Originally Posted by worker4youth
I've taken this pedal to 2 different LBS's, and both have told me that this pedal is not serviceable. One even suggested that it would be dangerous to use this pedal at all anymore, and directed me to their pedal case to buy the M540s at double the price.
But I *know* I've seen a PDF file on the Internet for servicing these pedals.
The problem I'm having is that the axle has a lot of play (about 1mm) on one of the pedals. Enough play that I feel it creaking when pedaling hard, and can feel the axle clacking around when hitting cracks/potholes on the road.
Should I just buy the TL-PD40 tool and do it myself? Is it hard? How would one adjust these pedals for no more play?
Of course they are serviceable. Geesh. All SPD and SPD-SL types have pretty much the same axle to pedal design and it's just two sets of balls, cups, and cones in each pedal. There was even an article by Park Tool, published on CyclingNews.com about servicing them. Obviously, I cannot say for sure that your specific pedal is not past the point where servicing will solve your problem. At any rate, here is the link to the Park article and my own proceedure which is, in my opinion, more complete than the Park proceedure. I advise getting the TL-PD40 tool.
Exploded view of your pedal:
http://www.shimano.com.au/publish/co...-M540-2234.pdf
Park article:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/fix/?id=shimano_pedals
My comments and proceedure:
SPD and SPD-SL types are pretty much the same as each other as far as
the axle and bearing mechanism. The Park article shows you how to
disassemble them and just add new grease. Personally, I take them
apart completely and clean everything completely. This takes a lot
of patience as there are 24 3/32" loose balls in each pedal (two sets
of 12). It takes me about 45 minutes to completely disassemble,
clean, grease, and re-assemble one pedal. It's a good winter or
rainy day project. I do mine about once a year. The one
special tool you need is the Shimano TL-40. There are a couple of
other flat open end wrenches you need and you can use a small socket
for the lock nut on the end. You service these just like any other
loose ball bearing set. I also find that an axle vise makes life
much easier to hold the whole thing. Set up over a big rag or in
some kind of a box, as you are guaranteed to drop at least a couple of
those tiny little balls. The last thing you do is to make sure
the tiny rubber seal (it's not an o-ring, but similar) is seated down
in the plastic housing as far as you can get it.
This is what keeps the dirt out of the bearings and it tends to float
away from the plastic housing. Hold the pedal in your hand and
rotate it around the axle, and, at the same time, push that little seal
down into the plastic housing with a fingernail. Once I figured
out what this did and started keeping it pushed in, my bearings stay a
lot cleaner. As with all bearings, if you submerge them in water,
they are going to need a more aggressive maintenance schedule.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but for most of us DuraAce
pedals are pretty expensive and once you learn how to do this job it's
pretty easy. It just takes time and a lot of patience. A
steady hand and a good pair of tweezers help, too.
I originally posted this elsewhere for a question about DuraAce pedals,
but they are internally the same. I have R600, M520, and M540
pedals myself and they are all pretty much the same on the inside of the
pedal. Good luck with your repair!
In
some defense of your LBS's, it's pretty clear to me that servicing these
pedals is time consuming and would be a losing proposition for a shop.
But, that being said, they should have just told you that.