Shimano Freehub Bodies

[megajoules expenditure]

This morning on the way to work.The coldest morning so far this year,the freehub body on my bike died completely and had to use the old cable tie trick to finish the journey to work and home.
Between my better half and me this is a fair few times this has happened,fortunately never miles from anywhere but I wondered roughly how long you would expect a freehub body to last or what others experiences of this are?
The one that broke this morning was about two years old but not with a huge number of miles as I don't always use this particular bike.

Any thoughts?

[delthebike]

The first one on my galaxy lasted for ~25,000 miles, it didn't break down like yours though. It just wore out.    The current one is around 15,000 miles ATM and wearing in/out nicely.   

[MSeries]

I've only had one die ever. It lasted a very very long time and thousands of miles. Someone else on here suggested it was the cold causing their pawls to seize.

Ride Fixed in the winter.

[megajoules expenditure]

That could be a good theory as it's always been well below zero when this has happened.I'd always thought that was just sods law But maybe there's some logic there
(they've always been good quality Ultegra too. )

I've only had one die ever. It lasted a very very long time and thousands of miles. Someone else on here suggested it was the cold causing their pawls to seize.

Ride Fixed in the winter.

[mattc]

Did you try peeing on it?

[MSeries]

It ties in with my own experiences, until the last four years I never used to ride much in winter and not very early when it was sub zero. Now I tend to ride fixed for winter commuting so my freehubs rarely get exposed to such harsh conditions.

NB the one of mine that went was XT.

[Biggsy]

Any thoughts?

I'm thinking....

1.  Is it just stuck rather than broke this time?

2.  I'm glad I use Campag.  Takes a lot for their chunky freehub mechanisms to go wrong, and mine never have.

[eck]

Are Shimano freehubs in any way "repairable"? I have one on my rough winter bike, and it has started to mis-behave in that it often takes up to half a pedal rev for the pawls to engage (not just in cold weather), and it feels like it's gradually getting worse. I'm reluctant to try a skoosh of Magic Spray in case it just washes out any grease that may be in there.
I'd know what to do if it was Campag, not that I'd need to. 

[Tewdric]

Are Shimano freehubs in any way "repairable"? I have one on my rough winter bike, and it has started to mis-behave in that it often takes up to half a pedal rev for the pawls to engage (not just in cold weather), and it feels like it's gradually getting worse. I'm reluctant to try a skoosh of Magic Spray in case it just washes out any grease that may be in there.
I'd know what to do if it was Campag, not that I'd need to. 

Yes, but you wouldn't want to.  Just buy a new one and it's  one allen bolt job to replace.

Campag have a woeful reputation for freehub reliability of late btw - Shimano are tank-like in comparison.

[megajoules expenditure]

I'll try uncable tying it later and see if it bursts back into action but I fear it is broke completely.

As a wild theory if I had got some water in on the very wet ride home from the AGM and that had frozen this morning.Could the pawls get broken beyond repair if you continued to ride?

Any thoughts?

I'm thinking....

1.  Is it just stuck rather than broke this time?

2.  I'm glad I use Campag.  Takes a lot for their chunky freehub mechanisms to go wrong, and mine never have.

[MSeries]

The pawls themselves are unlikely to be damaged if they are stuck in the unengaged position.  For once, I sprayed my bikes oily bits with WD40 on returning from York on Sunday. This wheel is a homemade Shimano 105 one and did the wet LEL OK.

[Tewdric]

I'll try uncable tying it later and see if it bursts back into action but I fear it is broke completely.

As a wild theory if I had got some water in on the very wet ride home from the AGM and that had frozen this morning.Could the pawls get broken beyond repair if you continued to ride?

Very unlikely, they generally just thaw and start working again IME.  Flushing the freehub through with WD40 then light oil helps, as it displaces any water that can then freeze.  Whip the freehub off with a 10, 11 or 12mm allen wrench depending on the model, bring into warm for a couple of hours, leave all seals etc in place, just spray WD onto the back face and rotate the freehub so it works it's way through, then do the same with something like "wet"chainlube.

[eck]

Yes, but you wouldn't want to.  Just buy a new one and it's  one allen bolt job to replace.

Ok, thanks for that....

Campag have a woeful reputation for freehub reliability of late btw - Shimano are tank-like in comparison.

I hadn't heard that. My most recent Campag wheels are ca 2003, older ones going back to 1997. Never had any problems with them. I think the design of the freehub changed a while ago from the 3 pawls/3 springs to one with a single circular spring- is it the newer design that's having problems?
Apologies for slight hi-jack, and no wish to ignite a Shimano  v Campag debate 

[megajoules expenditure]

I'll report back later.

