Rear axle can't spin without unscrewing



urge2kill

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Aug 13, 2013
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It's a freewheel. I had a skewer snap, which I think was due to the axle being unable to spin without unscrewing.
When the wheel is on the bicycle and spinning, the wheel has no room to move to the left, so the axle must move to the right. The axle starts protruding from one side of the wheel.
If there was a skewer in the axle, this would manifest as the skewer spinning with the wheel (if loosened) or tightening as the wheel spins (if tightened).

Last time removing the axle, I didn't know to inspect the ball bearings or grease up the bearings and their cup. I greased everything else.
I'm about to remove the axle and examine the ball bearing, so I might add more information.
 
FWIW. I'm not sure ... but, off hand it sounds as though you have not properly adjusted and not properly tightened your CONES with your CONE WRENCHES.
 
I don't have cone wrenches, but some are being shipped to me right now.
My axle has a locknut and cone on each side, plus a spacer on the freewheel side. Picture from when I broke my previous axle:




Update 1: The ball bearings on the freewheel side are not rolling around the hub. They will only roll left or right, not forward or back. They aren't coming out easily either.
There was a bearing on the other side of the wall (slightly visible in 2 and 3), but the track is full with nine bearings in it. That bearing must have gone over the wall as I was putting the bearings back in.

 
I'm failing to remove the ball bearings. They won't budge. I just bent a 1/4" nail trying to pry a couple out.
I had WD40 on them over night.
 
Try a bigger nail ....

A 1/4" (long?) nail is barely a tack & it doesn't give you very much leverage.

An 8-Penny (8d ... 2 1/2" long) nail would be better ...

An awl or ice pick would be even better.

WORK OVER A BOX-or-Tray to catch any small stuff!

BTW. If you really cannot budge the bearings, then you apparently created enough heat to weld the bearings to the cup ... so, even if you can remove the bearings, the cup is damaged.

You can EITHER replace the cup (generally, NOT an economical option unless you are cannibalizing the part from another, salvage hub) OR (better) unlace the rim & re-lace it on a new hub.
 
It was about 1/4" thick. I've bent two now.

If they were welded in, would they be rolling left and right?

I have more bearings, so I won't be salvaging these ones. They're probably getting scratched up anyway.
Busting a ball bearing would probably free them up, but that will be hard to manage as long as the freewheel is still on. I don't have a freewheel removal tool, and it isn't coming off by other means.
 
Oh ...

If the bearings are rolling around, then without removing the Freewheel, you'll just have to flush the old grease out with some clean motor oil ...

Then, re-grease ...

DON'T use a de-greaser!

BTW. I do NOT know why the particular bearings cannot be removed ... there must be a "collar" holding them in place.
 
They will only roll left and right.



I have flushed it out with WD40 and even penetrant. They're still stuck.
 
Originally Posted by urge2kill
It was about 1/4" thick. I've bent two now.

If they were welded in, would they be rolling left and right?

I have more bearings, so I won't be salvaging these ones. They're probably getting scratched up anyway.
Busting a ball bearing would probably free them up, but that will be hard to manage as long as the freewheel is still on. I don't have a freewheel removal tool, and it isn't coming off by other means.
I am clueless as to how your bearings are able to stay in place ...

FWIW. On two separate occasions, I used the following method AS A LAST RESORT to remove a "stuck" Freewheel when the correct Freewheel removal tool mounted in a vice + the leverage of the wheel could not budge the Freewheel ...

If you are willing to sacrifice the Freewheel (i.e., you will need to buy a replacement), then if you have a (hand) grinder then you can grind off the retaining collar(s) which are located at the small Cog end ...

The Cogs will fall off ...

The "moving" portion of the Freewheel will probably fall off, too ...

And, while the "stationary" part of the Freewheel assembly is warm (why wait?), use a (~12") pipe wrench to remove the rest.