New Departure model D help

[Muji]

The transfer spring is common and readily available.

Thank you sir, I appreciate it!

 

[redline1968]

I'd get a better complete nd hub.. yours is worn out you replace one part another could fail.. just pull toss and replace save you hassle.. first inspect it for wear on the brass brake pads

 

[1817cent]

Get a new transfer spring. They may look ok but still slip. I always replace them and each time that fixed the problem. Several guys here on the Cabe sell them. They are cheap and will fix your issue. Post a want add and you will get results.

 

[PlasticNerd]

Also make sure you stack the brake discs correctly. Round then 3 tab alternating, and make the stack 3/4" long, don't worry about the count just the stack height. Another good thing to do to all the discs is to scuff them up a bit to clean off any "glaze" they have built up over the years. I use 320 black sand paper flat on my bench and swirl them around across it. Last tip, oil goes between every disc, and grease goes in the bearings! I use 80/90w gear oil in mine. Good luck, if you need more help we're all here

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Also make sure you stack the brake discs correctly. Round then 3 tab alternating, and make the stack 3/4" long, don't worry about the count just the stack height. Another good thing to do to all the discs is to scuff them up a bit to clean off any "glaze" they have built up over the years. I use 320 black sand paper flat on my bench and swirl them around across it. Last tip, oil goes between every disc, and grease goes in the bearings! I use 80/90w gear oil in mine. Good luck, if you need more help we're all here

You have received good advice so far.

Remember, he's having a "drive" problem, not a braking issue. The retarder spring needs to fit snugly around the pressure plate, and since it's half-moon shape it should more friction in one direction than the other direction. Don't overlook the fact that the bent little tab often breaks off of the retarder spring which will make it not work.

While you're waiting for your new retarder spring to arrive, you should do one bench test to determine how much wear you have inside the hub, and on the drive clutch. Basically, this wear over time (many years) will cause the exact same symptom you get when the retarder spring goes bad. With the hub apart, take the driver, one large retainer, and the clutch cone and assemble them into the hub. use one finger to hold the clutch into the hub. Take a long sprocket chain wrench and wrap it around the sprocket. Turing the sprocket clockwise you should be able to put some good torque to the chain wrench without any driver/hub slippage. If you have slippage, you have wear. Sometimes you can buy a little more time by grinding .020" to .030" of the nose of the drive clutch because it's bottoming out on the shoulder of the driver.

John

 

[Muji]

This has been pretty comprehensive instruction in rebuilding a model D. I didn’t initiate this thread, but I’ve certainly benefited from all this information. And to this group, I’m very grateful.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

This has been pretty comprehensive instruction in rebuilding a model D. I didn’t initiate this thread, but I’ve certainly benefited from all this information. And to this group, I’m very grateful.

Do yourself a favor and do not follow the directions of the guy doing the YouTube video on page one of this thread.

Does it make sense to anyone that you have a hub that was originally designed with an "oil hole/cap", and that you should pack the hub full with thick grease, to the point it's oozing out of the oil fill hole? And while your at it, forget the 90-weight gear oil also. Just use a very lightweight grease, White Lubriplate, or the common lightweight disc brake wheel bearing grease you find in any auto parts store is fine. Just grease the bearings and wipe a light coat on the moving parts like the driver threads and the clutch and retarder spring. Use some 30-weight motor oil on the disk's, and you're done. If you pack it full of grease, you will have a ton of drag between all of the disk's making it hard to ride. All of that grease is going to work it's way out of the hub eventually (there's NO grease seals) and it will be a frigging mess. God help you if you have whitewall tires. And another thing, be very careful with the Brake Clean, or Carb Cleaner around any painted surface like your newly painted rims or getting any on your whitewalls. The original New Departure replacement disk's were packed in shipping cosmolene for rust prevention, we washed them and oiled them before service.

I'm assuming that since you guys are working on bicycles you have the basic sizes of cone wrenches. The New Departure, NK, Mattutuck brakes use a 9/16" and a 5/8" cone wrench. The brakes come apart and go back together from the driver side. You put the entire brake cartridge together and slip it in from the bottom while you're holding the wheel horizontally. Then put the left "lock nut" into your vise to hold the wheel. Install the last bearing, drop in the driver, the adjusting cone and lock nut (no washer). This will allow you to make your final fine adjustment while the wheel is still in the vise. The correct adjustment for a "ball bearing" is just a very slight amount of play, in the tightest spot, so you have to rotate the wheel and work the brake operation to make sure you do not have any tight spots. Roller Bearings need a little pre-load adjustment, but Ball Bearing need a very small amount of free play adjustment. If you "over tighten" your cone adjustment, it will come out all pitted like the cone in the YouTube video.

Do not over grease.
Lightly oil the Disk's.
Install the brake assembly "as a cartridge" from the left side of the wheel.
Do not over tighten your adjusting cone bearing adjustment.

Nothing has changed on servicing a New Departure hub in 100 years.

John

 

[bobcycles]

shoot me your addy...I'll mail you an NOS transfer spring N/C if that's all you think you need.

 

[Ernbar]

Was about to mention what Schwinn Sales touched on above. The video is good for disassembly and reassembly but only use grease on the bearings and few drops of 30w auto oil in the filler tube. The first time I took mine apart
I greased it like he did and noticed that the hub was dragging on rotation and not spinning freely. After I removed the grease from the disks leaving it on the bearings only and adding 30w auto oil thru the hub filler tube the hub spins free and clear with no dragging.

 

[Miq]

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/new-departure-rear-hub-discs.57130/. We gathered a lot of info about the Model D and the servicing instruction changes over time in this thread. We came to the same conclusions as being discussed here. Grease on the bearings, a small amount of oil on the alternating discs stacked 3/4” high. Lots of good service diagrams in that thread.