QR Axle adjustment, truly an art

[rodrigo1958]

I am a newbie and I overhauled the rear QR axle this evening. (I washed the bike about 5 days ago and rode about 3 times, used orange cleaner and I guess I got some dirt inside the freehub and yesterday the tire would not free spin) I read almost everything that I could find regarding how to adjust the cones, and I still don't know if over tighten. I had no play on the axle when I was done before I placed the tire back on the bike. It was "gooey" just after I felt there was some play. I tightened and loosened the cone (only one side) for quite a while so it was just tight after no play. Spinned just fine. Did I over tighten? What if I over tighten to the point that I described here? Could there be some damage ahead?

[Skyguy9999]

Overhauling an axle, especially a QR axle is a trick. You want it at the point so you will have no play on the axle, but it spins freely. Basically if you were to loosen it one bit more, you'd have some play.
Couple that with how a QR axle is - it tightens down the hub when you lock it in, and you'll have to allow a bit of play on the axle when you get the cones tightened down.
If you feel it's tighter and hard to pedal than before you started, it would be very good to get the wheel back off the bike and loosen the cone a bit.