OVERHAULING A BENDIX YELLOW BAND AND BENDIX BLUE BAND TWO-SPEED REAR HUB WITH COASTER BRAKE

The following step-by-step illustrated instruction cover disassembling, assembling, and adjusting the Bendix Yellow Band and Bendix Blue Band two-speed rear hub with coaster brake. The hubs are identified by the word BENDIX stamped on the brake arm and a series of yellow or blue bands circling the center of the hub.

These two hubs are basically alike with many of the parts being interchangeable. Differences between the hubs, including interchangeable parts, are illustrated in a detailed exploded drawing following the Cleaning and Inspecting portion of this section, and are pointed out in the text.

The following procedures apply basically to the Bcndix Blue Band hub. Deviations from this hub that might cause problems during assembly, including specific parts that are not interchangeable, are called to your attention in the individual steps.

DISASSEMBLING

(1) Clamp the complete hub assembly in a vise, with the jaws gripping the axle on the sprocket side, as shown. CAUTION: Use soft vise jaws to protect the axle threads. Hold the brake arm and remove the locknut by turning it in a counterclockwise direction.

(2) Lift off the brake arm, and then the dust cap.

(3) Remove the brake-arm side expander, and then the ball bearing retainer assembly. Hold the retainer assembly with your fingers, push on the square head of the expander with your thumbs, and the retainer assembly will slide off the expander.

(4) Grasp the hub shell and lift it straight up and off the axle.

(5) Reach into the hub shell with your forefinger, lift the expander and clutch assembly slightly, and remove the four brake shoes as they rise.

(6) Remove the complete expander and clutch assembly.

(7) Remove the ball bearing retainer assembly from the drive screw.

(8) Unsnap and remove the indexing spring from the drive screw, using a screwdriver, as shown.

(9) Remove the low-speed and high-speed drive screw assemblies, and then the ball bearing retainer assembly.

(10) Lift the high-speed drive screw and catch the loose ball bearings as the drive screw begins to rise.

NOTE: On the Bendix Blue Band hub, the sprocket is welded to the low-speed drive screw. On the Bendix Yellow Band hub, the drive screw is welded to the high-speed drive screw. The planetary gears can be removed by driving the gear pin out with a drift punch and hammer from the side opposite the splined shaft of the low-speed drive screw.

CAUTION: The gear pins are tapered and can be driven out in only one direction. These gears are usually not removed because the low-speed drive screw is sold as a complete unit with the gears installed.

(11) Turn the axle end for end in the vise with the jaws gripping the center unthreaded portion. Remove the dust-cap lock ring by prying it up with a screw- driver. Lift off the dust cap.

(12) Place a cone locknut tool over the Axle and engage the ears of the tool with the slots in the locknut.

(13) Hold the adjusting-cone sun gear assembly with one wrench and loosen the locknut with another wrench on the cone tool. Remove the locknut, and then the sun gear assembly.

(14) Separate the high-speed drive clutch assembly from the low-speed drive clutch retarder assembly by pulling them apart. The high-speed clutch will release from the high-speed coupling.

(15) Snap the coupling off the high-speed clutch assembly with a screwdriver.

(16) Remove the high-speed retarder spring by first working it up with a narrow-bladed screwdriver and then removing the spring with a pair of needle- nosed pliers.

(17) Insert a narrow-bladed screwdriver under the low-speed retarder spring, pry it up and grasp it with a pair of needle-nosed pliers, and then remove the spring from the low-speed drive clutch.

(18) Separate the low-speed drive clutch and drive- side expander.

CLEANING AND INSPECTING

Clean all parts in solvent and blow dry with compressed air, or wipe them dry with a lintless cloth. Keep cleaned parts on paper towels to avoid contamination. Cover them with a clean towel to keep grit from entering the internal parts and bearings. A tiny piece of grit can do a tremendous amount of damage if allowed to work on a part over an extended period of time or while the wheel is turning at high speed.

Carefully inspect the loose ball bearings for signs of excessive wear (dull spots, pits, or cracks) and replace the complete set if any of them are damaged. Replacing the complete set will ensure distribution of the bearing load equally on all the ball bearings.

