I’m examining a used Ultegra rear derailleur and I’m wondering if the little wheels should spin effortlessly when the rear derailleur is NOT INSTALLED? The one I’m looking at is only one year old with 1000 miles on it but the wheels don’t seem to spin very easily, in fact the top wheel even has a little squeak to it. Is this normal or should I steer clear of this part?
Many thanks!
Dave from VA
Hey Dave,
-Long time no hear from you! Welcome back Sir.
Hmmm, I think it just might be dirty or it has a bunch of nasty old White Lightening wax boogers in it. If you have access to a parts cleaner or some simple green with a good, hot hose I’d clean it off super good and re-check that.
The jockey wheels will probably never rotate 100% freely since Shimano Ultegra jockey wheels spin on sealed ceramic bushings according to the little Shimano brochure I have here next to me. There will likely always be some degree of friction- that’s OK.
Also, there should be some side to side play in the upper jockey wheel- that is (or at least used to be) called the “Centeron Guide Pulley” and it enables the chain to align better on the cogset for quieter drivetrain operation and reduced chain wear.
Good luck my friend!
Thanks Tom, I just got back from Australia Monday and your jet-lag advice worked. Well to be truthful, I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to…just the way I was made? Will a degreaser compromise the bearings of my components when cleaning?
Dave from VA
Shimano did release a tech bulletin years ago to the effect that citrus based degreasers (which are stronger than many people give them credit for) can cause a ceramic pulley bushing to swell creating excessive drag in their rotation.
The fix was, if you use citrus based degreasers such as “Orange Peel” then you must rinse the derailleur thoroughly with water following the degreasing to remove the degreaser residue.
9-spd Ultegra uses a sealed bearing pulley on the upper jockey wheel and a bushing on the lower pulley wheel. Both should always spin freely if you (or the chain) is pushing them–they won’t just spin on their own momentum. I wouldn’t initially use degreasers on the upper pulley. It is a sealed bearing, so if it squeaks I believe replacement might be in the works. If you can completely disassemble the upper bearing (not sure if you can), then you could degrease the whole thing and all the parts if you can somehow re-grease it.
The lower pulley can be completely disassembled, de-greased, cleaned, and then re-lubricated (I use a bit of Tri-Flow plus Campy white grease), but any not super-thick grease would work. Put it back together just like you take it apart. Good luck.