Need Sturmey Archer 3 speed HELP

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TheDuke

TheDuke

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I've got a 3 spd Sturmey Archer hub on my 63' Schwinn Speedster. Been slowly cleaning off rust since I got it. Thought I'd connect the shifter cable and throw on a new chain and take her for a spin.Not so.The cable broke and the hub does'nt seem to be shifting. In fact the cog wont turn forward.yank real hard on the shifter chain and the hub releses allowing the hub to spin forward.So I guess I've gotta do my first 3spd hub breakdown! Need all the help I can get(Links,Advice).Checked Sheldon Browns site and it wasnt to helpfull.And the hub diagram here is so tiny!PLEASE HELP!
Thanks!EM
 
I'm not the expert but I can pass along some things I learned when installing the one I have.

On mine, if the cable is not hooked up at all, the rear end is in high gear. So it will ride that way - but is tough to pedal. As you pull the chain out, that shifts the rear end into mid range and low range.

Also, when I was taking the wheel off one time I unscrewed the wheel nut without taking off that little white plastic cap and that turned the shift chain around enough to unscrewed it from inside the hub and it fell off. Once it fell off I found that the chain has a small threaded part on the inside end that screws into something inside the hub and when you pull the chain with the shift cable, the chain pulls that part inside the hub and that's what changes gears on it.

One other thing - which you probably have done already - is to secure the coaster brake arm - assuming it has a coaster brake. I found when installing some coaster brake wheels at different times that if you don't secure the coaster brake arm to the frame that will cause the arm to spin and the brake to lock up and not allow the wheel to turn.

I'm not sure if any of those will help, but I will pass them along just in case.
 
SA 3 speeds can be a bit tricky sometimes. The most common cause I've encountered for the problem you describe is due to the hub locking up..... from either getting gunky, or the axle inadvertently turning and tightening the bearings too tight. (or the hub is broken inside)

Before tearing into the hub, you might try the following: Spray WD 40 into the shifter-chain hole, and screw the chain into it. Then try to pull the chain in and out. If it won't go in and out at all, it's locked up.... and you'll probably have to open the hub up to fix it. (see note below)

If it WILL go in and out but with difficulty, then the bearings might be too tight.... try backing them off just a little and see if it helps.

The other problem with them is that if the cable is adjusted too tight, it'll break when you try to put it into first gear. The easiest way that I know to adjust it is to put the shifter in SECOND gear, and then set the cable until the little pin of the first link of the chain is centered in the adjustment hole.

I must admit that I have never had a lot of luck repairing a Sturmy Archer 3 speed hub IF the above easy remedies fail.
 
Thanks TornadoDave for the tips! The wheel is sitting next to my workbench MOCKING me! Gonna try the easy things first before sugery! :wink:
L8 EM
 
hey duke
i found an old Sturmey Archer 3 speed Coaster Brake last spring.
it was locked up tight and i mean very tight.
i laid the wheel on its side over a bucket and
sprayed liquid wrench in through the shifter hole for 3 days.
had rust poring out thr other side.
it started to free up.
once things were starting to free i add some light weight motor oil to the mix.
i figure i'll ride the old sturmey till she explodes!!!
i've probley put at least 40 to 50 miles on her last summer.
i just keep feeding her a little oil (a few drops at a time)
and yes i'm waiting for the KABOOM>>> :mrgreen:
Good Luck
mike

oh yea by the way
it took about 10 miles of riding before i had all three gears working
 
You the man Ponytailmike! That tip worked like a champ! Seem to be working fine.(Will know when bikes repainted and assembled). So the new question is-Can I use a shifter cable in a sleve only and not use the dumb pully? :? (63'Schwinn Speedster)I appreciate any and all help!
L8 EM
 
you can go with either a sleeved cable or the pully
it's just all in adjusting her
i will say sheldon brown has GOOD info on the 3 speeds
http://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer.html
the sturmey can be a bugger to adjust
if you can find second gear and not have her slip
you should have 1st and 3rd
personly i like the pully set up
but have white trashed(aka back yarded(aka rat roded)) both cable and pully set ups
good luck
mike
gotta love the three speed
 
Bumping this thread because I found a Sturmey Archer (AW) on the side of the road two days ago. The cog was a little rusted, but most of the hub itself was still pretty shiny so I figure it hadn't been out in the gutter for too long. Everything was locked up pretty tight on it so I put it over a can and sprayed some penetrant into it the past two nights and everything is spinning again! The problem now is that the cog spins freely in both directions. It's missing the shifter chain so I'm going to hit up a few LBS's and see if they have something compatible, but beyond that, is it worth my time if the cog is spinning forward or is there something irreparable broken in it?

I've never used (much less fixed) a 3 speed hub, so I'm pretty excited to have a free one to break open and play with, but also have no clue what I'm getting into. I've been to Sheldon's page and found the manual for the AW, so I have some basic guidance on getting it opened up, but again, I'm a bit worried that the cog doesn't catch on anything.

Thanks for the help and suggestions I've read so far!
 
If the cog spins freely in both directions is usually means that the shifter is caught between second and third gear. There is a neutral position where nothing engages and I would guess that is the case here.
 
Thanks for the good news! It looks like Harris Cyclery has a lot of the parts I need, so assuming I can't find them closer to home (need the drive-side nut/guide which apparently is hard to come across) I can put in an order with Harris. I'm looking forward to the confusion and frustration sure to follow with fixing a 3 speed hub!! :D
 
TornadoDave said:
Spray WD 40
Click to expand...

no, no, no, no, no. wd40 is NOT something you should be putting into a sturmey hub.

anyhow, try this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23934

search the other videos by graham too, he also discusses the oils you should use amongst other things. hope you don't struggle too much with the english english :wink:

TheDuke said:
.And the hub diagram here is so tiny!
Click to expand...

try this. it's not so small. :lol:

Sturmey_Archer_3spd_bicycle_hub.jpg
 
So I made some progress with my SA hub today. If nothing else I at least got one of the pawls loosened up enough to start clicking and restrict one direction of rotation. The problem I ran into though, was getting the ball ring to unscrew. The link to the Youtube video said it was a counter-clockwise thread, but I couldn't get it to budge one way or the other with a hammer and flat-head (no C-spanner). Without getting that off I'm a bit stuck because I can't get access to any of the other bits that are seized up further down. Any advice to getting it loose or should I just hit it with more Liquid Wrench over the next few nights to try and break up whatever rust is holding it fast?

Edit: I also succeeded in losing one of the cones behind my workbench. Looks like I get to enter the Land of the Spider to retrieve that one (or just be lazy and try to buy one from my LBS when I get the rest of the missing pieces...)
 
plytheman said:
The link to the Youtube video said it was a counter-clockwise thread, but I couldn't get it to budge one way or the other
Click to expand...

not the video i linked to it didn't :shock:
either way, it's my experience that a hub you can't open is beyond repair. Obviously :lol:
 

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