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aluminum crankarm, stainless steel pedal, too tight, freezer helps?

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aluminum crankarm, stainless steel pedal, too tight, freezer helps?

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Old 10-29-09, 11:11 AM
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aluminum crankarm, stainless steel pedal, too tight, freezer helps?

I am trying to loosen a stainless steel pedal spindle from an aluminum crankarm.
I couldn't get them loose. If I place them in a freezer, will the stainless steel spindle
shrink more than the aluminium crankarm to make my life easier?

Any better ideas? I don't have a 14" Park wrench.
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Old 10-29-09, 11:20 AM
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Just to make sure....You're not trying to remove a left pedal by turning it counterclockwise, are you?

Presuming that's not the case, the freezer will not likely help. However, a bit of heat might...
A propane torch applied lightly to the end of the crank-arm might cause it to expand more rapidly than would the steel threaded section of the pedal.
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Old 10-29-09, 11:23 AM
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Having damaged my fair share of things in the past by not using the proper tool, I'd say using the proper tool is always your best option. Seems simpler and more convenient than heating it with a torch, anyway.
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Old 10-29-09, 11:25 AM
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The Al. has a higher coefficient of expansion and will shrink more.
If you have a pedal wrench you can try striking the end with a hammer to get it loose.
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Old 10-29-09, 11:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Bikewer
Just to make sure....You're not trying to remove a left pedal by turning it counterclockwise, are you?

Presuming that's not the case, the freezer will not likely help. However, a bit of heat might...
A propane torch applied lightly to the end of the crank-arm might cause it to expand more rapidly than would the steel threaded section of the pedal.
Heating with a tourch could cause the crank to loose the refined grain structure from forging. Also Al. melts at about 1200 degrees F and that could be reached easily even with a small tourch.
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Old 10-29-09, 11:29 AM
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Pedal wrenches for most are 15 mm and a lot of pedals have flats wide enough to use a 15 mm standard open end wrench. Cooling will just stick it tighter.
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Old 10-29-09, 08:30 PM
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Hit the AL with a heat gun, or hair drier set on high. Sometimes AL will "weld" itself to ferrous metals when threaded.

If you hit it with a torch, there is a good chance that you will damage the temper of the crank or the pedal spindle.

If you do get it off...when you reassemble it, use some anti-seize compound or a little grease on the threads to avoid this in the future.
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Old 10-29-09, 09:24 PM
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Just use a longer lever arm. You don't need a special wrench, just use a pipe or a seat post or something to extend the length of the wrench you're using. Be sure to turn the correct direction on each pedal...
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Old 10-29-09, 09:43 PM
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Galvanic corrosion... Use lots of grease or teflon plumbing tape when installing pedals.
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