I am trying take off the higher jockey wheel (the one closer to the gears) and I can't figure out how to get it off.
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When I turn the shaft that holds the spring counter-clockwise it seems to tighten the screw and when I turn it clockwise it seems to loosen a bit but then tighten again. I have another Suntour that I have the same problem with.
Thank you.
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
It looks something like the first one. I can't tell for certain though.
Here is a picture of your derailler, you will have to scroll down and it is listed as SunTour VGT . They are pretty similar in the 80's era. Took me some major company history reading to figure that one out lol. If you contact the guy who owns the sight I am sure he will be able to help you out. Or if someone here knows a little about SunTour please post away.
Here is the link
http://mcgiverncyclery.wordpress.com/
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
I recently needed the same repair on my old Motobecane. Two bike stores told me it couldn't be repaired, which made me more determined! Here is the spanner wrench that I made to remove the special nut pictured in the OP's 2nd photo above.
To make your own spanner, grab a little steel bar (I used a $0.49 Stanley "mending plate" from the hardware store), hold it up to the nut, and mark the positions of the tabs. Cut the waste with a hacksaw, then file the piece to shape until it fits (you can see how filing pushed some metal over in the photo). The cutout to the right is clearance for the wheel cage. Don't make the tabs too long or they will bend. In fact, the tabs bent on my first try because the steel was so soft, so I built another and tempered it. Heat your spanner to red with a torch, then quench it by dropping it into a bucket of cold water. The finish will look rough as in the photo, but the tool is hardened and quite strong. (Finish all your filing before hardening...)
To use, I chucked an allen wrench into a vise, perched the derailleur on its hex, then fitted my spanner to the top nut. Putting a wrench on the tool for leverage easily broke the nut free. Remove the little stop screw using small vice-grips (it's already off in the OP's pic) and unwind the spring tension, remove the nut, and turn the wheel cage off of the bolt. Nothing to it :o)
Wow nice job and +1 to home made bicycle tools
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Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
The jockey wheel is held on a shaft.
Remove the nut at one end of the shaft.
Remove the hex key headed cap at the other end, revealing the end of the return spring in one of six recesses in the shaft end.
For ease of reassembly, note which of the recesses is used for the spring end.
Lever the spring end out of the shaft head and withdraw the spring - fine nose pliers may help. The other end of the spring is located in a hole in the face plate, such that it (the spring) will come free when you pull the spring out of its retaining cylinder.
Now unscrew the shaft using a wide flat-bladed screwdriver in one of the three pairs of spring retaining slots.
Your next misfortune is that the replacement jockey wheels probably don't fit the shaft. If you bought the cheap ones that come with several alternative plastic bushes, use the widest pair of pushes - it is a very tight fit, but the shaft can be coaxed through. Because it's so tight, the jockey wheel may stick to one side of the shaft and foul - but you can lever it carefully into the centre of the shaft using a flat bladed screwdriver and it will then run smoothly.
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