Stuck crankset

[turbodog]

Penetrating oil, vibration and time work well together. PBblaster is better than WD40, but it stinks. I definitely would NOT use it indoors. Although I was recently told that now, they make PBblaster that doesn't smell too bad. Mine is probably ten years old, so it is certainly the older version.

I'm not familiar with the parts you are trying to remove. Is there a keyway? Could it be that there is a tapered keyway that tightens more as the crank is pulled out?

No keyway. Cranks & bottom brackets might be left for 10+ years or more. They are in the bottom of the frame, so _any_ water that gets inside the frame ends up down there. Additionally, they are TIGHT and almost always take a special tool.

He posted he is using locking pliers... so that is a BIG limiting factor right there. Sometimes, you can put the took in a vise, and turn the entire bike frame to gain leverage.

 

[jtr1962]

Just to update, I haven't done anything more since I last posted. My mom had to go the hospital last Wednesday. She's back home now. She had UTI and septic shock. At this point we're doing home hospice care. She could in theory still make a full recovery but given her age and condition at best she would have a few years, probably a lot less. Anyway, needless to say she's my first priority. I'll worry about the bike if/when I have the time.

 

[Poppy]

No keyway. Cranks & bottom brackets might be left for 10+ years or more. They are in the bottom of the frame, so _any_ water that gets inside the frame ends up down there. Additionally, they are TIGHT and almost always take a special tool.

He posted he is using locking pliers... so that is a BIG limiting factor right there. Sometimes, you can put the took in a vise, and turn the entire bike frame to gain leverage.

Yes, I noted that he is using locking plyers. Commonly I'll do a job myself, and if it requires a specialty tool, I'll get it. I justify its expense by the money I saved by doing the job myself. The next time I need that specialty tool I'll have it.

Of course, sometimes I'll take the job to a shop, who already has the necessary tools.

 

[electrolyte]

I am not so familiar with most modern designs so I am not going to try to understand your crankset or pedal design. Have you been to the Park Tool web site? I very much feel like your problems might be solved by a special tool for your equipment and likely Park has it if it exists. In my experience, the right tool for the job with this specialized equipment is very much worth having. Park has a great how-to section too.

There used to be a bike tool catalog company called "The Third Hand and Loose Screws". (They had little parts too, like the adjuster screws, cable ends, bearings,....) Too bad they don't exist anymore.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation, runs an Esperanza bike oriented program and facility:

"Our focus is on bicycle education, with the goal of increasing the safety, self-sufficiency, and comfort of recreational, fitness, and utility riders alike.

To meet our goal, Esperanza provides classes and programs of varied types and topics, including bicycle safety, road use and traffic law, mechanics, and riding skills.

Esperanza accepts donations of bikes, bike parts, and other bicycle related items from the community. Donated bikes are refurbished and used in our many programs.

There are several ways that someone needing a bike can earn a bike to fit their transportation needs or get their existing bike back into serviceable condition."

Perhaps there is something like this in your area?

Positive thoughts and hopes regarding the difficult situation with your mother.

 

[jtr1962]

Just to update:

1) Most importantly, my mom is still alive and she seems stable. Her appetite is great, plus she's pretty alert much of the time. Hopefully she has a few more years but who knows? Right now she's in home hospice care. We have a hospital bed in the living room so she can watch TV all day.

2) I bought the Park BBT-9 tool. I didn't want to spend the $28 list price for a tool I'd probably only need a handful of times, but a vendor on Amazon had it for $14.03. Good enough for a cheapskate like me. The tool came today.

3) I bought an 8 oz can of Kroil a few weeks ago on the recommendations of TD and byk. Seems to be great stuff. I put some on the bottom brackets when it arrived. Since they were soaking for a few weeks, I was able to get the non-drive side BB off just using my arm strength and the Park tool. Great tool, BTW. The drive side needed some taps on the tool with a hammer to get it going but after about half a turn arm strength was sufficient. I degreased and cleaned both BB bearing/cup assemblies.

4) I got the old crankset out. Once the non-drive side BB was out I could see that the plastic spacer cracked, and was preventing the shaft from going any further. No apparent issues with corrosion. I picked out enough of the spacer to get things going, then managed to hammer the shaft all the way out.

