Sturmey Archer Shifters: Cleaning, the Easy Way

 

 

 

Older Sturmey Archer shifters, such as this "window" shifter from the 1950s can be disassembled and rebuilt.

Often, people will give up on, and discard, old shifters because they assume the shifters are junk and cannot be rebuilt. But you can rebuild these shifters by knocking out the pins, removing the guts, cleaning, and tightening the spring. I will discuss the rebuild process in detail another time.

This time, however, the shifter only needs a good cleaning. And even if the shifter does not seem to be working correctly, try starting with a good cleaning and see if it improves. Nothing special is required - just a little plastic tub and some WD-40, PB Blaster, Kroil or other penetrating cleaning oil. 

Place your shifter in the tub and liberally spray the innards with the penetrant. I use the straw on the WD-40 can and just spray the insides. Let the oil run out over the course of a few minutes. You should see dirty oil running out. Apply more WD-40 as needed until it starts to run out a bit cleaner. 

Next, take some Q-tips, pipe cleaners, or the corner of a rag, and reach into the innards of the shifter, scrubbing with the Q-tip/pip cleaner/rag corner. Keep scrubbing until all the old gunk is out. Apply fresh WD-40/Kroil/penetrant as needed and keep scrubbing. 

Dispose of the rag/Q-tips/pipe cleaners properly. CAUTION - they are flammable. 

When you're done, the inside of the shifter should be pretty clean and you should notice improved functioning. If the shifter still has issues, it may be time to consider disassembly and repair.

But try cleaning first - it's a non-invasive solution and you may find you don't have to disassemble anything.

A couple warnings: 

• Do NOT use acetone, paint thinner, or any other solvent that will strip paint. Many of the old shifters have thinly painted surfaces that will be damaged.
  
• Do NOT store used WD-40/penetrant rags/Q-tips/pipe cleaners in a pile or allow them near a heat source. They are flammable after use. DO - dispose of them properly.
• Do NOT aggressively polish the face plate - the paint on the surface is generally not all that thick. A light/gentle polishing is usually OK.