle also have play? If so then you just need to readjust your cones.

    The axle itself doesn't have play, at least not after spending some time adjusting the cones. It's really the body itself, it has a bearing all the way at the back of it hidden below a rubber sealing. When I looked at it I was actually surprised to see how much space there was between the bearing balls but I saw a video on youtube that said there supposed to be 25 balls and I counted these. If I remember correctly from the video there is another bearing inside the body.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,243
    If the cassette wobbles a bit while you spin the wheel, that's normal for Shimano... as those tiny balls and the races wear out, there is a bit of play inside the free hub, which results in a wobble... it's nothing to worry about and nothing you can do, unless you want to replace the free hub, which is OTT
    left the forum March 2023
  • raymond82
    raymond82 Posts: 330
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    If the cassette wobbles a bit while you spin the wheel, that's normal for Shimano... as those tiny balls and the races wear out, there is a bit of play inside the free hub, which results in a wobble... it's nothing to worry about and nothing you can do, unless you want to replace the free hub, which is OTT

    Thanks! I'll leave it as it is then for now and if I notice any issues with shifting or whatever I might change the hub. Good to know that it's nothing to worry about!
  • raymond82
    raymond82 Posts: 330
    After installing the cassette a couple of days ago I've gone for two rides but something strange is happening. Both the cassette and the chain are new but when the chain is on one of the middle cogs it skips every once in a while. Strangely I didn't really manage to reliable make it happen by putting a lot of force but it happened regularly. Could this be because of the wobble in the freehub body?
  • pinechris
    pinechris Posts: 4
    So, what was the answer as I have the same issue, fitted a new freehub body and still the same?
  • trevor.hall12
    trevor.hall12 Posts: 416
    raymond82 said:

    After installing the cassette a couple of days ago I've gone for two rides but something strange is happening. Both the cassette and the chain are new but when the chain is on one of the middle cogs it skips every once in a while. Strangely I didn't really manage to reliable make it happen by putting a lot of force but it happened regularly. Could this be because of the wobble in the freehub body?

    Is it skipping on the casette or tge front chainrings
    A new chain and casette would suggest to look at tge front chsinrings
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    I put a new chain on using the provided quick link and it kept jumping. When I checked the quick link was causing it. It was stiff and wouldn’t free up. Put the one on from chain I’d taken off and it was fine.

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