Originally Posted by
repechage
The plastic grit shield is a press fit. It should be possible to use a small sharp o ring hook to tease it out.
Then you can flush it.
I was able to get the dust shield out. This bike hasn't been ridden all that much (half way through the original brake pads) so I'll just flush the freewheel and re-oil it.
Originally Posted by
bulgie
Don't take it apart! I have done it, it's not impossible, but it makes a "can of worms" look clean and simple by comparison. Just oil it.
Thats the plan for now, if it seemed like it really had a lot of miles on it I'd consider taking it apart, but, I'm sure a flush and oil will have it working just fine.
Originally Posted by
bulgie
Your freewheel is missing the seal on the back side. It just presses in lightly, and can fall off. That's why you can see the balls, those are hidden when the seal is installed. Not ideal, but not a deal-breaker either -- you may just have to oil it more often because of the easier ingress for dirt, water etc.. Over-oil it, then set it on a rag to let the excess oil drain out, and that's usually enough cleaning.
Ah, bummer that the dust shield is missing on mine, but this bike won't get a lot of miles, easy enough to pull the freewheel and flush it once a year.
I have some laquer thinner that I use to clean oily/greasy things, I let all the crud settle out of it and reuse it indefinitely, I'll flush the freewheel with that then use some 5/30 motor oil to lube it and let it sit on a rag for a few days to drain then reinstall.
Thanks for the tips guys!