Since last weekend, an intermittent rasping noise is coming from my rear hub.
I’ve ruled out the brakes causing a problem so when I stripped it a little last night, one of the pawl springs was snapped but I found marking, like little raised teeth marks (not human teeth) in the pawl shell, around the outer face between the pawl cutouts.
I have filed these smooth and built it back up with two pawls (awaiting new springs), but it is still doing it, albeit not as bad.
Sems an odd place for damage to be caused but I wonder if a peice of the spring got lodged between the shell, teeth and ratchet or something.

Any thoughts on what might have caused this?

I’d check you haven’t got a broken, or about to break, axle, they usually let go just at the step behind the drive-side bearing, allowing the freehub to move and gouge itself on the ratchet ring.

Yeah it’s to do with the teeth of the ratchet digging into the freehub when the axle flexes. It will happen more often if the axle is broken (so it’s worth checking) but it doesn’t have to be for the damage to occur. Unless it’s damaging / contacting the ratchet in normal use, I wouldn’t worry. But like you, I’d file it flat.

Broken axle would be my first port of call too.

Interesting…thanks.
I had a other look and spinning the free hub in the ratchet does suggest ever such a slight amount of misalignment so I wonder if the axle is bent/bending/about to snap.
Llandegla tomorrow so I’ll pack my walking boots in the camelback…

If this should prove to be a failing axle, I have a good condition one complete with free hub body and decent bearings, in other words no hub body.
Happy for you to have it if you post up and send me your address. Or I’m in North Worcestershire if you can pick it up.

Every hope XC rear hub I’ve had has had the chewed bits on the inner freehub body. Never snapped or bent an axle yet though. I put it down to a bit of flex allowing the freehub body to come into contact with the ratchet ring in the hub body.
Also play in the bearings might also be allowing it to happen, as things move out of tolerance.
Having only 2 out of the 3 pawls wont help and the freehub will have unbalanced forces pushing the freehub into the ratchet ring.

Cheers cake, that’s a very kind offer, albiet made just after oredring a new axle from CRC for £13, so not too steep.

Good point Bigyinn….i’d not thought about the sideloading due to only two pawls.

new springs have arrived today so i’ll get them in. I’l probably swap the wheel with a spare for tomorrow as I dont want to spoil my ride with a (likely predictable) major mechanical failure.

Dont worry yourself over it.. if you don’t have a major mechanical tomorrow, I probably will 😀

Sorry Rockhopper ! Didn’t get on here til later than normal. Bloody work.

It was a snapped axle.
Fitting the new one saw the old one come out in two peices.

Worryingly, despite the timescale I thought I recalled, I fear the new axle fitted might have gone after 8 months.
That can’t be right can it?

It can depend on so many factors, my first lasted about 5 years,as did my second,then I changed frames (it’d been in a few framed in it’s time), and i’d be lucky if I got more than a month out of an axle (I wasn’t the only one either, we had loads on that one years’ frame). Replaced the hub with a deore which has been fine on that frame for 8yrs now, the original’s been passed on and still going strong too.Too many heavy landings may not help either.

I’d check the driveside hub bearing, if this is worn and ready to collapse, it allows the axle to flex and obviously the freehub is affected.

Mmmmm…axle is in one piece but there is definately some play somewhere.