cptardrew

Hi everyone, I'm having some trouble getting the shifting working properly on a Raleigh Sports 3 speed I'm restoring. I can't get both first and second gear working at the same time. If the cable is loose enough for the gears to engage in first, second gear won't engage, if the cable is tight enough for second gear to engage, first gear won't engage. Hopefully there are some Sturmey Archer experts on this forum, I'm pretty reluctant to open the thing up and take it apart beyond the bearings as these things are very complex.


I have a few theories, but none of them seem likely to me at this point:

• The oil cap was missing when I got the bike. It was very dry in there and maybe something is stuck. I've replaced the cap, added oil, and ridden around a bit without improvement so I'm starting to think this isn't the case.
  
• One of the gears is so worn down/damaged that it won't engage. Maybe I've been engaging second gear on both first and second on the shifter at different cable tensions. I'm also not sure this is true because when first gear works, the indicator is pretty close to the end of its adjustment range, which is where it is supposed to be. It seems like all three gears are there and functional, I just can't find a cable tension at which they all work.
  
• Wrong indicator spindle. Could this cause this problem? The shift cable had been replaced when I got the bike, but the indicator looks original, so this doesn't seem probable.
  
• Shifter compatibility issues. As far as I know the Sturmey Archer 3 speed shifters are universal but maybe there's something I don't know about.
  

fietsbob

Get a proper spanner to open it up , every internal part of S-A AW 3 hubs can be replaced..

Abundant info on the internet, Note: they have been around for 100 years..

Hoopdriver

Is 3rd working ok? If so, you have either 2nd or 3rd when the cable is tighter or 1st and 3rd when looser, but all 3 gears are functional at some cable position, right? I'd suspect a faulty shifter or maybe the cable is binding somewhere.

Also, Don't fear opening the hub for inspection - these AW hubs are quite simple to work on. Plenty of youtube vids to guide you.

Kovkov

Chesterton

My understanding is that the cable should be just barely but definitely slack in 3rd gear, and almost completely tight in 1st gear. There is a "neutral" space between second and third where nothing is engaged, so it might be that you think you're in first but actually in second, and then hitting the neutral when you think you are going to second.

Can you get all three gears by manually pulling on the cable?

Kovkov

3alarmer 

...it is entirely possible (but improbable) that someone has installed the wrong indicator rod in your hub.
They do come in different lengths, and you need the right one for your model hub.

There's an alternative method for setting the adjustment that consists of simply making certain the indicator is screwed in all the way into place, then setting your shifter into first (low) gear, and tightening the cable adjustment all the way until there's no more play in the cable, then release down to third position on the shifter (high gear), and make certain you have some slack in that position.

If that doesn't fix it, you might have to either flush it with kerosene or some other oil based (not water based) solvent, drain, and then re-oil with 20 weight machine oil. Or dismantle it to see what's going on. AS stated there are a ton of videos online. There used to be some images of a cutaway version being shifted through the gears that were worth looking at. Sorry, I don't have a link, but Google might find it.

Andrew R Stewart 

If the cable is detached from the indicator chain and then the indicator is pulled by your fingers while pedaling what happens? If all works well (you can see the spokes running "behind" in 1st gear, stay even with the cog in 2nd and "advance" forward of the cog's rotation speed in 3rd) then the problem is likely cable. Or perhaps the common "indicator chain got damaged right at the corner into the axle nut". A buggered up like will cause the chain to not slide in and out of the nut smoothly, the chain can move in steps instead. Andy

cptardrew

That's it. I actually can't get first to engage at all.

Didn't occur to me that to check what gear I was in this way. Turns out I was in second in both scenarios, and first doesn't work at all. Looks like its time to open the hub up!

Thanks everyone!

cptardrew

Watched some videos, now I understand how these things work. The pawls on the planetary gear cage were seized up with rust, so they didn't engage the hub and first gear didn't work. I cleaned the rust off and oiled everything. Problem solved. Thanks for the help and advice everyone.

Andrew R Stewart 

Great! These hubs are very reliable with the most basic of maintenance, like oil. I've pull apart more then a few and done only the cleaning and lubing to restore function. When I see a SA rear wheel with a coating of grime clinging to the oil weep I don't cry. It's the dry and super clean wheels that I take pause with. Andy (who runs grease in the ball tracks and oil everywhere else)