Don777

I have a 9 speed freehub body that I am trying to remove. With 20K miles I would like to flush it out. Checked the Park site for instruction. Seems mostly clear. I used the 11 MM Allen wrench with and 18 inch pipe for leverage. The Park site said it would be difficult. That is an understatement. I am attempting to turn the thing counter-clockwise, all to no avail. I feel that I might break something, warp the wheel, etc. and I do not have a back-up wheel. Any wisdom is appreciated.

HillRider

11mm? All of the Shimano freehub bodies I've worked on use a 10 mm Allen wrench. They can be TIGHT but they unscrew counterclockwise just as you are attempting.

Retro Grouch 

I vaguely remember having to find an 11 mm wrench for one but, like hillrider, most of the Shimano freehub bodies that I have removed have been 10 mm. An 18 inch breaker bar would freak me out too. I've never needed to use anything like that for removing a freehub body bolt.

Sheldon Brown

You don't need to remove it to flush it. My advice is to leave it on the hub, unless/untill you decide to replace it for some reason.

Put the wrench in a vise, that way you can apply balanced torque to the wheel with your two hands 180 degrees apart. This minimizes any risk of damaging the wheel.

Sheldon "Couple" Brown

MudPie

I have a Bontrager freehub that takes an 11mm hex wrench. I couldn't find an 11mm, but found that 7/16" is pretty darn close. Riding torque is not exerted through that bolt. Rather, the bolt holds the freehub body so it engages a mechanical lock.

That screw holding the freehub body to the hub shouldn't be on that tight. Installation torque is probably in the 30 ft-lb range.

What brand freehub do you have? If it's Shimano, then it's probably 10mm. An 11mm in a Shimano may be catching on something other than the freehub body bolt.

Also, I use 3/8 drive hex bit socket tools. These are stiffer and provide a more positive engagement than typical L shaped wrenches.

Don777

Thanks for the responses. Yes, it is an 11 MM. The Park site said a Shimano hub would be 10 and some others will be an 11. I tried the 10, but it was too small so I ordered an 11 from my hardware store. The 11 fits good.
I may try the vise method as suggested by Mr. Brown and if that does not easily/comfortably remove the pin, I will take Mr. Brown's advice and try to flush it out while still on the hub. Again, thanks

tellyho

I'd definitely just leave it on there and flush.