Di2 Maintenance

[dmulligan]

I just bought a used Ultegra 6870 Di2 groupo and have a couple of questions.

I want to give the derailleurs a thorough cleaning before mounting them to my bike. I've found lots of talk about washing them on bike but not off. If it was a mechanical group set I would be probably clean the front derailleur in my sonic washer. The rear I would be careful of washing the grease out of the spring loaded pivots but otherwise wash it well. I assume that I shouldn't submerge the derailleurs. Can I hit them with a no rinse bike degreaser spray? (I always rinse the "no residue" residue left behind). These things are supposed to be able to take the elements so how careful do I need to be?

I've already updated all of the components to the latest firmware. It appears the previous owner never did that. Do most di2 owners keep their firmware updated our do most not bother?

Thanks,
D

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[istigatrice]

Certainly designed to survive a downpour but I don't think that makes them waterproof. Sonic washer may cause water to reach areas not normally reached and may brick the system. I'd almost be inclined just to recommend checking the pulley wheels and getting on with the build, unless of course you've got time to kill. If for some reason you feel obliged to clean it thouroughly maybe plug the wires into the open ports as a precaution. I've damaged a battery mount by having the cable unplugged when I was cleaning the mount.

I don't bother keeping my firmware up to date but it isn't a bad idea. However if you like to mix and match I'd stick to the last known compatible firmware, e.g. 6770/6870 RD/FD can't really be mixed and matched with the latest firmware.

[dmulligan]

Oh I didn't mean to say that I was even tempted to use my sonic washer with di2 derailleurs. I just wanted to convey how clean I would like to get it if possible. A sonic washer would almost certainly work water into the body of an electronic derailleur.

I've since remembered the degreaser I have. Should giving the derailleurs a quick spray of Clean Streak degreaser be safe enough as long as I've got the e-tube port filled?

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[Stueys]

I’ve taken my DI2 through some truly horrendous weather, they are well equipped to deal with being washed. Standard rules of bike maintenance, don’t direct high pressure water at it and you’ll be fine. I degrease and lube mine in the same way as I used to with mechanical

[kode54]

never had to update the firmware even when mixing and matching. i was actually surprised to see older 9070 with original firmware work with 9150. when i was doing the swaps, i changed one component at a time...since i cleaned the area it was attached to, not because i didn't have all the components at the same time of swap.

like others have said, i would plug the dummy plug in to keep the moisture out of the connector ports when washing or cleaning.

[istigatrice]

Can't imagine the degreaser giving any issues, unless you're using something super strong like oven cleaner - but even then that should be fine on the electronics, it just ruins the finish.

[RussellS]

I think about 90% of the professional bike racers use electronic gearing today. And pro bike mechanics working for the teams wash every bike every single night after a ride. So I think electronic gearing can very easily handle just about any water/soap situation. I just wash my Di2 7970 bike with the garden hose. Never ever had a problem with my Di2.

[PinaF8]

The motor unit is sealed in a housing and is built to withstand your common washes or submersion. A simple wash with sponge and soft bristle brush is more than adequate and anything beyond would be overkill. When you do decide to thoroughly degrease then remember to lube the joint to prevent adhesion.

[dmulligan]

I decided to just clean the surfaces I can reach, and the jockey wheels and plates and call it done for this year. I'll do a more thorough overhaul next winter. The groupo is used but wasn't used very much. If it was as dirty as I remembered it looking I would have used some degreaser or at least soap but it was a case of memory being more vivid than reality.

Thanks for all the advice. I will clean my bike as I normally would through the riding season with confidence.

On the topic of firmware, I'm surprised people don't keep di2 updated. I certainly apply every update to my Garmin Edge 520 and Stages power meter in a timely matter just as I would my computer or my phone. I guess in this case if it ain't broke don't fix it or at least don't worry about it.

D

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[IrrelevantD]

I think you're fine with the way you're going about it. I've had my 6870 setup on my bike for about a year now (6,000+ miles) and have never taken any special precautions or treated it any differently than I would mechanical (no high pressure, etc). It's been through some pretty good soakings and has never given me any trouble.

As for the updates, Shimano really doesn't proactively tell you about updates the way Garmin does. Unless you connect to it with your phone or computer a lot, you really don't know about them unless you go looking. I connected to mine for the first time in months to check the actual battery level and realized there was a firmware update for my FD that came out several months ago.

[Geoff]

You really just need to clean them with soapy water and a brush.

[dmulligan]

Soap is a degreaser. Next time I'll do that, this time I ended up using only elbow grease as the dirt wasn't as bad as I thought.

Thank you all for the help.
D

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