Discarding crank
 

Hi guys I am new to this forum and also new to the bike world. So I know very little about bikes but my goal is to remove this crank off of this bike I am working on. I've looked up YouTube videos. Most of the videos I've seen had a specialized tool called the crank puller. I ordered one on amazon.com. It finally came in and I tried it out, but it doesn't fit in the hole of my crank!!! So I am in need of suggestions of what proper tools I will need to move forth on plying off my crank! I have also attached pictures of the tool and crank on this post. Thank you !

That puller should fit fine. Back the central screw all the way until it's recessed into the outer plug 1/4" or more. Then you can screw the plug into the crank all the way to the bottom of the crank. Now advancing the screw will push the spindle out of the crank.

If, for some reason you can't back the central screw enough, feel free to force it. That will push the pad off the end, buying you the added depth you needed.

un screw the thing, outer bit, entirely, screw it in the crank arm socket.. till its tight.

then screw the handle back in. .. and keep turning the handle to press the arm off..

Take the bolt out of the crank first! ;)

Doesn't apply. That's a solid spindle with built in stud. The OP already removed the nut, so he's good to go.

I cannot see any threads in the first photo. I hope that somebody has not previously stripped them out for you. If this is the case you can use a pair of Jacobs chuck wedges (#3 as I recall) to remove the crank.

I wonder if it's French. The standard crank puller would be a little too big (and wrong threads).

The crank is not French. The crank arm extractor threads do look a bit flattened, but it is hard to tell from the photo. Andy.

i've removed a couple of BB spindles like that. that puller should work... OTOH the threads on that crank arm look bad to non-existent on a close up.

Be VERY sure that you get the puller threaded in as far as it will go. You cannot thread it in too far. If the crank arm is really tight you can strip out the threads if the tool is not completely engaged in the crank arm.

I agree the threads in the crank look a bit battered up. Also, that Park puller looks like it has the wide screw press tip used for Octalink/ISIS cranks, not the one for standard square taper spindles. I don't know if that would interfere also.

That looks like the correct tool. Park website shows a black handle for the Octalink puller.

THANKS GUYS! I will be trying these things out tomorrow. But from what I have tried so far it seems the tool does not even fit. And also that built in spindle seems to be in the way. Moreover, as with the threading being stripped, I was thinking of the same possibility. Btw, I bought this bike in this condition.

It looks like stripped threads in the alloy crank arm.
If so the crank extractor wont fit.

You can get the cranks off by using a hammer and chisel. Put the bike upside down. get a cold chisel and a hammer. place the chisel tip at the place where the axle goes in the back of the crank. With the chisel quite flat on the bottom bracket of the frame. Maybe come off with a sharp tap.

This method, done with care, wont damage the cranks. In fact it can sometimes sort them. As cranks like those in the picture. alloy arms with steel chainrings. They have a spline form on the crank arm/ chainring joint. Then the alloy is peened down to hold the chainring in place. This sometimes wears and the ring can move.

Another possibility not mentioned is that the original cap was plastic, and the cap portion has broken, leaving the threaded, cylindrical
portion in the threaded crankarm recess. This would present the appearance of stripped threads, and prevent the puller from threading into the arm.
If that is the case, the plastic threaded bits need to be broken out and arm removal achieved as previously outlined.

I'm surprised such a cheap crank claims to be cold-forged.

It's swaged so they use the same die for the left and right cranks. The actual forging of metal isn't nearly as expensive as having to make two dies, at least from what I gather by how much my die-making friends get paid.

If you know an automotive mechanic, they might have a tie rod separator like this that'll pop that crank off in a jiffy. As mentioned above just like using a chisel this method needs a bit of care, I usually flip the bike upside down. Couple whacks with a 4lb beater and it's off. If you have a co-op near by they might have one you can use.

There's no reason to ever attack a crank arm with a hammer and chisel. If the bike is rideable you can just back of the nut a bit and ride around a bit to loosen. Or you can use Jacobs chuck wedges to remove the arm. http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-659730.html.

I have no idea what the last part of the post means, but if the chainwheels are indeed swaged on one can cause problems by hammering with a hammer and chisel, not to mention the possible effect on the bearings.

I would second the suggestion to make sure there is not the remains of a plastic dust cap embedded in the threads. Although the photo is not perfectly focused it does seem there may be an extra layer around the perimeter.

A propane torch would be sufficient to soften the plastic enough to pry it off the threads. If the threads were truly stripped out you would be able to insert the tool at least part-way into the recess.

My thoughts as well. I use #6 chuck remover wedges on cranks.

Are you referring to Dan's comment about the Stein Extractor System? That is a tap that cuts new, oversize threads into the arm, allowing a special oversize extractor tool to thread into the new threads. It's not cheap, and really doesn't make sense for a one-off job on the OP's cheap swaged crank.

Checking for the remains of a cap is a good thought, and would make all our other fancy suggestions irrelevant. Failing that, destructive removal would not be a sin with this crank.

I was referring to "..it can sometimes sort them..." Agreed no great loss in destroying those cranks, but hammer/chisel not a good idea in general.

"Sometimes" if the threads are shot
or puller doesn't fit
You can just remove the nuts-and ride it for a few days-it will eventually loosen up-could take days weeks of riding-(keep nuts with you so you can make it home)
Some penetrating oil-might speed it up
I'm assuming you are dumping crank and bottom bracket-this method-will chew up the spindle a bit

I've had good success with this method. It work best if there's a steep hill where you can put lots of weight into the pedals.

However, Be sure to leave the nuts on the crank, just backed off about 1mm or so. Riding with the nut off runs the risk of the crank falling off entirely, which could damage the front derailleur, or leading to injury.

Right good point-- leave them barely tighten by hand-maybe use some locktite just in case it takes several days-don't want to lose them-or injury yourself

Hmmm, riding with the nuts off could result in riding with your.......... :roflmao2:

Quick, surefire way to remove stubborn cranks....rent or buy an automotive tie-rod end remover, commonly referred to as a "pickle fork". The double wedge action will do the job with little or no damage to the crank arm or the frame.