Sturmey-Archer S3C hub- 1st gear won't engage

[Robert Perkins]

Hi All,

I bought a used Sturmey Archer S3C 3-speed coaster brake hub. I overhauled it according to the
directions I found at http://www.toehead.demon.co.uk/s3c.htm.

It will engage in 3rd and 2nd gears. It will not engage in 1st gear. Does someone know what part of
the hub (gear ring assy, driver assy, planet cage assy, etc) I need to look at to fix the problem? I
already disassembled and reassembled twice.

Also, does anyone know if I can use parts from an AW hub in the S3C hub, either replacing just the
gears or replacing all the guts (just using the S3C shell, but with a AW mechanism inside).

Is "triflow" an acceptable lubricant for S-A hubs?

Thanks, Rob

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Robert Perkins wrote:
>
> I bought a used Sturmey Archer S3C 3-speed coaster brake hub. I overhauled it according to the
> directions I found at http://www.toehead.demon.co.uk/s3c.htm.
>
> It will engage in 3rd and 2nd gears. It will not engage in 1st gear. Does someone know what part
> of the hub (gear ring assy, driver assy, planet cage assy, etc) I need to look at to fix the
> problem? I already disassembled and reassembled twice.

Make sure the low-gear pawls are installed in the correct direction.

> Also, does anyone know if I can use parts from an AW hub in the S3C hub, either replacing just the
> gears or replacing all the guts (just using the S3C shell, but with a AW mechanism inside).

Some parts are interchangeable, but not many. You can't use the AW guts in the S3C shell.

The S3C, like all Sturmey-Archer _coaster-brake_ 3-speeds has a very poor reliability record.

Sheldon "The AW Is Great Though" Brown +-----------------------------------------------+
| I saw a man pursuing the horizon; | Round and round they sped. | I was disturbed at this; |
| I accosted the man. |
| |
| "It is futile," I said, | "You can never--" |
| |
| "You lie," he cried, | And ran on. | --Stephen Crane |
+-----------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Pete Biggs]

Robert Perkins wrote:
> I bought a used Sturmey Archer S3C 3-speed coaster brake hub. I overhauled it according to the
> directions I found at http://www.toehead.demon.co.uk/s3c.htm.

There's some more info here: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/samaintind.htm

Hope it helps (or is at least interesting!).

~PB