e.j.

I picked up an old Schwinn and I wanted to take apart the fork and stem, but they appear to be rusted together. It's a quill type stem. I've tried spraying some wd-40 in the tube, but to no avail.

Anybody have any suggestions?

moxfyre

Sheldon Brown to the rescue Here's a guide to removing a stuck seatpost, and nearly all the advice is good for stems as well: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Quick summary: WD-40 won't do it, you need penetrating oil (available at pretty much any hardware store). Try using a RUBBER mallet to hit the stem with gradually increasing force. If you can get it to budge, you're pretty much there.

EDIT: Penetrating oil is for steel stem/steel fork. If it's an aluminum stem (e.g. practically any stem made in last 20-30 years) then ammonia can be used to dissolve the corrosion.

e.j.

Thanks!

moxfyre

I should add that you MUST get the wedge bolt loosened completely before trying any extreme measures for removing the stem. Otherwise you're never going to get the stem out, and you'll probably damage the fork steerer tube too...