Getting this stem and headset off?
 

I'm trying to take all the components off this old Schwinn I just got for free, but getting some of the parts off has been tricky. No matter how much Liquid Wrench I use and how hard I try to turn the part Im trying to unscrew (indicated by the red arrow in the picture) it wont budge. Am I missing something? Help? Suggestions?
http://img14.imageshack.us/i/image036cgw.jpg/http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1576/image036cgw.jpg


http://img14.imageshack.us/i/image036cgw.jpg/

This should tell you everything you need.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127

try using a vise (with padding to protect the fork). to hold the fork. use a wrench to turn the locking nut. you also want to use PB blaster instead of the liquid wrench.Knowing the age of the bike it can take up to three weeks for the liquid wrench to work.

I guess that threadless headsets have been around longer than I imagined. It seems that folks have forgotten how quill stems work.

After loosening the bolt on a quill stem, you need to tap it down to drive the expander wedge clear of the bottom and release the stem. Protect it with wood and hit it as hard as necessary. Do that first and remove the stem before trying to adjust the headset.

With the stem out, use opposed wrenches (or a padded Channellock plier for the lower cup) to take the top headset locknut off. Underneath there's usually a keyed washer to lift off - or as in this case the broken reflector bracket. Then the threaded adjustable cup comes off. If only adjusting, there's no need to remove the locknut and washer - loosen, adjust, tighten, but you still need a flat wrench or channellock to hold the adjustable cup, while tightening the lock nut.

Note: normally you shouldn't have to remove the stem to adjust this headset, but some stems bulge slightly and if pushed down all the way, jam into the locknut, not allowing it to back off.

Schwinn adjustment
 

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a schwinn crossfit that I would like to adjust the handle bar height on; do I just loosen the hex bolt on the top and the lock nut, is the hex metric? Thanks for any help..

Inch or metric? Doesn't matter, use whatever wrench fits (trial and error is fine), or use an adjustable. But either way, it's the same as the OP. After loosening is a few turns until the head is about 1/8" above the stem, tap it down to drive the wedge clear.

BTW- don't remove the bolt, just back it up a bit and drive it down

yes the hex is metric ,it usually 6 mm ,but sometime can be 5 mm.you don't need to loosen the lock nut, just loosen the bolt on top about 5 turn and hit it with a soft hammer, the bolt will drop, adjust for hight and re tighten the bolt.

Thanks for the advice, after some work I ended up fixing my initial problem of not being able to remove the bolt at the top of the headset, the problem now is that no matter how hard I bang on the top of the stem it wont come loose. Am I missing something?

EDIT: didnt see the part about not removing the bolt, let me try it now

I had to do this last week with a '75 Peugeot. I stripped the frame and everything else came off fairly easily after soaking in liquid wrench, except for the stem. I turned it over and put liquid wrench in from the bottom of the headtube, then let it sit overnight. I had to tap it quite hard using the block of wood approach.

Be aware that when raising the stem, there is a "minimum insertion" mark on same. Be sure not to raise beyond that point.

Thanks for the help bikeman 715.