Originally Posted by
clengman
Each time I changed pedals I would squirt in a little WD40 and pass a rag through the hole in the crank arm. Put some lube on the pedal threads and that's all. Thinking back, the noise probably went away for a little while each time, but always came back, and if anything got worse with time. Like I said, it wasn't a major concern until recently.
This time I was much more thorough. Got in there with a toothbrush. If it gets noisy again in a week or two, I'll be pretty certain that it's not just dirt.
The best evidence that it's pedal thread related is that it made a difference, even if only for a week or so. It would stretch credulity that some other part of the bike magically got quieter whenever you switched pedals. if the noise comes back, get a set of pedal washers, grease the thread, and the pedal face ares (both sides of the washers, and tighten the pedals TIGHT. Use the kind of torque you'd use in removing them.