mark d

1987 panasonic dx 5000...shimano 600 freewheel...6 speed

recently did the co canal. great trip, but...every afternoon the freewheel, i think, would start to slip. it felt like i was between gears and i would get that between gears slip. i tried adjusting shift lever of course and i tried different gears but no joy. slip would remain until i stopped for the day. the next morning everything would be fine. did this for 4 days in a row. every afternoon. it's fine now of course. weird .

maybe i should add that the temps in the afternoon were about 150 degrees

can't remember ever having freewheel problems before if in fact that's what it is. so this is a new one on me.

any advice would be appreciated

i did my due diligence on the search function. found some interesting stuff but nothing that addresses my issue directly

thks

Mr. 66

Whoa 150' that's hot!

Homebrew01

Can you give a better description of "slip" ?
Indexed or friction shifters ?

mark d

friction shifters. the best way i can describe it is it felt like i was in between gears and it shifted and slipped on its own but that was not the case. the freewheel is the one component i have never dug into.

i guess by slip i mean it would be like the freewheel was not grabbing anything for 1/2 a second and would make a sound like the gears were shifting but they were not

mark d

150 is just a conservative estimate. in actuality it was probably slightly hotter then the surface of the sun

cyclist2000

Pardon my ignorance, what is the co canal?

cb400

Maybe you've got some weird lubricant breakdown going on inside the freewheel at those temperatures. You could put the freewheel through a solvent bath (mineral spirits or similar) and see if the problem remains. I'm sure it would be fine without any lube for a ride or two as long as it isn't also gritty. If the problem still occurs it's probably something else and you can relubricate it and continue on the search.

mark d

cb400, thks i will look into that

mark d

chesapeake and ohio canal. it runs from georgetown (wash dc) to cumberland maryland along the potomac river. 184.4 miles. gravel trail. very nice

cyclist2000

Maybe the easiest thing to do is replace the freewheel, they are cheap.

cyclist2000

Yeah, I wasn't sure if you meant that (C&O) or some canal that I didn't know about.

mark d

yeah, i know you are right....but damn, i like to fix my stuff. problem is the tools i need would cost more then an ebay freewheel....of course no guarantees on the ebay stuff

70sSanO

I’d probably remove the cogs and soak the freewherl body in solvent. Spin to make sure all pawls are clicking. Dry and re-lube the freewheel body. Clean cogs and re-assemble.

John

mark d

my fault. i was too lazy to put in the ...&...symbol

JohnDThompson 

That sounds to me like a lubrication issue causing the pawls to fail to engage. Flush the innards with solvent, drip or blow dry, and re-lubricate. Shimano 600 and Dura-Ace freewheels of that period have an oil port through which solvent and oil can be infused, but you need to remove the sprockets to access it. Failing that, soak the whole thing in solvent (OMS, kerosene, diesel fuel, NOT gasoline/petrol), drip or blow dry, and add oil by dripping it into the gap between the inner and outer body. When the sound of the pawls become muffled, you've added enough.

JohnDThompson 

That they are, but mid-80s Shimano 600 and Dura-Ace freewheels are among the best ever made and it would be a shame to toss it if it can be easily fixed.

Modern freewheels shift very nicely, but mechanically they are not in the same class as the 600 and Dura-Ace freewheels.

dedhed

Clean & lube.

Or go whole hog.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...oto-heavy.html

veganbikes

Pastor Bob is on the forums here might be good to look at:
https://www.freewheelspa.com

If you do want a modern freewheel at some point IRD makes the best none of the cheap stuff:
https://www.interlocracing.com/shop/...ark-1-6sp-4671

Homebrew01

In my freewheel days, I just dribbled a little 10w-30 inside the freewheel, while slowly spinning in backwards.

If anything, hot weather should make whatever's inside the freewheel thinner, so the pawls are looser, and more easily engage. Are we sure it's a freewheel problem ? Maybe the shifters are loosening up, and slipping a bit.

mark d

ok, so no matter what i need the tool to pull the freewheel right ?
then i might as well get the tool to open it up and give it a shot to fix right ?

ebay has one now for 30ish shipped but i would need the freewheel tool anyway and no guarantee it's any better then mine....right ?

thanks for all the responses

mark d

If anything, hot weather should make whatever's inside the freewheel thinner, so the pawls are looser, and more easily engage. Are we sure it's a freewheel problem ? Maybe the shifters are loosening up, and slipping a bit.[/QUOTE]

this occurred to me also. i do not think it was/is a shifter issue and i did check but maybe i am wrong. thks for the comment

70sSanO

Here is the long and short of it. If you really want to continue with a 6 speed freewheel, bite the bullet and buy an NOS Shimano 600 and whatever cogs to have a backup. You can buy used and it might be great, or you can buy both.

If you feel that you will need to change your gearing one day, then clean what you have and plan on where you want to go next.

I know it is tough to pay grossly inflated prices on NOS parts, but it pales in comparison with replacing a bike and the hassles involved. I’ve come to accept this... up to a point. I won’t pay $500-$1000 for hubs, or shifters, or certain components.

John

This might be a good option...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-600...oAAOSwZc1dpxnK

mark d

thks john, i followed the link you provided. not a bad price, but it did not really look nos to me. i will keep my eyes open. thks again

dedhed

WAnt new? Pay the price.
https://www.ebay.com/p/1300643648

70sSanO

Re-check the link. I may have posted to a used one originally. The current link says new.

John