HighValleyRanch

The indicator chain has a broken link. One side came off and I managed to get it back in place but the hole is too big for the pin and can come off. I used tape to bind it together for now.

But unfortunately, it is exactly at the pivot point on the edge of the indicator nut, so shifting is not smooth. The past owner got away with switching the left longer nut to the right side so that the broken link was inside at the needed connection.

So being that these are very hard to find, what would you suggest?
I did find a Vince Warner in England that remanufactures these occasionally, but he only has a phone number for contact.
Perhaps I can write to him instead.

I read that you can substitute a 3 speed indicator chain by somehow attaching the new chain to the old four speed rod/tube that is female and attaches to the left side indicator rod? Has anybody done this?

Also, to. remove, do I have to worry about the right side shooting out as it is spring loaded? What, use a screw drive in the slot on the left side side and twist out the indicator arm on the right side?

fietsbob

Sturmey Archer hub? indicator chains consist of a rod going into the hub, threaded in, small thread size , then to pull around the funnel nut edge they use a little chain..

you good at making little rivets?

HighValleyRanch

I might be mistaken. The enclosed photo from an FW hub expert shows that the left nut is also an indicator nut with window. On my Moulton four speed, the right longer nut doesn't have a window like on SA three speeds?

(The photo shows the author's emergency "kit" for getting the hub working just to get home in case the left rod comes undone and flies out and gets lost in which case the hub goes into neutral and cannot be ridden. A clever rod and wedge to get him going again). Maybe a good use of that window in the nut!

fietsbob

there is a new sturmey archer 4 speed hub, may be time for a new rear wheel?

HighValleyRanch

I tried to unscrew the two rods and no go. It feels frozen and I don't want to try and force it for fear of breaking it inside and I would never be able to get the left side off then.

I can get to the broken link and have managed to straighten it a little. But the link plate on one side is broken I see, so any kind of rivet will not hold it in place. My best bet is to grind off the existing rivet, expose the single plate and then add a new chain and find a pin or rivet that will hold it together. Don't know where one finds a rivet that small though or what to use.

If this is not the right forum, maybe I should post this on Classic and Vintage for help?

HighValleyRanch

UPDATE 7PM SATURDAY 7/29/17
So it was successful. I found an old Bike Forums post by RHM where he replaced the chain on a Sturmey Archer Indicator chain by filing out the old rivet and then attached a new section of chain using a nail as a rivet.

First photo shows clearly the new Brass Brad used as the rivet. Brass is nice because it peens nicely. The old chain is to the left, and I had a new chain from another project that I used for the project. As stated before, I could not separate the two rods in the FW hub and didn't want to chance breaking it necessitating rebuild the hub, so the difficult part of this task was working with it while in the wheel.



The second photo shows the new chain in the indicator nut. The repair is INSIDE the indicator nut and the entire part that drags over the outide of the nut is new, so this should work very smoothly.

Hope this post helps anyone else needing to do this repair. Not hard to do, but tricky if you have to do it on the wheel, and takes patience because the repair is dealing with very tiny parts.

smallwheeler

well done!

HighValleyRanch

The bike came only with a 3 speed shifter, but I found a four speed for a good price on Ebay, so will really be able to test it out when it gets here. For now, after I redid the shifter cable and adjustments, it's working perfectly in the top three gears. Have to figure out what I want in gearing and order a new sprocket. The original rear 13cog is pretty high for this very hilly area, and the 18 I have on it now seems a little low for the flats. Maybe that will change when I finally get the low low working, because then it should work out to 44 inches low to 83.6 high (13 t cog).

jur

+1