mendozer

I'm changing out pedals and I just can't get my left pedal out. The right came out easily (and I know the left is reverse threaded so I am turning it clockwise (or towards the back of the bike). I'm giving it my all with my wrench, hammer, monkeywrench, you name it. It's also ridiculously hard to hold everything steady (like the other pedal arm) while trying to do this. Never had his trouble with my mtb. any ideas?

evilcryalotmore

Idk if you can possilble do this. But you might have cross threaded it, Or your crank arm threads where bad in the first place. Next time use lub. All i can say is what ever your doing. Its wrong.

dykim90

is there rust? if so wd 40 that crap. then get a person to hold the bike firmly. also get a long pipe to put on the wrench to get more leverage.

mendozer

the other pedal was stock. i just bought it used from someone who never did anything mechanical to it. Is there a fix it method or should I cave and take it to a shop and have them charge my arm for it?

mendozer

well the other wasnt rusty. i did lube what i could (inner end) but nothing. I'll have to find a pipe somewhere. I rent, so I'll probably have to keep an eye out for a scrap outside someone's house lol

catonec 

HEAT, so long as its not a carbon crank, otherwise some type of penetrating oil, I preffer pb blaster although worcestershire sauce works pretty good also. you may need to reinstall the right pedal and have someone stand on it to balance it out while you crank on it. make sure when you install your new pedals that you use a bunch of grease on the threads to avoid this next time.

SactoDoug

I just changed the pedals on my old mountain bike. They were rusted in place. I sprayed penetrating oil on them on both ends and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then I placed my wren on the pedal so that the wrench handle was angled towards the center of the crank. By angling it that way, you apply more torque to turn the pedal rather than turn the crank. Then I just hit it hard with my 3# rubber mallet. After about 2 good whacks, it came loose.

mendozer

hmm heat. I'll use a hair dryer or something. Never heard of worch sauce on a bike, but what the hell. that's my plan B. and yes when i get these out, they'll get thoroughly cleaned and lubed.

catonec 

not sure a hair dryer will do it, I was thinking more like a torch, thats what mechanics do on cars when theres a stuck bolt.

B. Carfree

Sometimes it helps to first torque it the wrong way; that is, first attempt to tighten it slightly. It won't get any tighter, but may break some of whatever is causing it to stick. Lubricant and heat are also useful.

SactoDoug

A hair drier is not enough heat. You need to use at least a propane torch. It has to be hot enough to expand the metal and turn away any crud in the threads. Usually you want to get it red hot.

Of course doing so would probably fry the bearings in your pedal. Also it will likely damage the paint on your crank if it is painted.

I would only use heat as a last resort on a bicycle. Another thing you can do is after you get your wrench on the pedal, place a nice 3' pipe over the wrench to give you more leverage.

Nachoman

The bigger the pedal wrench the better.

znomit

Lbs

Caracalla.

I borrowed this from a Caterpillar yard, had to remove my rear windshield to fit, will it do?

Homebrew01

Huh ? Why do you need to hold the other crank ?

Left crank arm should be at 9:00 - 10:00 position. Pedal wrench should be about 2:00-3:00 position. Lean on both at the same time.

makeitso5005

Also remember if you're going to attempt using heat... red hot is way too hot and only heat the exterior (crank arm not the pedal spindle) of what you're trying to remove.

revchuck 

+1. My original pedals were installed by the shop from which I bought the bike; when I tried to change them out myself, I put some serious habeus grabus on the left one (yes, I was going clockwise) and it wouldn't budge. I took it into a shop near my house and they finally broke it loose, using a four-foot piece of pipe. The right one came right off with no problem. The threads on the new pedals were well greased before installation.

mendozer

what i meant was holding the opposite crank arm steady. I'm not using a repair stand or anything so it's upside down on the ground while i'm trying to stabilize everything. i'll try to find a pipe soon

Waves77

I had a similar issues and I was able to remove it with the Park pedal wrench without a problem (as opposed to my regular wrench).

ptle

For a really stubborn pedal, I will put the pedal wrench on the bike and tap it with a rubber mallet.

AngryScientist 

penetrating oil. apply liberally and let it sit for a few hours. to free a stuck thread like that its sometimes necessary to use the "impact" method. sharp, concise blows with a dead blow hammer to the pedal wrench should free it.

if you are not confident in your ability or you lack the tools/space to do all this though, a lbs trip may be the best bet.

merlinextraligh

Standing on the pedal wrench/cheater bar if necessary.

Homebrew01

Put the bike right side up, leaning against a wall. You're making things difficult for yourself.

rollin

+1

mendozer

ok finally! it took some serious muscle and some dangerous wrench flying, but it's off. When i put the other ones on, is Park Tool Polylube a good grease for it? I figure anything would work. I have Triflow already