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Last few rides the bikes been making a few creakung/cracking noises. Guessed it would be the hub, and stripping it today there is the usual grime and some swarf.
Two of the springs seem to have partially snapped and there is now a polished inner face between the bearing and ratchet ring. Yes, the spacer was in place.
Having ordered pawls and springs it seems the pawls are a bit baggy in terms of fit- if I put them in the spring recess on the freehub it's a prescion fit, in their normal place they are baggy. Is this normal? I don't have another freehub to compare..
Not normal. They are a wear item and they are worn.
That said it sounds like either the hub shell or free-hub bearing probably has excessive play. Difficult to tell from the description.
Hub shell and ratchet ring all appear OK, apart from the polishing which I assume has come from swarf in the grime and the freehub body rotating.
Bearings all seem OK and play free.
The pawls being loose in the freehub body is my concern, I am awaiting springs so its not been assembled yet. There is no difference in fit between old and new pawls.
very likely it just needed a clean and the bits of broken spring/swarf removed - it's amazing how a bike can amplify even the tiniest noise or hint of movement.
I've never had to replace hope pawls - oldest Pro (Pro 2?) hub I have is probably 8 or 9 years old now - not saying they don't eventually wear, but they're proper hard tool steel, so last a really long time. But I have replaced a lot of the little leaf springs over time. The pawls are never a really snug fit, and you'll have to rely in grease to 'glue' them into their little cyclindrical channels.
Very very remote possibility, but have you checked for hub body and freehub body cracks/fractures?