jst1421

I'm in the middle of rebuilding an old Peugeot that's been in my mom's garage for years. I disassembled the freewheel, cleaned all the parts, got new bearings and grease, and now I'm putting everything back together. Except I got hung up on one detail: the brass leaf springs can go in one of two ways and I'm not sure which way is correct and I failed to take detailed enough notes when taking it apart.

The brass leaf springs are basically like flat strips that have been asymmetrically folded into a wedge, having a short arm and a long arm. I'm trying to figure out if the short arm should be facing inwards (towards the center), or outwards (towards the perimeter).

I have spent the last few hours scouring for images of other disassembled atom 77s to hopefully find my answer but the few images I was able to track down were either too blurry, darkly lit, or pointed at just the wrong angle so I couldn't properly make out which way the leaf springs were installed.

I tried to attach a photo but it looks like I can't post pictures yet since I just signed up on this forum.

noobinsf 

My guess is you're talking about the pawls. Not sure if you've seen this reference (link below), and if it has the image you need? Otherwise, @pastorbobnlnh is the resident freewheel expert and likely knows about this step.

https://peugeotcoursepb12.wordpress....wheel-service/

Also, if you post pictures to your gallery, someone else can come along to help share the pic. After you've posted 10 times, you'll be allowed to post pics -- it's just a bot deterrent.

jst1421

Yes that was one of the first sites I came across. I'm talking about the brass leaf springs that push against the pawls. They are shaped like > and slide into the slots adjacent to the pawls. The image with the red text and arrows would be exactly what I need except it's so dark you can hardly see the brass springs much less which way they are oriented

jst1421

I uploaded a picture of what I have currently. Or I think I uploaded it in the right place

noobinsf 

Pic assist:

WGB 

I believe that pawl on right is correctly assembled.

Thought maybe we were supposed to use a thinner grease for those tiny bearings??

Maybe pastorbobnlnh can speak to it. FWIW I admire your courage for even trying to rebuild a FW....

jst1421

In the photo above both pawls/springs are assembled the same way, with the short arm of the spring facing inwards (long arm faces outwards). I'll take some more pictures and also show what it looks like when installed the other way, which might make it easier to see exactly what I mean.

The grease I used is Park polylube 1000. I tried not to go overboard with it but I also wanted to get all the surfaces covered since I cleaned all the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner, rendering them bone dry (and clean!). I want to make sure all the surfaces have protection from corrosion once assembled and back on the bike - so no dry spots allowed

jst1421

I will say that once I put it back together it did seem to have some viscous drag from the grease, as well as being super quiet when the pawls slipped over each tooth. I guess the pawls are smacking into a film of grease instead of making metal contact, yielding a much quieter 'tick'. I pretty much have to hold it within a foot or so of my ears to hear it. And just like a sealed bearing packed with grease, it wont spin for long on its own if you give it a whirl, but with some additional attached rotating mass it will. So I think it should be ok with the weight of the wheel on it. I think over time much of the grease should get pushed out of the direct bearing paths on the raceways which will mitigate the viscous drag. Same goes for the pawls. I don't seem to have any engagement issues on the pawls just turning it in my hands.

bertinjim 

jst1421-

When I rebuilt the Compact 77 shown in the link, I believe I installed the pawl springs like you did. The Compact is a very quiet freewheel when stock and my experience is that it is almost inaudible when rebuilt. With time and use, it does get slightly louder as the grease gets shoved aside by the action of the freewheel.

pastorbobnlnh 

Thanks for all the mentions.

Jake was in touch via email and contact through my website and I responded this morning. He has assembled the pawl springs and pawls correctly.

However, IMO, he's used too much grease, especially in the pawl pivot channels and recessed area. I try to keep this area clear of grease and instead use a 2-3 drops of quality machine oil on the pivots and pawls. The pawls should snap into place on the ratchet teeth and not be hindered by compressing grease out of the way.