DT Swiss Freehub Lubrication Advice please!

TL’DR Version

DT Swiss 240s Hub, 18T star ratchet.

How much official DT Swiss lube do I use?

Literally just a thin film, enough to make it shiny? and bugger all else?

Long version.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed the rear hub on my bike stopped making the “normal” noise when coasting. It was also very very intermittently failing to engage right away. Possibly related to splashing through a stream or two..

I investigated and after a trip to an LBS for something their site says they have (and what I read was OK to use online) ended up with a different lube than I went in for (‘we use this on everything mate’). I added a fair bit in near the outer bearings, but what I thought was not too much around the star ratchet area and I rode the following week and all was good, however I (stupidly) took a ride through a very deep puddle towards the end of that ride. It didn’t make “the noise” I expected, but it worked.

Yesterday, no puddles but after a while the hub started slipping, it got worse and worse and eventually I could barely get it to engage at all.

I had noticed a little wear on the existing 18T, but no chips.

Last night I ordered the kit with two star ratchets, the proper DT Swiss lube and replacement springs. Should be here Weds.

Tonight prior to kit turning up, with the wheel off I could make it slip on n off by turning the cassette by hand. After stripping it, removing all lube I could and rebuilding (lubeless!) it works a treat.

Tomorrow I’m going to do a quick lap of the block, make sure therse definittely no slippage (note: any slippage was only for engagement, once engaged there was no issue at all)

I’m hoping to ride Friday, plan is to swap in the new pair of star ratchets (also 18T), springs and use the proper lube when it turns up.. Just want to know how much to use! (as per intro section!)

Thanks!

Thin film. Using more makes it quieter. Using too much stops the ratchets engaging properly.

Thin film

springs right way around?

(thanks everyone)

Yeah springs were fine. (on both, smaller side pokes at the star ratchet) it worked for a whole 3 hour ride the first time out, just this week it failed it an epic fashion.

I guess it was already full of gunk when it went quiet the first time, and I removed whatever crap was there, replaced it with too much of something else causing it to get worse after it had been for a swim the following week.

Apart from being generally drier now it looks like before I used the ‘other’ lube the first time. But sounds more like it did for the first part of this year. Any tips on removing the original/remaining lube from the part that received the star with the teeth that goes into the hub?

Thinking cotton wool bud right now, would really like to clean it right out.

Lot’s of kitchen roll/buds, just keep wiping it down.

If you can remove the pawls then wash them in some kinda solvent.

Basically keep any solvent away from the bearing cartridges, you should be able to get 99.9% clean just with careful wiping, then just put fresh grease on.

If they are like hope hubs, you could put (carefully) the whole freehub body upside down in say a 5mm deep dish of meths or something, so the water (solvent) level is high enough to cover the pawls and springs, but not high enough to get solvent upbto the bearings, let it sit for a day then wipe it down.

No paws in a star racket hub. I tend to use a thin smear of rock and roll super web grease at the moment but any grease seems to work just don’t put to much in.
As for cleaning just be carful of the bearings

thanks all. .yeah no pawls in the dt swiss design.. just two interlocking stars. sadly theres no way to dunk in solvent like mattyfez suggests without a full bearing removal, which i think requires special tools.

i’ll get the cotton wool buds out tonight

i did work out a easy way to remove the freehub. i have managed to do it once by yanking on it, and via the cassette once too, however my sure fire method is to remove the cassette, but put the lock ring back on the freehub body, give it about 4 turns to make it secure and using a piece of blue workshop towel use the edge of the lock ring as lip to pull it off.

They shouldn’t usually be all that tight. It’s only the press-fit end cap that’s holding it on. You should be able to remove the freehub body by just yanking it. Next time you’ve got it off clean up the end of the axle with some wire wool or something too, to make it easier.

You need a special tool to remove the centre bearing (the one behind the ring drive bit), but that shouldn’t make a difference to freehub engagement. Basically you just need to clean it all up, then use a thin smear of grease on the star ratchets.

You don’t need to dunk anything in solvent because it’s a far simpler design than Hope et al.

They shouldn’t usually be all that tight. It’s only the press-fit end cap that’s holding it on. You should be able to remove the freehub body by just yanking it.

Yeah I have done it that way once – however due to a bit of grease on the freehub body it is a bit easier using the end cap trick. Depends how strong your grip is I guess! I’ve seen online people have to use that park tool clamp thing or a soft toothed vice, so i’m not doing too bad. (Also read different models using the same system are harder/easier to pull the freehub body off)

I think when I regreased I didn’t put too much on the star ratchet itself, which is why it worked for a while, but once it’d had a good soaking and washed the excess grease i’d put elsewhere nearby into that area, that’s where it starting slipping and once i’d got it warmed up (couple longish descents with lots of coasting?) during the next ride enough thats where it all went pear shaped

Tonights plan.. take it all apart again, and clean it out as best I can (last night I was cooking dinner while tinkering, tonight I’ll get a better run at it..)