[maxyedor]

I'm experiencing the infamous creaking 11 speed cassette, went to pull it and the thing is fawning tight! Somehow it worked its way tight or jammed itself as I had it off about 2-3 months ago and when I reinstalled it I torqued it to spec. Broke my cheap chain whip last night, bought a new park whip today and broke it too. Pulled the freehub, soaked it in penetrating oil, then reinstalled and tried again, bent a 3rd chain whip.

If a new I9 driver weren't $180 and the cassette $300 I'd be tempted to just throw it all away, but I'd like to at least salvage one or the other.

My best and only thoughts at the moment is to build a fixture that hold the driver with dowel pins in the pawl pivots and bolt it to my welding table, or weld something to the cassette to eliminate the need for a chain whip, but then the cassette is definitely trash. Not sure the slots for the pawns can withstand the torque I'll need to remove this thing, although that may allow me to salvage everything.

No clue how this thing got so tight, the 42t cog is dished about .100" and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be flat.

 

[Muddy]

If those are individual cogs you can guess what's happened. Even if you get the cluster(s) off there, that freehub body will be swiss cheese.
Next time do the roadbike trick of hammering-out carpenters staples to face the splines on the hub body.

 

[maxyedor]

It's and XD driver, so there's only 1 cog actually connected to the splines. Not sure if a seriously stuck 42 would make the whole thing unable to unscrew, as the locking body acts as a puller for the granny.

 

[4130biker]

In this situation, I've given the cassette sharp hits backwards with a peice of hardwood as a punch and a hammer (maybe carefully with a real punch if that doesn't work and you're feeling brave). it had worked for me a couple times, but I'd probably hit the 42 on yours.
That said, if the big cog is already warped, and presumably what is holding it on, have you thought of cutting the 42 off with a dremel?
You may get 90% done with a slot through that thing and it could undo some tension that warped cog has and come off...

 

[maxyedor]

Dremel is on the list of options, i think I have a fixture worked out to hold the thing without a chain whip, or putting stress on the driver itself, but I'm a bit worried about the force required to break the thing loose wrecking the freehub threads in the process, despite the copious amounts of anti seize I slatherred on there.

 

[4130biker]

Dremel is on the list of options, i think I have a fixture worked out to hold the thing without a chain whip, or putting stress on the driver itself, but I'm a bit worried about the force required to break the thing loose wrecking the freehub threads in the process, despite the copious amounts of anti seize I slatherred on there.

The problem I'm imagining is the cog making a little notch in the freehub which could stop it from being pulled. Even with the chain whip or fixture, I'm guessing it's fighting the notch it's made and has to be pushed backwards a tiny bit before it can be pulled.

It may not be it, but I think it's worth a shot hitting the cassette backwards (probably should be back on the wheel).

 

[maxyedor]

I'll give it a go, don't see how it could hurt. My assumption was that the cog was thicker than the splines are long, which would allow it to twist under load, but not create a notch and lock up, then again, that would be logical, and it's seam were talking about, so all bets are off.

 

[4130biker]

Shoot, well good luck, and let us know what happens!

 

[jonKranked]

n+1 standards!

 

[oldfart]

The 42 is supposed to be a little concave or dished. That spline on an XD driver is pretty deep and I doubt that is the issue. It is more likely that the threads are stuck. Possibly cross threaded? Not enough grease? Maybe you could clamp enough of the 42 cog in a big vice when you have the driver off to remove the cassette off the driver?

 

[oldfart]

And the creaking might be the SRAM derailleur. My shop told me to use locktite to mount the derailleur as they can and do loosen off. And the clutch mechanism might need service too. I have experienced a really stiff clutch that I think makes the derailleur b bolt come undone more easily. And I have also seen that plate that the b tension bolt runs on split.

 

[maxyedor]

I put it all back together, got worried that if I do break something taking it apart, I'm effed as I don't have a spare wheel with an 11 speed cassette. Ordered an xt 11spd for my spare wheelset, once that gets here, I'll attack this one again. For now it works, it's just loud.

I did notice some creaking from the derailleur pivot, soaked a little penetrating oil on it and hopefully that solves that. The mount bolt has lots of blue loc-tite and stays tight, but I have had that problem with 10 speed stuff in the past.

11spd is stupid.

 

[FlipSide]

The same thing happen to me with a XX1 cassette on a DT240 hub. It is indeed the 42t cog stuck on the freehub body and I just couldn't take it out. It was pretty crazy: the one-piece part of the cassette was indeed being pulled as I was unscrewing it, but the stuck 42t was bending as hell. I was pretty sure the cassette was done at that point and I took it to the shop.

My mechanic was finally able to take the cassette out by putting the freehub-cassette assembly in a vise and punching the 42t cog out with a metal rod and a hammer. Surprisingly, the cassette is still in good shape.

Nothing more that classic old-school DH wrenching really...