Elitewheels ENT 2.0 4 pawls freehub service - o-ring issue

[SillyMochi]

The freehub on my Elitewheels ENT 2.0 was a bit sticky (pedals and chain kept running like a fixie while freewheeling) which wasn't too surprising, since those are my dedicated "winter wheels" and I ran them in all kinds of weather. So I did a nice little freehub service today. All running smoothly again now.

Only issue: that O-ring that should seal the freehub to the body is way too big. It already came off like that which probably explains why the freehub got sticky in the first place as dirt got inside. I currently have it installed without the O-ring as there was no way for me to install it properly. It just wouldn't fit. Even tried to shrink it in the freezer but that didn't do much. Tried to lay it over and around the freehub but once you install the cassette it would just be squashed to the side by it.

I have absolutely no clue how it got so big in the first place. Heat? But from what? Was only running it since September and didn't see much sun. Or did I completely misunderstand where this O-ring is supposed to be sitting?

Has anybody experienced a similar issue with their freehubs?

[SillyMochi]

Update: talked to Elitewheels on AE where I bought them. They couldn't really provide any help or reason to what happened to my o-ring but they are shipping out a new one. Let's see if that fits then 

[coffeebreak]

My Elite wheels had a different problem - dry bearings. The grease basically thinned out and evaporated? I have no idea. Only about 1600 miles on them. The front wheel started making gruff noises when spinning. I had to open up the bearing seal and repack with grease. No brand marking on those bearings except the type. Not a big deal but I think there are QC issues with their low end wheels. Glad they are taking care of it.

[SillyMochi]

Which wheelset you got from them? Do you also have a pawl-style freehub? If so, can you confirm that the o-ring is supposed to sit on that ledge where I tried to seat it in my picture?

[coffeebreak]

Which wheelset you got from them? Do you also have a pawl-style freehub? If so, can you confirm that the o-ring is supposed to sit on that ledge where I tried to seat it in my picture?

Elite SLT. Yes it has pawls (not star ratchet) I will check and send you a picture tonight.

[coffeebreak]

Looks to be in the right place. Mine is green and tubular, yours looks flat. The hub model is different, mine is 6-pawls.

[SillyMochi]

Thanks mate! Yeah it's a slightly different shape but the position seems to be the same and where I expected it to be. Thank you for the picture and confirming. EW wasn't helpful in that regard, when I asked them. They just wanted to know my address and shipped a new one 

Hope it arrives soon and will sit as tightly as yours does!

[coffeebreak]

No problem! I have a feeling that you should be able to find an approximate match in a general hardware store in case the new one that EW sent is loose too.

[SillyMochi]

Not a bad idea! Probably wouldn't be the "lip shape" that mine has but more like the tubular that your's has but should do the same job. I'll keep it in mind for a Plan B.

[SillyMochi]

Update: so EW did send a replacement o-ring which arrived a few days ago. Happy with that service. You can clearly see now that the old ring has expanded dramatically. The new ring fits inside the old one without an issue. New ring fits the hub just fine. So did another service and put everything together.

Issue: the freehub is now dragging again. Pedals keep spinning while freewheeling - again. To double check this is definitely the o-rings fault and not the grease or anything else, I removed the o-ring again without changing anything else: freehub now works as intended. No additional drag or pedals spinning with it.

My suspicion is that, for whatever reason, the o-ring increases the drag on the freehub considerably. I also suspect this is what made the old ring expand so dramatically. O-ring increases drag ==> increased friction while freewheeling ==> increased heat ==> o-ring rubber expands beyond recovery.

Does anyone on this forum have the same wheelset and have similar issues with their hubs and o-ring? I am pretty sure I put the o-ring in correctly (not much options anyway) but could not find any manual regarding this wheelset that would confirm it.

[ZacItaly15]

I always suggest to add some chain lube drop in the bearings. Just remove the bearing shield with a needle or a screwdriver blade, add 2/3 drops of lube and re-apply the screen

I usually do with brand new wheelset to extend the bearing life and fast rolling

[SillyMochi]

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. The freehub itself works absolutely fine. It is greased correctly and appropriately. It is just the o-ring that introduces the drag in the system. Here is the video with the o-ring installed. Freehub is dragging a lot; pedals continue to spin while freewheeling; back paddling almost impossible, chain tension is lost completely:

Code: [Select]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ttZQ1g3sg
Here is the same setup, just with the o-ring removed. Nothing else has changed. Freehub is working as intended, no additional drag:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BVBgzNBy6Y
Picture shows the o-ring on the freehub just in-between the videos before I removed it again for the 2nd video.

[coffeebreak]

Can you try with the tubular O ring (not the flat one that EW sent) and see if it creates friction too? I have a feeling that that flat bladed ring sits on top of the flange rather than going into its groove like its supposed to, when you push the freehub down.

[SillyMochi]

Update: I contacted EW again regarding this issue and sent them the two videos above. Took them a few days to get back to me - apparently I was transferred to one of their "Engineers".

In the meantime I did the unspeakable - I flipped the o-ring over. Instead of having the "lip" face inwards towards the hub (pic 1), I flipped it so that the "lip" goes towards the cassette (pic 2). It doesn't make any sense to me to orient it this way but why not give it a try anyway. Well, issue solved, freehub spinning as intended

Just to be sure before posting this "fix" online, I wanted to confirm with EW that this is actually the correct way to install them. Today, they sent me a video of how to install the o-ring on this type of hub. It is indeed the correct way: lip needs to face outwards! Pic 2 is a screencap from their video.

It's still not making much sense to me since I thought the "lip" is there to cover the hub/bearings but I guess this is the way it is intended.