This is a vintage Shimano Deore LX shifter that has seen better days. It works, but there's a lot of dirt, grit and some rust as well. Doesn't seem like it was ever meant to be taken apart, and even if I did I'm pretty sure I'd never be able to put it back together again. Is there any way to at least try to clean it up in its current state? I really want to try and save it.
by weatherxreport
4 Comments
Soak in hot water or a solvent (WD40) and then use a chain lube (or keep WD40) once clean, I’ve been wanting to try free-hub body grease as its very thin but have no idea how it would hold up.
I rebuilt a sram x5 9speed shifter and it took me hours, I wound the spring around 1x less than its supposed to to make for light trigger action and its great!
I wouldn’t bother trying to rebuild this, many tiny pieces and springs and you really need an extra hand to do it and if you loose anything (these pieces have a tendency to fly across the room) then the shifter will be useless
Id only attempt this again if the shifter was completely un operational as at that point if it does fail you haven’t really lost anything. Good luck
Flush it out with WD-40 and relube with Boeing T-9x. Does it still have all the clicks?
As others have said, a spray like wd40, I use TF2, and leave to soak, but also, you can work the pawls back and forth with a small screwdriver/pick, this will help the lube get inside the pivots, they will work better and last longer.
Spray brake parts cleaner onto it, cycle it to break up the old grease, allow to dry, and relubricate with something. I like white lithium grease, but dry lube works well too.