Another theory.What if they froze while engaged.Could they be damaged when trying to unengage

No problems with the hijack Eck.The more brains involved the better

I'll try uncable tying it later and see if it bursts back into action but I fear it is broke completely.

As a wild theory if I had got some water in on the very wet ride home from the AGM and that had frozen this morning.Could the pawls get broken beyond repair if you continued to ride?

Very unlikely, they generally just thaw and start working again IME.  Flushing the freehub through with WD40 then light oil helps, as it displaces any water that can then freeze.  Whip the freehub off with a 10, 11 or 12mm allen wrench depending on the model, bring into warm for a couple of hours, leave all seals etc in place, just spray WD onto the back face and rotate the freehub so it works it's way through, then do the same with something like "wet"chainlube.

[Tewdric]

Yes, but you wouldn't want to.  Just buy a new one and it's  one allen bolt job to replace.

Ok, thanks for that....

Campag have a woeful reputation for freehub reliability of late btw - Shimano are tank-like in comparison.

I hadn't heard that. My most recent Campag wheels are ca 2003, older ones going back to 1997. Never had any problems with them. I think the design of the freehub changed a while ago from the 3 pawls/3 springs to one with a single circular spring- is it the newer design that's having problems?
Apologies for slight hi-jack, and no wish to ignite a Shimano  v Campag debate  

It seems to be the newer ones.  Campag engineering doesn't seem to be what it used to be.

I've wibbled on before about wishing they'd make an all-metal "Record Randonneur" 8 speed triple groupset, with a 3/8 chain, old stlye clunky Ergos, wheel hubs with replaceable bearing cups like they used to have, 25 grade ball bearings like they used to have and a square taper bottom bracket.  I think it would sell reallly well, but only once to each customer which, I guess, is the issue.  I'd buy it like a shot for my Audax bike.

[vorsprung]

I use 105 hubs

I have seen this problem.  The 105 freehubs seem more suceptible to jamming in "free" in very cold conditions
If you look on one of the snow bike websites they show how to replace the standard grease in an XTR freehub with something a bit more low temperature friendly

However I don't think it is the grease as such.  i think that at low temperatures with a freehub that has dirt in it the grease and the dirt make one or more of the pawl jam up.  If all of them jam ( ISTR there are 3 or 4) then you have the comedy freehub freehub moment when pedalling does nothing.

If you have previously noticed that when you go from freewheeling to pedalling that the drive does not "engage" as it should then probably your freehub needs cleaning.  Unfortunately Shimano freehub bodies aren't designed to be disassembled and cleaned.  Here is my DIY instructions for flushing the freehub body without disassembling it:
Freehub maintenance

[innesh]

IME, chuck it out, fit a new one. 

I've messed about with them, running oil through etc, but it only delays the inevitable by a couple of weeks.  105, Ultegra, Dura-ace - they all go the same way eventually, but I still think they last well enough.

On a least one occasion, one first developed a problem on a cold, frosty morning 

I like to keep a brand new one in my spares box as it always happens the exact replacement I need is sold out everywhere. 

[Biggsy]

I hadn't heard that. My most recent Campag wheels are ca 2003, older ones going back to 1997. Never had any problems with them. I think the design of the freehub changed a while ago from the 3 pawls/3 springs to one with a single circular spring- is it the newer design that's having problems?

I've been using that "new" design for some years with no problems at all, and I don't expect to get a problem with it, and this forum is not overwhelmed with reports of Campag failures.  I don't know what Twedric is referring to.  Maybe an even newer design?  And I don't know who's getting the problem, whatever it is.  Numpties who read some other forum?

[rogerzilla]

Spare Shimano freehubs are beastly expensive - almost as much as a whole hub 

[MercuryKev]

I had a 500 mile old XT free hub go on me and it cost £28 to replace when the whole hub cost £35! I bought it from Parkers and they wouldn't allow me to send back just the freehub to get a replacement and I really couldn't be bothered taking appart the wheel.

[bobb]

Indeed. Not that I use such rubbish on most of my bikes, the last time one let go it cost 25 quid to replace.

I do appreciate that it wasn't a genuine Shimano FHB, but it's lasted a hell of a lot longer than the original....

Said bike is now Campag thoughout

[Chris N]

Spare Shimano freehubs are beastly expensive - almost as much as a whole hub 

So what?  It's where most of the engineering content of a Shimano hub is.

[rogerzilla]

They don't last long enough in wet conditions for the price.  The RH axle bearing is badly sealed and the cup rusts out.

[Chris N]

I've had one Shimano freehub body fail in eighteen years - and that cracked along one of the splines rather than rusting.

[rogerzilla]

My last XT one lasted only two years of foul weather stuff.  Fixed gear and cartridge bearing hubs have some advantages