Originally Posted by
squirtdad
disassembling and overhauling a freewheel is something I have not done, especially after having ... 40billion ball bearings drop out and hide in the garage.
It's super easy when you have the removal tool at your disposal, so you can remove the entire freewheel from the hub after loosening the lock ring. Then you place the entire freewheel on a towel, so if bearings do drop out, they won't bounce. There are usually around 25 in each race. They're so small that they stick really well to a tiny line of fresh grease.
It's probably the easiest component to adjust, because, with its thin spacers present, there is no adjustment. You just retighten the lock ring the same way you removed it.