Having problems with a dt 240s rear hub.

The issue is the freehub locks up when the quick release is tightened on the rear wheel. While spinning the wheel in my hands, the freewheel seems to work fine. Yet when I clamp down with the qr with the wheel in a bike the freewheel really tightens up. If I clamp hard enough the freewheel hardly spins at all.

I know the hubs don’t like thick grease so stripped down and lightly lubed the ratchet.

The large spacer that goes onto the axle is on, the end cap fine. I’ve checked the bearing in the free hub body and both seem smooth and not collapsed.

I’m running out of ideas? Any help would be great.

Cheers in advance

Will the wheel rotate ok if you drive the freehub by hand when in drop-outs?
If so then either a freehub body bearing fas died, or the spacer between the bearings in the freehub is damaged/missing.

You’ve muddled the spacers somehow. Find an exploded diagram and compare to yours.

GB

Got 3 of these hubs and been servicing them for years.

Freehub will rotate when in the wheel and qr tightened up but it’s restricted so the rachet won’t disengage fully. So while the wheel is spinning the cracks still rotate when it should be freewheeling. If I hold the cranks the freewheel engages but the chain goes loose.

Don’t know how you can get the spacer wrong. All there is in the hub when you slide it all into the axle.
– spacer on the axle,then spring, then 1st ratchet, spring in the freehub, ratchet in the freehub, slide together, end cap on.

Looked at the two bearings (separated by spacer) in the free hub both seem in good condition and not rough.

Any other thoughts?

Did you just fully service it? If so, 2 things to check- is the washer that sits between the bearing and ratchet ring in straight and correct, and is the ratchet ring in the right way round. Either could cause the problem you describe, don’t arsk me how I knows, I just knows.

Sounds like the washer between the ring drive nut and central bearing is either damaged or not seated properly.

How can the ratchet ring be in the right way round? If it wasn’t the ratchet wouldn’t work?

Sounds like the washer between the ring drive nut and central bearing is either damaged or not seated properly.

When you mean washer? Do you mean the 1cm think spacer? Or is there another washer? The exploded diagram shows a washer that sits under the fixed ring drive between that and the inner hub body bearing but I am presuming that washer can’t be removed unless you take the fixed ring drive out?

Rik – Member

How can the ratchet ring be in the right way round? If it wasn’t the ratchet wouldn’t work?

The ratchet ring- that threads into the hub, not the bit that falls out- is “sided”, one side has a recess for the washer that goes inside, the other doesn’t. So if you put it in the wrong way round, it sits too high and causes problems. Same as if the washer is bent, or not in quite right, it’ll all lift the ring.

Obviously that can’t happen unless you did a full service though.

Don’t know how you can get the spacer wrong.

an lbs I took mine to managed it

edit actually can’t quite remember which bit they got wrong but they put it back together with something in the wrong place.

Also- check that the labyrinth seal is fully and correctly seated and wholly undamaged.