SA 3 speed crank free play

[Dr pepper]

1st and 2nd on my AW hub have about a 1/4 turn of slack on the crank before drive gets to the rear wheel.
I cant remember as kid when I last had this kind of hub, is this normal.
I get why it would do this in first as I'd need to catch up speed wise before the pawls engage, however in second the hub should be 1:1 locked up.
Also a bit odd that the pawls driving the wheel are different for first and second, but the issue is the same.
I have adjusted the pull chain correctly.

 

[lenfield]

Is it one of the modern AWs without a neutral gear? They've got a driver instead of a cruciform clutch. It's got pawls on as well.

 

[88robb]

No, that much free play is not normal, especially in 2nd gear.

Since you've already adjusted the indicator chain correctly, the problem is likely inside the hub. For both 1st and 2nd gear to have the same slack, the issue is probably with the main drive clutch (the part that engages for 2nd and 3rd gear). It's likely worn or its spring is weak, so it's not engaging properly.

You'll need to open the hub, clean it, and inspect that clutch and its spring for wear.

 

[FrankCrank]

These hubs are known to give reliable service for decades, but if not used for a long time the oil inside can congeal and may cause an issue with pawls etc binding. A strip down may be necessary, but if it were me I'd first spray a copious amount of spray lube (ie WD40) into the hole where the 'pull chain' goes. These spray lubes contain a solvent, which can soften up old hardened grease trapped inside. Leave it to soak for some time, and then see if it fixes the issue. You may be lucky, it's a simple thing to try in the first instance. Good luck

 

[Big John]

It's not a big job to disassemble a SA hub gear if you follow RJ The Bike Guy on YouTube. You don't need to do a full strip down but you'd need to get to the pawls and get some GT85 on them. It depends on how handy you are with a spanner or two. I'm no engineer but I've taken a few apart over the years and as long as you systematically store the parts in the order they're removed you'll be ok. Maybe worth a try if squirting spray lube as suggested above doesn't cure the problem.

If you do disassemble then if you decide to remove the pawls there are some very lively and very tiny springs that if you lose you'll be stuffed. I'd leave them in situ and just spray.