VERY stubborn bottom bracket

andy83

Have searched the forum and found nothing so thought i would start a new thread

i am stripping down my bike for a rebuild and finally got to the bottom bracket, got the left hand side off, with a little bit of brut force lol but the right hand side will just not budge.

i have the correct tool as it has got the one side off. one thing i did notice on the right hand side is a few of the splines are worn down a little, but this was before i even started trying to take it off. i am turning it clockwise which i believe is the correct way. is there anyother way i can get it out, got a new one to put in so dont matter if i bust it

the bike i have is a gt bought from halfords a in 2005 but got the bottom bracket replaced by LBS around 2006 and cant see them using the italian bb.

thanks in advance

supersonic

Try soaking the area, from both sides with Plus Gas. Leave for a few hours then have a go.

nicklouse

put the left side back in finger tight. and use more force.

this might help.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=94

andy83

just checked and it is definitely a english bb as it is 68mm

andy83

thanks a lot for that, bike is away now til tomo as i aintroom at home to do it. will do it tomo and report back

havent got any plus gas or anything, wd40 work or not lol

thanks again

supersonic

WD40 better than nowt, can help. Cant beat good leverage though!

ride_whenever

6' bit of scaffold pole, take the wheels and rear derraileur off, put frame on floor push down on tool, BB out.

Word of warning, do not use the hoover pipe, you will ovalise/bend it and it will not work anymore

artillerydave

what ever happened to the good old big screwdriver and hammer method, cut a slot in the bottom bracket cup and use the screwdriver as a chisel to knock it round with the hammer, works a treat.

ride_whenever

because if you still have splines, the proper tools actually works,.

More leverage is where all the cool kids are

cukrave

hi i had the very same problem on my marin got the one side out and the other side would not budge every time i tryed to undo it ,it would slip off,so i got a G clamp put the tool over the one side of the crank and a piece of wood over the other side to protect the threads put the Gclamp over both and tighten up as tight as you can get it and then put a power bar on it and just undo it ,hope this works for you.

Marjory Stewart BAxtor

when you put it back in, don't forget the copper grease!

nicklouse

cukrave wrote:

hi i had the very same problem on my marin got the one side out and the other side would not budge every time i tryed to undo it ,it would slip off,so i got a G clamp put the tool over the one side of the crank and a piece of wood over the other side to protect the threads put the Gclamp over both and tighten up as tight as you can get it and then put a power bar on it and just undo it ,hope this works for you.

interesting as the old bb axle would be in the way unless the clamping pad had a big hole in it!

Prints

if nothing else works then gently and that is VERY gently heating your frame around the bottom bracket area before attempting to remove the bb will work. Bit of a last resort though.

nicklouse

Sorry but heat is not required , well in all the years i have been working on bikes i have never used heat.

there is a great bb tool that screws into the bb axle and holds the tool in place, that does most stuck bbs.

Anonymous

clamp one side of the bb spindle in a bench vice, with the bike resting in a horizontal position. this will give you a firm position giving you the opportunity pull as hard as you can on your tool (fnaar fnaar)

this did the trick with my mates custom steel framed jobby (used the vice for removal of the stuck seat post too)

nicklouse

sheepsteeth wrote:

clamp one side of the bb spindle in a bench vice, with the bike resting in a horizontal position. this will give you a firm position giving you the opportunity pull as hard as you can on your tool (fnaar fnaar)

this did the trick with my mates custom steel framed jobby (used the vice for removal of the stuck seat post too)

as shown in a link to park tools somewhere above.

Prints

Sorry but heat is not required , well in all the years i have been working on bikes i have never used heat.

there is a great bb tool that screws into the bb axle and holds the tool in place, that does most stuck bbs.

Well i really did mean last resort, i have had to twice when working on rusted on bottom brackets on 20 year old frames. Upon which i had snapped a half inch drive breaker bar that was about 2.5 feet long.

Anonymous

aahh, so thats why you keep recommending we all read it, they must be some switched on cookies over there at park tools!!!

i was gonna put it as a sugestion as tip of the month in the grimetime clinic thread

nicklouse

sheepsteeth wrote:

aahh, so thats why you keep recommending we all read it, they must be some switched on cookies over there at park tools!!!

i was gonna put it as a sugestion as tip of the month in the grimetime clinic thread

but but.......

Johnny Napalm

I've got the exact same problem.

BB has been in there approx 5 years and absolutely won't budge. I'm going to try the soaking theory, but I could really do with more leverage too. Just need to find a piece of tubing.

Note: Swearing at it does not have any effect whatsoever...I can personally vouch for that! :oops:

andy83

thanks all for your replies and help.

after leaving wd40 on the bracket overnight then sprayed some more on yesterday i got back to work. the bb tool was fitting in as there were still splines there and couldnt find a piece of tubing for extra leaverage until i relised i had my old handlebars. so after some true brut force (from my mom as i was holding the bike lol) of it came.

but a word of warning, be careful where your applying the pressure to as when it does come loose it gets very easy as my mom found out and smashed her head on the frame

when i got the bb out it was evident why it was so stubborn, rusted to hell lol

Ciaran500

Had the same problem last year and the easiest solution is to use an impact wrench. I went down to the local hire shop and they let me do it in the back yard, took 2 seconds and only cost €5. Replacing the bent rake handle was more expensive though

Johnny Napalm

Good to hear you managed it, Andy. There's hope for me yet!

I'm soaking mine with WD40 as I type, and I'll have another go tomorrow. Andy, is your mum busy tomorrow?

Anonymous

wa hay 111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!

stumpyjon

It's all down to leverage and the best tool for that is your LBS. Just had the same problem with a stuck pedal. Just couldn't get it off, even tried hitting the spanner with a lump hammer (just resulted in my 15mm spanner converting to a 16mm spanner). Guy in the LBS had it off in seconds with a long handled pedal spanner. Now I'm going to strip everything else that I haven't undone since I bought the bike (like the bottom bracket) and grease em all up, lesson learned :oops: .

Johnny Napalm

Well, I had no luck whatsoever.

I managed to get extra leverage on the bottom bracket tool, but I ended up bending the damn thing. I cut my losses and took it to my LBS yesterday...they called me today to tell me the job's done.

I'll be doing the same as Stumpy in future!

lvquestpaddler

My GT had a really stuck drive side BB, then after 10 mins of trying with a small ratchet, then the hammer and chisel method I realised I was going the wrong way!(as the pieces strted flying off!)! The splines were pretty monged by then, but a decent lengthy socket bar and going the right way got it out with some solid constant force!
I'd forgotten I'd bought this socket bar specifically for the last time I did one 4 years ago(it wasn't in my toolbox for some bizarre reason). A moment of clarity when I realised I was going anti-clockwise and also had the bar(somewhere in the cupboard)....1st class ticket to plonker city....!!!
Both sides fairly corroded though, it's a strip down and copper grease from day one of any new bikes from now on(plus read the park tools site or Haynes bike manual before attacking it!). :oops: :oops: :oops: