Rohloff users. oil change question.

[ton]

decided to do a oil change on my rohloff after realising it is 2k miles overdue. i thought it was 5k miles when due, it is 5k in kilometers. doh.....
so i got a kit from Shona and Rich. and had a go.
followed the instructions to the letter. put the cleaning fluid in. went for a ride for a couple of miles, left it to drain into the bottom, the drew the fluid out.
i was expecting 50ml of fluid, or just less but i only got 30ml. 25ml which is obviously the cleaning fluid.
and boy is it black and horrible.
so put the new 25ml in and went for a quick spin, and it is very quiet. but it was very quiet anyway before i changed the oil.

question is, will the missing 20ml be with wear and tear with obviously going to long before i changed it.
and secondly, will it all explode and kill me............

[lune ranger]

The cleaning oil comes out black and horrid because that’s the colour it goes in! Some of it always goes missing, it’s nothing to worry about.

[woodsmith]

I had my Rohloff repaired by SJS at the beginning of the year after water ingress ( no idea how) had caused the bearings to seize/rust. On its return it continuously dripped oil all summer out of the breather hole wherever that is. I passed by the SJS shop on my return trip from the SW and talked to them about it. Their opinion on it was don't worry. There will always be enough oil clinging to the internals to lubricate it sufficientley. The hub will run quieter with the correct volume of oil. Regarding oil change intervals ( I was due to overrun the service interval by a few hundred miles by the time I got home) they said you could double the service interval without causing any harm.
The oil is always black and metallic when changed. I expected this to reduce after multiple changes but its the same every time. On changing the oil I only got out 5ml more out than the volume of cleaning oil I'd put in ( so it had lost about 15ml over 3300 miles. Since I changed the oil its ceased to drip. Wierd bloody contraption and bloody marvelous.

[firestarter]

It never spits out as much as you put in mate

[woodsmith]

The cleaning oil comes out black and horrid because that’s the colour it goes in! Some of it always goes missing, it’s nothing to worry about.

The Rohloff brand cleaner oil I use is clear and a pale straw colour, slightly lighter than the lubricating oil. Perhaps theyve changed the spec at some point?

[lune ranger]

My bad.
It’s the All-Seasons oil that’s black - at least it was black in the past. My latest bottle is clear. Maybe the factory stuff is still black.
Either way Tony isn’t going to blow his hub up or have it come apart….

[lune ranger]

The breather hole, as far as I know, is located somewhere inside the axle tube, where the QR skewer goes through.

[woodsmith]

The breather hole, as far as I know, is located somewhere inside the axle tube, where the QR skewer goes through.

Thats what I've heard, except mine is bolt on and I've never been able to pinpoint where the oil leak is coming from but its definitely not coming past the labarynth seal.

[ledburner]

The breather hole, as far as I know, is located somewhere inside the axle tube, where the QR skewer goes through.

Thats what I've heard, except mine is bolt on and I've never been able to pinpoint where the oil leak is coming from but its definitely not coming past the labarynth seal.

when you have to extract a sprocket that in very tight, resorting to putting sprocket remover tool in a vice.(the hub was inverted in the vice).
Loosening the sprocket, in this way leaks a bit of oil.
-Taking the sprocket off dumps all the oil..
not quite the factory recommended procedure
cleaning oil flush due.

Beat the high oil prices
I bought a 250ml kit, sharing it with a mate. gives 5 annual oil changes each. since the shelf life is 5 yrs,
buying to 1 litre kit would be false economy for just 2 folk.
(but a group of 8 or eight hubs to service...just add bottles /vessels) )
a single 25ml kit is about£15,
125ml (250ml/2) is £25. each
its definately worth considering with fellow rohloff rider
2x 25ml ,
= 1 changes @ £13
2x 250ml about £46 +pp
= 5 changes each @ £4.60/£23. (shared with 2 people)
2x 1ltr at about £120+pp
= 20 changes each @ £3. or (5 changes for 8 people @£16).
food for thought for a few other fellow Rohloff users, as I am already sorted.

[lune ranger]

Yep I’ve always bought the 250ml bottles. As a 3 Speedhub family it makes perfect sense.

[woodsmith]

Another saving can be made by using less lubricating oil. SJS recommend only using 15ml at each oil change. See video 4:35 onwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVhmgqICNhU&t=7s

[Loki]

Oil change 101, full 25ml of flush in, cycle through all the gears for a few mins with longer periods spent in the direct drive gears, drain it out thoroughly, put just 15ml back into the hub, the full 25ml is only used if you have bought a non OEM hub off the shelf as they are supplied with no oil in at all (hence the bottle size). In case of a leak, just as long as the hub has had oil in from the start you will do no damage, the internal surface of the hub has oil clinging to it, this is all the lubrication it needs, the rest is simply there for noise dampening, above all, resist the urge to top the hub up.
leaks general can be traced down to a couple of locations, missing nylon bush in the EX box, failed driver bearing seals, tired of worn main seals, or simply the hub just expelling excess via the breather hole in the centre of the hub, oil pooling to one side can seep past the seals, rare but does happen.
Oil change every 3000 miles or 12 months, if you are riding in humid or very wet conditions (river crossings) then I recommend that the service interval is shortened from 3000 miles to 2000 miles.

For the record I am the Rohloff mechanic at SJS/Thorn.

[ledburner]

Another saving can be made by using less lubricating oil. SJS recommend only using 15ml at each oil change. See video 4:35 onwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVhmgqICNhU&t=7s

fair point. but Will it be louder.
Our do I have to
SHOUT TO MAKE CONVERSATION, over it?

[lune ranger]

leaks general can be traced down to a couple of locations, missing nylon bush in the EX box,

Funny you should mention that because this very thing happened to one of mine very recently. Lord knows how that happened as the plug I had to remove to fit a Rohbox was bloody hard to get out. I’ve plugged the hole with Sugru and all appears to be well.

[ripio]

Oil change 101, full 25ml of flush in, cycle through all the gears for a few mins with longer periods spent in the direct drive gears, ......

.......For the record I am the Rohloff mechanic at SJS/Thorn.

Interesting, how does your method of cycling through all gears with longer periods in direct drive (gear 11?) square up with the recommended method in the Rohloff manaul of 1km or 3 minutes switching back and fore between gear 3 and gear 5?
"To rinse the hub properly, ride
approx. 1km or turn the wheel by
hand using the cranks for approx.
3min whilst simultaniously
swiching between gears #3 and #5.
In these gears all planetary gear
sets are in use, making sure that
the cleaning fluid is well rinsed
through in order to thin out the old
oil for easier removal."

[woodsmith]

Oil change 101, full 25ml of flush in, cycle through all the gears for a few mins with longer periods spent in the direct drive gears, ......

.......For the record I am the Rohloff mechanic at SJS/Thorn.

Interesting, how does your method of cycling through all gears with longer periods in direct drive (gear 11?) square up with the recommended method in the Rohloff manaul of 1km or 3 minutes switching back and fore between gear 3 and gear 5?
"To rinse the hub properly, ride
approx. 1km or turn the wheel by
hand using the cranks for approx.
3min whilst simultaniously
swiching between gears #3 and #5.
In these gears all planetary gear
sets are in use, making sure that
the cleaning fluid is well rinsed
through in order to thin out the old
oil for easier removal."

I wondered the same. Especially the longer periods in gear 11 where my understanding is that its direct drive and the internals aren't moving.

[Loki]

I thought it was bonkers too initially, but on a very fouled up hub it works pretty well (as advised by my predecessor)