I’m looking for some assistance with dismantling my Alfine 8-speed hub. I’ve used it for 2.5 years for MTBing and given it some fairly rough treatment. It’s not been serviced in this time. It only recently started feeling “draggy” when freewheeling (i.e. if you removed your feet from the pedals, the cranks would rotate very slowly forwards). It then started slipping when in gears 3 and 5 (I think).

I’ve decided to remove the gear mechanism, degrease, soak in ATF, regrease, and rebuild it, but I’m stuck at one step in the dismantling phase. I cannot figure out how to remove the plastic ring in the person’s hand in this diagram: http://www.hubstripping.com/shimano-alfine/alfine-strip/slides/alfine8.html. Arrows on it indicate “anticlockwise to fasten, clockwise to loosen”, but I cannot make it move in the least!

What am I doing wrong?! Any help with this would be much appreciated. I presume that once I’ve removed this part that the hub gear part will be removeable easily enough.

Cheers
Ally

I’ve not done it myself, but I’ll have to one day so I’m interested in how you get on.
Looking at that photo it seems to have bearings running inside it.

1) Are you sure it’s plastic?

2) If it is a load-bearing part of the hub (which it would be if the bearings do run in it) then I expect it’ll take a fair amount of welly to shift it. Possibly an oil-filter wrench might be needed?

Ben

BTW – what’s ATF?

If I remember correctly, I have some sort of plastic ring covering that bit (to make it look nicer?) which I accidentally pulled off rather easily when I was changing the sprocket. I clipped it back on very easily as well.

ATF = auto transmission fluid (for cars). Fairly lightweight oil, got recommended it searching online. Going to try it and so how it gets on.

That part is deffo plastic. There’s a couple of indentations around it and I tried tapping it round with a screwdriver but saw no movement other than the screwdriver tip digging into the plastic. Perhaps an oil filter wrench (or something else with a length of chain) might be suitable. Don’t have one though!

Late for a ride but will continue this search later!

I think there’s a special Shimano tool for removing the plastic cover. There should be an arrow on the cover showing which direction it turns to undo it.

Yeah there is a specific tool available to remove it. If you are lucky or have arms like a gorilla you might get away without the tool…

Special shimano tool required to shift it (a large vice worked for me though….)

If it was me I would just avoid stripping and try running it with the ATF then draining that and either continuing with fresh ATF or use gearbox oil. If it takes the torque of an engine a bike is well within its loading. Or would the hub not seal oil in?

Could always strip later if this was not successful.

I was somewhat appalled at the state (lubricationwise) of a new Sram hub gear on a bike I bought so I just put some EP 80 in that I had lying about and it’s been fine.

ATF is a common mod for the Alfine an Nexus.

So, I preferably need the correct Shimano tool for the job? No surprises there then…

I’ve tried turning it as the arrows indicate but after 2.5 years it feels stuck solid. None of the LBS’s deal with Alfines/Nexuses so I’m a bit on my own with this unless I cast the net wider.

(unless anyone knows the tool I need? I’ve had a quick search online and nothing shown up so far).

OrangeCrush – I’m not stripping it completely, just going as far as removing the mechanism from the hub body, plonking it in degreaser/petrol, re-oiling it, regreasing the hub body, and sticking it all back together. There’s no way I intend dismantling the whole mechanism and gears!

Ah, can anyone confirm this is the correct tool I need to remove this part?

Shimano TL-AF10

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-shimano-tl-af10-right-hand-dust-cap-a-installation-tool-prod20050/?src=froogle

Ally,

Did you find out if this was the correct tool?

Also, after stripping the grease and soaking in ATF, do you put any fluid into the hub to splash about a bit? If not, are you expecting the ATF to stick around in the mechanism?

Ta,

Ben

I used a rubber strap wrench on mine. Once its been off once its a lot easier. The ATF soaking works superbly well and you will notice a lot of rubbish in the bottom of the tub after a long soak. I used Rock n Roll Superslick grease for the regrease:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=2610

This is because its safe for rubber and plastic and the hub shifting felt noticably sweeter afterwards.

How much would you expect to pay a LBS, thinking my hub may need a service but not going to do myself.

If you can find an LBS that will do it you are doing well. Evans in Kendal baulked on mine so i did it myself. A lot of them are unfamiliar with it so dont want the hassle. If you have a good one who knows its not hard and not that involved i would say its 2 hours work tops. Work your labour rates out from there but bear in mind an LBS will want to use the genuine Shimano oil and dipping kit thats rrp £80 ish on top of the labour. ATF and grease is a far cheaper option thats proven to work just as well if you can do it yourself or convince your LBS to put their name to it (i doubt they would).

http://www.petracycles.co.uk/product_info.php?language=en&currency=GBP&products_id=4884&source=googlepbs

18 bikes in Hope did mine for £15… I just wanted to watch first time, do both mine myself now, use a rubber strap type oil filter remover for first strip,after that you can undo it with gloves on and your hand..no way was I paying £70 odd for a tub nof oil so its ATF fluid @ less than a tenner from halfords and rock n roll grease on the bearing, I chuck it all back together with a fair bit of fluid still in the assembly and some drips out over the next few days so you have to be careful where u park up 🙂

swampi – exactly the same as me, the Shimano “special” oil / cleaner is snake oil IMO but a lot of approved Shimano centres wont want to use anything else for fear of reprisals from bigh bro.