To grease or not to grease

[Weedylot]

Which is it? Dave at Whizzer told me that grease seeping into/onto the hub likely caused my problem I was having. (Brake "slipping" and not engaging) He said that if a rider rests his feet on the pedals, even very lightly, results in friction caused heat melting the grease, allowing it to run into the hub. I never ride this way, so the previous owner may have done that in his 120 miles on it. The brake parts are fine after cleaning, no galling or scoring. And the rear wheel came off in 3 minutes despite the dire warnings I've seen regarding sharp edges and other challenges.

 

[MoonKS]

Hmmm...if you do not rest your feet on the pedals where are you supposed to put them? I always rest my feet on the pedals. Are you talking about a coaster brake setup?

 

[Quenton Guenther]

OK, Now I am totally confused!!!!!! If it is the rear hub with either the band or internal shoes it uses a "free wheel", and if it is the coaster brake, I have never heard of running them without grease. One of the problems concerns the type of grease used, some vendors use "animal fat" as grease whereas I prefer synt. high speed wheel bearing grease inside the hub. I guess it is possible to use too much grease, and cause it to leak from the hub. My 1999 Whizzer is still using the original coaster brake, but I had issues with a small bearing about 5000 miles ago, and when I replaced the bearing I also changed the grease.

Let me know the final outcome of this, please..........
Have fun
Whizzer OuterBanks,
Quenton

 

[Weedylot]

Its a 1999 with a coaster brake MoonKs. Thanks Quenton, I too have never heard of running a coaster dry, so when Dave at Whizzer told me that about grease seeping into the hub, he must have been thinking about the newer set-up. Thats all I can imagine, I did tell him it was a coaster...

 

[MotorbikeMike]

"WE need a Translator, we need a translator"!

Hmmm, ok, I think I can handle this, English or Spanish?

OK, doggonnit, .........English

Quenton, and all the kids from 1910 up till now are right NO DRY COASTERS!

I think the confusion is that the grease ran "down" the hub, meaning out of the hub. I have had this happen with the Shimano's in a Worksman after a long (65 mile) Hot (only like 85 degrees) fast (only upto a bit over 40) and hills (nice ride!).

Wifey's 05 Whizzer did the same thing. The "resting the feet on the pedals" translates this way: IF you "load" that coaster at all (a bit backpedaled) you can melt the grease easier than you would like.

Solution?

I find if you "ghost pedal" that is turn the pedals once in a while, you can be pretty sure that you are not "loading" that coaster into parial engagement.

I hope this helps, as it will take me at least twice as long in Spanish;


Mike

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hey Mike,
Don't wait for me to push "2" to hear it in Spanish. Guess we are never too old to learn something new. I was riding bikes at about 7 years old and Whizzers when I was 13. I grew up in Dayton, Ohio and had some really long curved down hill runs [very fast], but never cooked the grease from a coaster brake. Maybe I was always trying to go faster and was pedaling forward as part of the effort.

Have fun,
Quenton

 

[Weedylot]

Andele pues! Si pero con seca, carborundum, con mocos , simpatico! I called Whizzer to price some new parts and got into the coaster brake subject because I knew it needed attention. Alas they are out of stock. Everything went back together nicely, except a tiny, tiny vibration when there's no end play. The former owner told me today he used to douse the hub ends with WD-40 ! Whew!

 

[Weedylot]

I'm gonna ride tonight as soon as its cooler than 108

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Whoops!!!! I don't think I would put coaster brakes on the WD40 list of uses. BTW I have some parts for the coaster brake. I have been told the unit is a Bendix repop, but haven't confirmed this to be true. One person told me the parts are swapable, but once again I have never compaired the parts.

Have fun,
Quenton

 

[Weedylot]

Thanks Quenton, I'll be ordering them from you then. I have a small shopping list and the "dealer" in Tucson doesn't stock anything. (The last time I rebuilt a coaster was on my Sting-Ray in 1968)