I just got an old Super Raleigh Grand Prix. Trying to remove the stem and was able to loosen all the parts (even the stem bolt came loose quickly)

Bars still turn as does fork - but - stem will not come loose.

Can't remove the handle bars as the part where the handlebar locking bolt screws in seems very tight (not sure the name of the part where the handlebar retaining bolt screws in)

I cannot tell if it has a stem wedge or expander or if that matters.

I tried placing a block of wood and tapping it with a hammer but no movement at all.

Could I add some oil through the hole for the stem bolt.



Can anyone offer advice??

Photos

Did you loosen the bolt, so the head is sticking up but the threads are still engaged, & hit the bolt head w/ hammer?

Also turn bike upside down, & add some oil thru the hole (if there is one) in the fork crown into the steerer tube.

Try using a good wack rather than a tap. Use your common sense though, you don't want to break anything.
Yes, dripping some oil inside the stem from the bolt hole may help loosen the expander/wedge. If you have some KROIL OIL that would be the best thing but any kind of penetrating oil will help and let it sit overnight.

Thanks all, I tried many times (rubber mallet on wood board) banged until forks started entering wood.

Tried spraying penetrating oil in through the hole for the stem bolt and up through from bottom by forks.

Not sure where I'd get "Kroil-Oil" but will seek some tomorrow. For now bike will sit in a corner in detention.....

https://www.google.com/search?q=kroil+oil&ie=&oe= Kroil is just about the best penetrator for frozen parts but not essential for all situations. A little pricey but I bought a 2oz bottle which is still 98% full after 10 years, you don't need much. A 50/50 mix of Automatic Transmission Fluid and Acetone works just as well but the Acetone can damage paint and plastics if left to sit very long.

Try supporting the fork crown on a 2X4 slightly longer than the fork legs (or equivalent),

and hit the bolt head hard w/ steel hammer. It's the shock that gets things moving.

I should add that the stem bolt came out fine and it still has grease on it's threads!

Sounds like the stem is seized in the steerer.

That might be your answer. Put the bolt back in just half way and hit the bolt.

If you're trying to remove the Stem

why do the photos show you disassembling the Headset?

Suspect OP may be doing it wrong.

This. The stem is held to the fork by a wedge that gets tightened by the bolt. You have to thread the bolt back into the wedge a few threads then whack on the bolt to break the wedge loose.

Try approaching things from the other side. Get a washer whose overall diameter is slightly larger than the hole on the bottom side of the head tube but will fit between the forks and also has a centre hole which the stem bolt will fit through. You might have to use a pair of washers to get there.

As others have suggested use some releasing fluid. Screw the stem bolt from the other/bottom side into the stem wedge and then tighten it up to pull the stem wedge out. I assume you are able to remove the handle bars. As you tighten up the bolt periodically tap the stem wedge around its circumference from the top using a screwdriver and hammer.

I have had success doing this in the past and kind of surmise that what has happened is the the stem wedge has been rotated vertically and ended up being lodged in the steerer.

+1

The handlebar turns freely but the stem won't come out? He's either doing something wrong or describing the situation poorly.

Hmmm, "banged until forks started entering wood"... Bet those bearing races are weeping tears of blood right about now...

+ another 1.

What did you bang on with the wood? It should have been the long bolt the runs vertically through the stem down into the steering tube.

With the headset disassembled it's going to be harder to hold it correctly to loosen the wedge or expander. The fork is what need to be held securely when you bang on the quill bolt.

THIS.

Put the stem bolt back IN, half way, then hit the stem bolt with a hammer. (Or rather the "quill expander bolt" as in the diagram.)

And I'll add never place the fork ends drop outs) on the ground or other solid surface and then whack from above (as is also done to seat the fork crown race). On a steel fork nothing wrong is likely to happen but when you start working on AL forks the drop out slots can be mushed down, since one is usually looking at the point of hammer impact the drop outs' deforming might not be notices until one tries to replace the front wheel. Andy.

Sorry - should have explained, I was stripping bike down completely and got carried away. Should have stopped and dealt one thing at a time.

Expander came out after soaking all night.

Ok so let's get this straight.

The bolt is out, and the wedge shaped metal piece (the expander) is also out? And the stem is still stuck?

Sounds seized to me.

Search for the million threads of "stem seized/stuck" or "seatpost seized/stuck."

I couldn't get the stem free last night. Stem bolt would come loose but the expander was stuck to the base of the stem (or stuck to the base of the stem and the forks).

I soaked inside the stem bolt hole with WD-40 and then flipped after a few hours and sprayed again up under the forks and let sit till noon today.

Following advice received here (used a bigger hammer on the stem bolt and put weight on it) the expander itself dropped. I was then able to unscrew stem bolt and drop the expander out.

This bike didn't have a wedge, it was an expander.

All good - onto the next issue.

Thanks again for all advice.

Ps There was a video I saw on youtube where a fellow took an old coat hanger and made it straight. He then put a small loop at one end and added steel wool (think of a wire brush attached to a long thin rod) . He put the end with the steel wool into his frame (seat post tube) and used an electric drill to spin the coat hanger rod in the tube.

I really cleaned out my seat post tube and then did the head tube using this method. I was worried about the rivets holding the head badge but the rivets simply chewed up the steel wool. It really shined the insides of the tubes and now I will clean out the tubes and then after I grease my expander before it goes in, I expect I won't have this issue again.

The expander never makes contact with the inside of the head tube.

Just FYI. Stuck expanders and wedges are normal. That's what tightening the bolt does. Smacking the bolt to free the wedge/expander is standard procedure, even when greased.

There is virtually no functional difference between a wedge type stem and an expander type stem, The technique for removing either type is identical. The OP was wrong from the start, didn't matter if the stem used a wedge or an expender

One thing I've always wondered is how the expander type (the type that has a circular expander and... uh...expands the bottom of the stem into the steerer tube) keeps the expander from rotating? On the wedge type the wedge can't rotate, at least not much, but on the circular expander type, there's nothing to keep the expander from rotating as you tighten it.

I've never had issues with this of course, but I've always wondered. (And I've really only seen a few of the expander type vs the wedge type.)

The more you rotate the bolt, the more tightly the drum is being held in place. Even though it isn't shaped like a wedge, it is getting wedged into a tight spot, so to speak.