Inspect the two ball bearing retainer assemblies. If any of the ball bearings come out of the retainer, are pitted (pencil-point dots), show signs of excessive wear (dull spots), or are cracked, the bearing and retainer assembly must be replaced. Check the retainers for cracks or visible signs of damage.

Inspect the bearing surface of the adjusting cone for scores (scratchlike marks), pits, and stripped threads. Inspect the bearing cups of the hub for scores, pits, or excessive wear. Check the flanges of the hub shell for cracks, and to be sure they are not loose.

Check the dust caps to be sure they are not bent, crimped, or distorted, which could have happened during disassembly.

Check the axle and locknuts for signs of damage or stripped threads. Roll the axle slowly across a smooth flat surface and check both ends for being out-of-round or watch the center of the axle to see if it rises off the surface. Either of these indications means the axle is bent and must be replaced.

Inspect the bearing surface of the brake-arm side expander for scores, pits, or other damage. Check for stripped threads.

Check the indexing slots of the drive-side expander for wear or rounded edges.

Inspect the low-speed drive clutch for chipped and worn threads or worn dentils on the outer surfaces.

Inspect the brake shoes for a worn or glazed condition. Check the tapered surface for burrs.

Inspect the high-speed drive clutch for chipped or worn threads.

Inspect the high-speed coupling for damaged windows and hooks.

Inspect the planetary gears and adjusting-cone sun gear for worn or damaged gear teeth.

If you are working on a Bendix Yellow Band hub, inspect the weld between the sprocket and the high-speed drive-screw portion for cracks or signs of fatigue. If you are working on a Bendix Blue Band hub, inspect the weld between the sprocket and low-speed drive-screw portion.

Check the brake arm to be sure it is not bent or damaged.

ASSEMBLING

(19) Thread the adjusting-cone sun gear assembly onto either end of the axle until the outside edge is 7/8 inch from the end of the axle, as shown.

(20) Thread the locknut onto the axle, with the slots facing up. Place a cone locknut tool over the axle and engage the ears of the tool with the slots in the locknut.

(21) Hold the adjusting-cone sun gear assembly with a wrench and tighten the locknut with another wrench on the tool. Remove the tool.

(22) Set the drive-side expander over the low-speed drive clutch, with the slots in the expander facing up.

(23) Slide a narrow-bladed screwdriver between the spiral of the low-speed retarder spring at the lower end. Place the lower end of the retarder spring into the machined recess of the low-speed drive clutch, with the upper end of the spring winding downward in a clockwise spiral and the lower end catching in the drive-side expander slot. Rotate the screwdriver in a counterclockwise direction (at the same time pushing down on the screwdriver blade) to roll the low-speed retarder spring completely into the machined recess.

CAUTION: Always install new retarder springs when overhauling this type of hub to ensure satisfactory service.

Install the high-speed retarder spring in the recess of the high-speed drive clutch in a similar manner, rotating the screwdriver in a counterclockwise direction

(24) Coat the inside and outside surfaces of the high-speed drive clutch with multipurpose lubricant. Install the high-speed coupling on the high-speed drive clutch, with the lower window indexing with the lower end of the high-speed retarder spring. Stretch the upper window of the coupling over the other end of the high-speed retarder spring hook.

CAUTION: The high-speed coupling can be installed properly in only one way to allow the ears of the high-speed retarder spring to index properly in the windows of the coupling.

(25) Join the high-speed and low-speed drive clutch assemblies by sliding one leg of the high-speed coupling into either slot of the low-speed drive clutch assembly with the hook on the bottom of the leg catching the low-speed drive clutch. Push the high-speed drive clutch down with the other leg of the coupling, indexing with the high-speed clutch slot and the hook catching the high-speed drive clutch.

(26) Apply a generous coating of multipurpose lubricant around the shaft of the low-speed drive screw, on top of the planetary pinion, as shown.

CAUTION: The low-speed drive screw of the Bendix Blue Band hub is not interchangeable with the drive screw of the Yellow Band hub.

Place the loose ball bearings around the shaft and imbed them in the lubricant.

NOTE: After all the ball bearings are in place, there should be approximately one ball bearing clearance left.

(27) Coat the inside surface of the high-speed drive screw with multipurpose lubricant.

