Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)
  • How to remove a crank arm when threads are knackered!
  • santacruzyork
    Free Member

    Hi guys tried putting a crank arm tool in and **** the threads! So now cant get the arm off , how can i remove it? Thanks Paul

    Swalsey
    Free Member

    What type of crank/bottom bracket, and what threads are bust?

    jordie
    Free Member

    try pedaling around without the end bolt it should work its way loose,or try a ball joint remover but be very carefull round the frame area.If it is square taper??

    santacruzyork
    Free Member

    The threads are the ones on the crank arm , tried putting a tool in to remove but it must be solid because it pushed the tool out of the threads even though it was tight! Its also a square tapered bb

    santacruzyork
    Free Member

    Ball joint remover? What’s that

    jordie
    Free Member

    be very carefull with this i used this on a old frame
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0012M7NFA/ref=asc_df_B0012M7NFA2117862?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0012M7NFA
    i would try removing the end bolt and going for a spin

    itsup
    Free Member

    Since the crank is fubared now, hacksaw and a cold chisel…

    Three_Fish
    Free Member

    Remove the pedal, point the stuck crank arm straight down (6 o’clock) and hit the inside/outside with a mallet until the arm works loose.

    daveob
    Free Member

    What type of crank remover have you used? I knackered the threads using a cheap on, but a mates Park one was able to find enough purchase to get the crank off.

    Worth trying though!

    Swalsey
    Free Member

    Assuming that the thread is dead, you have a couple of options, all of which I’ve used successfully. If the crank thread is very knackered, you can’t use it again, so:

    a) use a hammer to hit it close to the axle, put weight onto pedal end to try to force it off straight. Have somebody support the frame and rest the BB shell against wood blocks.

    b) cut through the crank (saw) at a point that will cut across the hole for the axle, this relieves the tension and lets you tap it off

    c) use a gear puller or similar as mentioned above. This is best for nicer/more delicate/more valuable frames.

    d) ride it with the end bolt loose as mentioned, but be very careful and stay seated!

    Have fun 🙂

    santacruzyork
    Free Member

    Daveob a cheap o one im afraid!

    brakes
    Free Member

    if riding around on it doesn’t work it loose, use a big hammer, don’t do little tappy taps, use a couple of big blows. obviously this will damage the crank arm and possibly the BB threads and frame, but who has a bearing puller or ball joint remover????
    has worked for me in the past with rubbish square taper BBs

    porter_jamie
    Full Member

    i did this last night. i used a ball joint breaker (you know, for car track rod ends) and it came off with no stress at all, easy peasy. put the bolt into the end of the bb so you have something to press against

    Swalsey
    Free Member

    but who has a bearing puller or ball joint remover????

    They cost very little and may be worth buying depending on the frame. Point taken on the hammer though 😉

    STATO
    Free Member

    me, but who has a bearing puller or ball joint remover????

    You dont?

    Thats the problem with cycle mechanics (amateur or professional), the most exciting tool they own is a chain-whip.

    balfa
    Free Member

    I had to do this a couple of times on a pair of middleburns. I basically used a hammer and brute force to get them off. I imagine heating up the crank would help too but never had to resort to that.

    brakes
    Free Member

    You dont?

    no, I tend to do ‘maintenance’ at midnight the day before a ride, so it’s not easy to go out to my local halfords and pick one up. but… if they’re that cheap, maybe I should.

    IanB
    Free Member

    Heating the crank up helps as aluminium will expand more than steel. Once heated, apply rubber mallet to back side of crank and it should come off no problem.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    A GOOD LBS will have a stein tool to cut an oversize thread & remove the crank.

    The old “ride it with the bolt out” is less likely to work on a RH crank, and is fairly certain to bugger the crank.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    ball joint remover or two large cold chisels and a lump hammer. Require two people though. Second person to hold the second cold chisel.

    andrewh
    Free Member

    Works brilliantly on N/D side square taper (and I assume but not tried it on ISIS too)

    Remove the crank bolts (sounds like you already have.)
    Remove the drive side crank
    Attach BB tool to drive side and begn removal. BB will pull through until N/D crank is presssing on frame. Keeping removing BB slowly but surely. THis forces the N/D crank off the arm.

    Done it once and worked fine. May not be recomended for carbon frames…

    If it’s drive side try one of the suggestions above.

    bassspine
    Free Member

    12″ Angle Grinder

    rustler
    Free Member

    Hang the bike up with some rope, so its free to swing. Big bar – socket set extension is ideal, positioned close to the axle as you can. Peice of cloth to stop it slipping if needed. Sharp smack with a lump hammer. If you do this with the bike on the ground it could do some damage. Having the bike free to swing should mean most of the force goes into the arm. Its worked for me in the past.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Ball joint splitter – easy, cheap, works.
    Use heat as well

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    I suppose you could use the Poploc remote you should have posted to me a month ago. 😉

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    To give you some hope before you destroy your crank / frame / BB.
    I did exactly the same with an Old Deore DX crank, used a cheap puller and it pulled the threads out of the crank.
    Bought a decent Park crank puller and used the crank for another 15 years without issue (including removal at least once a year).

    Drove home the point about not skimping on tools.

    I_Ache
    Free Member

    Methods I have used include.

    Heat up the crank so it expands then hit the back of it with a mallet.
    Hacksaw if you can be bothered.
    Angle grinder if you cant. This is the most fun and fastest but you have to be very careful.
    Crow bar. Leaver against the BB/BB shell to minimise frame damage.
    Go for a local ride but keep the route short and do lots of laps. Avoid jumps drops and general danger.

    Then replace it with a HT2 crankset. They are by far the most simple and reliable design I have used.

    belugabob
    Free Member

    A quick point here, if you’ve got an Icetoolz crank pulled, it works fine for octalink cranks.
    Tried using it on a square taper crank and it wouldn’t budge it.
    Turned out that I needed to remove the little silver cap from the business end of the puller – It’s held on magnetically.
    If you did the same and were stronger (or more bloody-minded) than me, then that would explain the threads being stripped.

    Ambrose
    Full Member

    As Cynic-Al.

    You could also have the arm helicoiled and then use a decent puller.

    identicalbutlighter
    Free Member

    If removal is required to replace the bottom bracket my favoured method is angle grinder with superfine 1mm disc, slice the axle, takes 10 seconds, the bit in the crank always knocks out easily. Nothing is then damaged except the worn out BB, effective and very quick.

    I’ve occasionally used this technique before risking ripping the threads out on a good but stuck crank.

    No good if you wish to save the BB.

Viewing 30 posts - 1 through 30 (of 30 total)

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