alcjphil

I believe that this is the correct approach. Earlier on the OP said: "I didn't have the spacers handy for a photo but they are 1 mm spacers and there are two of them all together. They seem to be in good shape."
Spacers should be checked first before doing anything else, two 1mm spacers are insufficient

70sSanO

I guess you missed the “If it were me” part.

At my age I don’t want to waste my time on an older used hub that I have no clue as to the history, or maintenance, especially if it appears to have been neglected. I’d like to know what I have first.

So, if it were me, I’d open up the hub to see what I have. If the cones and races look good, I’ll remove the freehub body, soak it, and re-lube it.

If the races are toast, I won’t bother mounting a cassette on a wheel I don’t feel I would want to use.

IIRC, you use White hubs. You can’t tell me you would get spacers, mount a cassette, and blindly ride that wheel just hoping for the best.

John

cyccommute 

Do you fix a flat tire by taking the wheel apart, relacing, retensioning, and truing it? That’s a bit like what you are suggesting here.

At my age and experience, I can assess if a used hub has been neglected. I have run across very few freehubs that are bad. Freehub bodies are extremely rugged. I also start at the simplest solution and work from there. While it might be worth rebuilding the hub, the problem isn’t solved by rebuilding. Rebuild later but fix the immediate problem.

Again, perhaps a good idea but it doesn’t solve the problem.

I’ve done it many times…and not just with White Industries hubs. I have 30 year old Ringles, Hadleys, and Phil Wood. I even have used used Shimano. Frankly, I’ve never taken a body off for my own personal wheels nor have I ever rebuilt one. I’ve never found the need. With a cartridge hub, you use them until the bearings seize. If the bearings seize, the bearings are replaced. The freehub body has cartridge bearings inside which are treated the same way.

cyrano138

Update: Finally got around to this project today. Swapped out the 1mm spacer behind the cassette for a 4ish mm spacer, tightened it down and now it's fixed. The only play is from the free hub body.

Just out of curiosity, is it normal for there to be some play in the cassette if you twist it? Like if you grab the largest cog with one hand and the smallest with the other and twist like you're opening a mayonnaise jar, and there is movement, is that normal? It doesn't seem to affect the way it moves now that it's reinstalled, but it does look to be an original cassette with a lot of wear on it.

cyccommute 

The cogs on the cassette should be solidly in place without any movement. Are cogs loose or are they pinned together? There are often rivets or threaded pins keeping the cogs together. If you freehub body is worn, this might help with the looseness of the gears. You may still need to replace the body if that doesn’t work but I’d try pinning the cogs if they aren’t first. Always go for the cheap and easy fixes first.

cyrano138

They're riveted together. I just kind of figured the cassette is nearing the end of its life. I'm not usually a toss-it-and-replace-it kind of guy but drilling out the rivets and replacing them seems like more work than it's worth for a 25 year old cassette that's seen some heavy miles.
Even if I I'm(or the next owner) tosses it, I'm happy I got the spacing issues sorted out. It gave me a chance to take it apart and made me do some research on cassette servicing in general.

cyccommute 

There’s not a lot to do to the cassette itself. There’s not much that can go wrong. If the cogs have side to side movement, it’s likely the splines that have been damaged. It happens.

ThermionicScott 

A little bit of play between the freehub and the rest of the wheel is fine. Thinking about what the freehub (or a freewheel) does, the bearings just allow the cogs to rotate when you're coasting. They're not under load, and they don't have to run perfectly straight, so a bit loose is preferable to a bit tight.