Trying to pull a set of cranks off a bike and the previous owner did something?? The threads are there, look ok but the extractor nut/crank puller will not thread properly so....... C/V community what to do???

Sure you're using the correct puller?? What brand/model/age of crank? Crank pullers are not universal.

Chombi

Just want to make sure we are not talking about a Stronglight or a TA crank here - in which case you need to be sure you have the right tool.

If it is a Japanese crank with a universal puller and the threads are stripped - I would try the torch (Alum expands faster than steel), and pry it off from behind.

If there is something not allowing the tool to thread in, I'd try the LBS to see if they can chase the threads.

If all else fail, try the gear puller or balljoint puller. Had to do it one time on my 600 left crank arm.

C-Record...just scored the bike and I'm doing the detail....The dust cap looked a wee bit off...so I assume the crank might have been pulled with the dust cap in place.

Do you mean "with a washer in place?" It would be hard to thread the puller in with a dust cap still on, but if there was a washer the puller would likely strip the crank or self destruct.

Not sure of the nitty-gritty of what exactly happened before. I noticed the dust cap was 1/2 on. It came off OK and so did the crank bolt. When I tried to thread the extraction bolt into the crank it was not catching correctly. Upon examining the dust cap the threads seem a bit off. I do not want to force anything at this point.

By "not catching correctly", do you mean that the extractor will not start in the threads - or that it will not be retained by the threads?
If you're unsure, best take it to the LBS than mess with a Record crank.

Campy C Record cranks came equipped with self extracting crank bolts ( I believe they were the first crank to do so) . The "dust cap" in question is possibly the extractor head, in which case you need to leave it in the crank.

The crank bolt itself is the standard 8mm ISO metric fine RH thread but the extractor head is 22mm LH thread. A standard crank remover will naturally be threaded the other way.

By the way the extractor head is in a plane normal to the axis of the BB spindle while the surface of the crank itself slopes out to the pedal (to improve Q factor). If you are not used to this it may seem like the extractor head is not straight but it's easy to check - rotate the crank and check the runout on the extractor head.

Mark is right. The "dust cap" is actually a self extractor and it is left hand threaded.

aaaahhhhhhhhhh Gracias Amigos...as they say in Hawaii, "more better now bruddah" Got it...another bike "near crisis" solve by the kind folks of C/V....gonna ride it tomorrow!!!! if the rain goes away....In frickin San Diego...WTF??? rain in San Diego? after i get a new old bike...WTF x 2

haha, get out your full-fender commuter tonight...or call a cab haha

Alas, Shimano had their "One Key Release" system out several years before Campy. IIRC, the first Campy crank to have self-extracting bolts was the Victory crank, which pre-dates C-Record by a couple years. Campy bizarrely used left hand extractor thread on these arms, so if the self-extractor bits are missing you need a special left-hand thread tool to remove the arm properly.

So many threads, so much to remember!