CAUTION: The high-speed drive screw of the Bendix Blue Band hub is not interchangeable with the drive screw of the Bendix Yellow Band hub. Slide the high-speed drive screw onto the shaft of the low-speed drive screw and over the loose ball bearings.

Rotate the high-speed drive screw in a clockwise direction to set it down in place and to index the teeth of the planetary gears with the internal teeth of the ring gear.

(28) Cover the inside surface of the indexing spring with premium-quality cycle oil. Spread the ends of the indexing spring and install it under the shoulder of the high-speed drive screw. Coat the outside surface with cycle oil.

CAUTION: Always install a new indexing spring when overhauling this hub to ensure proper service after assembly.

(29) Apply a thin coating of premium-quality cycle oil to the inside surface of the hub shell.

CAUTION: The hub shell of the Bendix Blue Band hub is not interchangeable with the shell of the Bendix Yellow Band hub.

Insert the low-speed and high-speed drive clutch assemblies into the tapered end of the shell, with the high-speed drive clutch going in first, as shown.

(30) Cover the inside surfaces of the four brake shoes with multipurpose lubricant. Apply a very thin coating of lubricant to the outside surfaces of the shoes. Insert the brake shoes into the hub between the ears of the drive-side expander. The brake shoes will then be in pairs on either side of the two expander ears, as shown.

(31) Pack one of the large sets of ball bearing assemblies with multipurpose lubricant. Work the lubricant throughout the bearings and retainer with your fingers. Place the lubricated bearing assembly onto the brake-arm side expander, with the flat side facing up and then press it into place using the brake-arm-side dust cap. Remove the dust cap. Insert the brake-arm side expander into the hub shell. Hold the expander in place, and then turn the hub shell end for end on the bench.

(32) Apply a coating of multipurpose lubricant to the bearing race, as shown.

(33) Pack one of the large sets of ball bearing assemblies with a generous amount of multipurpose lubricant. Work the lubricant throughout the bearings and retainer. Place the lubricated bearing assembly into the hub shell, with the flat side of the retainer facing up.

(34) Hold the brake-arm side expander in place with one hand and with the other hand insert the assembled drive screws into the opposite end of the hub. Rotate the sprocket in a clockwise direction until the assembly is fully seated in the hub shell.

(35) Apply a generous amount of multipurpose lubricant to the bearing race of the drive assembly. Pack the other ball bearing retainer assembly with multi-purpose lubricant, and then install it with. the flat side of the retainer facing up.

(36) Slide the axle through the hub while holding the brake-arm expander firmly in place. The axle will go partway, and then it must be rotated in a clockwise direction. As the axle is being threaded into place, the sun gear will mesh with the planetary gears and allow the dust cap to seat against the shoulder of the sprocket. Rotate the axle until it is finger-tight.

(37) Install the brake-arm-side dust cap and then the brake arm, with the flats of the brake arm indexing with the flats on the brake-arm side expander and with the manufacturer's identification facing up.

CAUTION: The brake arm of the Bendix Blue Band hub is not interchangeable with the brake arm of the Bendix Yellow Band hub.

Thread the locknut onto the axle and tighten it by holding the brake arm with one hand and tightening the locknut with a wrench. Place the completed assembly in a vise, with the jaws gripping the axle on the brake-arm end. Place a cone locknut wrench over the axle, with the ears of the wrench indexing with the notches in the locknut. Loosen the locknut slightly, and then back off the adjusting cone approximately 1/3 turn, or until there is just a discernible amount of side play when you move the wheel rim up and down. Hold the adjusting cone with a wrench and tighten the locknut with a wrench on the locknut tool.

(38) Remove the assembled hub and wheel from the vise. Hold each end of the axle with your fingers. Slowly twist the axle with the thumb and forefinger of each hand-the wheel should not turn. If it does turn, the cones are too tight and must be loosened slightly. Back off the locknut using the locknut tool, loosen the adjusting cone approximately 1/8 turn, and then retighten the locknut. The cones are properly adjusted when the wheel rotates freely, comes to rest gradually with the valve stem at the lowest point of the wheel, and there is only the slightest trace of side play.

CAUTION: If the cones are adjusted too tight, it will cause binding and scoring of the hub. If the cones are adjusted too loose, it will cause fatigue, which can result in, a damaged hub or broken axle.

INSTALLING