AndrewEH1 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Hi all, Basically I bought, and started running, an Echo SL 108 freewheel about 2-3 months ago. All was good. Went out in wet (and a little muddy) conditions last week and when I was heading home I noticed that the freewheel wasn't sounding too good...ended up walking it the rest of the way home. Took it apart at the weekend to find that the bearings and the pawls were completely dry and looking a little worse for wear. The lockring was completely tight when I took it apart. Is this a common issue with the Echo SL 108 in wet conditions or was there not enough factory lubrication in the bearings/pawls? I am going to rebuild it but am wondering what lubrication to go with, oil(GT-85 or similar) or some grease, I'm inclined to go with oil but my dad says different. Answers on a postcard please! Edited August 30, 2011 by AndrewEH1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greetings Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 GT85 and WD40 isn't strictly a lubricant. Using it in freewheels can even f**k them up sometimes. Echo freewheels have very little lubrication which is why they sound a bit rough but also perform very well in the dry. As for lubrication, I'd use a thin grease but it'd probably be wise to wait for the Tart to tell you exactly what to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Reynolds Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 If i remember correctly (dont shoot me tarty boys if im wrong ) they arnt lubricated from factory, or lubricated enough to actually notise it. I used engine oil to lubricate mine, thought it'd be thicker than a spray (wd40 or gt85) but thinner than most types of grease so it wouldnt cause resistance on the paws working. Seams alot smoother, and still hasnt skipped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 GT 85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukasMcNeal Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 GT85 is lube isn't it pretty much? I've always used it on my tensile and TR and they're mint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I'm lazy so I just used GT-85 in mine. Seems to work pretty well for the most part. I think Adam's got some thin chain oil he uses when he's 'properly' servicing them, but that requires a little more effort than I can usually muster for my own bikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewEH1 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Cheers for the replies so far. Even if they are shipped from the factory with little or no lubrication when I tried to turn the cranks by hand there was a lot of resistance from the freewheel. Gave the pawls a light spray with oil and they turned a lot better than after my rainy ride. Also when I did open the freewheel up some of the pawls were not engaging the ratchet and now they seem to be better. Edited August 30, 2011 by AndrewEH1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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