Cannot remove crankset
 

Hello folks, I'm new here and came for advice since your community seems resourceful.

So yeah, I have a Schwinn Suspend mountain bike and I'm trying to remove my crank set to repair the bottom bracket (bearing separator is destroyed). I've managed to remove the left pedal from the BB with no problems using a crank puller. The right side though doesn't want to move at all. It's a regular square taper BB and looking at it there's nothing that should be preventing it from being removed. I've applied a huge amount of force on the crank puller and tried using wd40, but to no avail - all I managed to do is slightly bend the crank puller (which is hardened steel, so it gives you an idea on how much torque I applied). I tried working with a hammer and a metal rod from the back of the crank while applying pressure with the crank puller, but it doesn't want to move at all.

At that point I'm out of ideas.
Thanks in advance.

Pav

Double check that you removed the washer from the crankarm hole along with the bolt before threading your crank puller in. If the washer is not removed the puller will be pushing against it instead of the end of the bottom bracket axle.

I am surprised you bent your crank puller before ripping the threads out of your crank arm.

-j

First of all, remove the puller, and make sure that the washer, if any, is removed from the base of the crank. Usually the washer ID is too small for the pusher, and so has the pusher doing isometrics until it breaks.

Then, here's a trick I use with super tight cranks -- those that feel like the pusher will break before they come off. Assemble the pusher, and tighten as far as you feel is possible. Now, take a hammer, and give the end of the pusher a solid shot. There's backlash in the thread, and the hammer will drive the pusher forward a fraction of a millimeter, which is usually enough to do the trick.

Otherwise there's the old Murphy's Law standby. Remount the other crank and tighten. Replace the bolt on the right side, but back it off about 1mm. Go for a ride and look for the steepest hill you can find and attack it in too big a gear, standing on the pedals. nine out of 10 times, you'll hear or feel a click as the cranks pops loose (be sure the bolt is there so it can't come off completely).

For the one out of 10 times that this trick fails, repeat it out in the boondocks, on a road with little or no traffic. Do not bring tools or a cell phone. Better yet do this late in the day, with an approaching storm. I absolutely guaranty you'll be walking home with the crank off.

I loosen the bolt on stubborn cranksets and pedal around the block. This has never failed to loosen a tight crank from the BB spindle.

I gonna try the loosening the nut trick.

I tried the hammer trick with a fully tightened crank puller and it didn't work. Also after a brief moment of stupidity I managed to thread the cranks, so now the only 2 options left is trying to get it loosen itself or straight-up cut the crank.

Don't cut your crank. If you are in the states go to Autozone and borrow a two or three arm gear puller and use that to pull the crank off. You can buy this tool for around $20 from Amazon.com as well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

-j

What type of square taper bb are you using, if it is the cup with lockring type (not the sealed cartridge type)....you can remove the left side lockring, cups and bearings, then using a hammer and chisel, give the bb shaft a hard whack. The bb shaft should go flying out the other side.

There are some wedges you can use to force the crank off the axle. 2 wedges together, then you tap them together with a hammer, which increases their thickness, pressing the crank outwards. Sorry I can't remember the proper name for them. I think you would get them at an auto parts store or such.

They're Jacob's chuck removal wedges. You want size #6. Feel free to disregard the source in the link, It was just the nicest picture. You generally don't find them in Auto stores, but at large commercial or industrial hardware stores, or you can shop around on the net, but shipping charges can be significant compared to the $7-9.00 they typically cost.

In the future you may want to get one of these crank pullers. http://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-CWP-...r+square+taper They allow you to use a large wrench with more leverage..

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=319561

Tbikeguy,
Tell me more about this. From what I can see (which is a bit hard with the crank in the way) it might be the locking type. So how exactly does the ball bearing hold on the crankset side of the BB?

onespeedbiker,
This definitely looks sturdier than what I have.

fbinny,
I might get need those if anything else fails.

As a side note, I've removed the nut, but the crank set doesn't seem to care one bit. Been riding around 10km now.

Also thanks everyone for the nice advices!

Instead of WD40, get some "real" penetrating oil and give it some soak time.

Since you say your 'bearing separator is destroyed' (I guess you mean the ball cage), I take it it's an adjustable BB with the lockring and you've already removed the left cup.

If so, the right crank arm is what's holding the BB axle in the frame. If you pound on the right end of the axle, the right cup will act as an anvil under the crank arm (it'd be a good idea to lay the bike down and chock up the left side of the BB).