5) I'm probably going to buy a new BB given that this one is nearly two decades old, but for now I can just install the new crankset until the new BB arrives. Installing the new BB should be a 10 minute job now that everything disassembles easily. Of course, I'll grease the BB threads when I put the BB cups back.

 

[turbodog]

Proper BB tool always helps.

Be glad you don't have the ~12 bikes I do... that use about 3-4 different BB tools. But on the good side, they last forever.

I'd give the inside of any tubes you can access a GOOD spraying of some type oil.

 

[orbital]

+

Becoming a 'working on your bike' thread, a stable bike workstand is super helpful.
Dialing in components, cable tension and everything else. Like having another set of hands.

I'm partial to Park Tool stuff

 

[orbital]

+

jtr, really consider some anti seize to prevent galling.
This will last you a lifetime & prevent many hassles

Amazon.com

 

[electrolyte]

What are the torque figures for the cups? Putting grease of any kind on the threads is going to change that.

 

[turbodog]

...

2) I bought the Park BBT-9 tool. I didn't want to spend the $28 list price for a tool I'd probably only need a handful of times, but a vendor on Amazon had it for $14.03. Good enough for a cheapskate like me. The tool came today.
...

Howto video for the bbt-9 tool.

 

[jtr1962]

Proper BB tool always helps.

Be glad you don't have the ~12 bikes I do... that use about 3-4 different BB tools. But on the good side, they last forever.

I'd give the inside of any tubes you can access a GOOD spraying of some type oil.

Well, I need two types of BB tools for the bikes I do have.

Inside the tubes actually looks pristine but then again it's titanium.

Howto video for the bbt-9 tool.

Yeah, plenty of alternate uses for the BBT-9 tool.

+

Becoming a 'working on your bike' thread, a stable bike workstand is super helpful.
Dialing in components, cable tension and everything else. Like having another set of hands.

I'm partial to Park Tool stuff

At this point since my problem is solved this might as well become a general 'working on your bike' thread.

Down the road I might get a bike work stand. Being that I built three wheels already a truing stand might be more useful in the short term to replace my home-made one.

+

jtr, really consider some anti seize to prevent galling.
This will last you a lifetime & prevent many hassles

Amazon.com

I bought Park ASC-1 anti-seize compound. I installed the new BB and put it on the BBA threads, crank spindle, and pedal threads.

What are the torque figures for the cups? Putting grease of any kind on the threads is going to change that.

25 to 30 ft-lbs. For now I'm just doing "snug". We'll see if that's tight enough.

 

[bykfixer]

+

Becoming a 'working on your bike' thread, a stable bike workstand is super helpful.
Dialing in components, cable tension and everything else. Like having another set of hands.

I'm partial to Park Tool stuff

I was in my favorite shop one day and asked the young mechanic "you sell bike work stands?" He says "well we have this 3 leg number over here nobody uses since Park came out with a new one". It was a FeedBack and went home with me. My FeedBack? I wish I'd bought a Park. I do prefer the 3 legs though.
I used to hang bikes from the rafters before the work stand acquisition. Clumsy but it worked.

I still use an old front fork and over tightened brake caliper for a truing stand.

Glad you got it worked out jtr. My brother used to ride high end mountain bikes with all kinds of special size bottom brackets. He was forever learning the hard way how to prevent seizing parts. His industry closed so he went to work part time at Toys R Us assembling bicycles for about a year so he go fishing more. The bosses used to fuss that he took so long assembling them until they noticed after a while he had zero returns for stuff not working correctly.

 

[turbodog]

Ti's not bulletproof...

Weld's cracked on my black sheep. Found it last week.

The screws that come through the tubes are almost guaranteed to _not_ be Ti either. Little oil inside the tubes helps everything.

 

[orbital]

25 to 30 ft-lbs. For now I'm just doing "snug". We'll see if that's tight enough.

+

Good and snug really should be fine.
Friend of mine started a bike shop as a young kid, now he's a very successful businessman with his hands in everything.
He still has his bike shop mainly for fun.

We would hang out and talk while he'd work on bikes & put them together. I'd work on my bike putting on a new part etc..
There's a feel for proper tightness.
Bikes are light pieces of machinery,, nothing on a bike needs to be ape$hit tight.
(that said, I cannot tolerate a creak of any kind, ever!!)