Grrr, I give up. Bottom Bracket wins

essex-commuter

I have a hybr*d that I use to get over the forest when I go cross country running, it's a bike that looks average, I can lock it up and forget about it. Mechanically hower it rides perfect, as do all the bikes I own.

Over the past few months the bottom bracket has been wearing out, the play is getting worse.

I CANNOT REMOVE THE THING FOR LOVE NOR MONEY.

Purchased a Park Tools BB remover tool, using my longest spanner and an extension, the BB won't budge. It's been soaked every night in penetrating oil...no good.

I read a great tip, use a longer crank size bolt and bolt the tool to the BB so that you can conncentrate on more effort turing rathet than holding the tool on. Guy in work makes me an M8 x 1 x 40mm bolt, great thank you. Come home, bolt the BB tool on, try to undo, no movement. Lift the bike up and place the BB tool in a vice so that I can turn the bike for MAX leverage. BANG!...that's it I think, it's budged. Looked closer, my cast vice has cracked and broke.

I think it's the end of my bike

essex-commuter

One last step...I think I will just take it into a bike shop and say can you replace the BB for me. Then I'l wait for a call, "it's done" or "sorry mate, can't get it off". I think I know what it will be.

davis

1. Hacksaw blade through the spindle hole, saw it into sections.
3. Profit.

bails87

Are you turning it the right way?

essex-commuter

davis wrote:

1. Hacksaw blade through the spindle hole, saw it into sections.
3. Profit.

How do you mean?

essex-commuter

bails87 wrote:

Are you turning it the right way?

Checked and double checked. Drive side clockwise to remove, reverse thread. Non-drive side counter clockwise to remove, 'normal' way.

Good point to make though!

prawny

Have you tried standing on it? That's how I had to get the last BB undone I changed.
Long handle tool + 12stone = Joie!

davis

essex-commuter wrote:

davis wrote:

1. Hacksaw blade through the spindle hole, saw it into sections.
3. Profit.

How do you mean?

(I don't mean to patronise, I'm just trying to be explicit)
Your bottom bracket has a hole in it through which the crank spindles run. You want to get a hacksaw blade in this hole. Take the blade out of the saw, run it through the spindle holes, and put it back in the saw (i.e. your saw is now "locked" to the frame). Saw from the inside of the hole towards the BB shell, cutting the BB into sections. Remove saw. Bash sections towards centre of BB hole.

Drink. Swear. Curse. (These will need to be done during the above process).

[Edit]: I have never done this. I have seen the aftermath.

ride_whenever

Hammer the axle out then chop the BB shell into three pieces and chisel it out.

essex-commuter

davis wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

davis wrote:

1. Hacksaw blade through the spindle hole, saw it into sections.
3. Profit.

How do you mean?

(I don't mean to patronise, I'm just trying to be explicit)
Your bottom bracket has a hole in it through which the crank spindles run. You want to get a hacksaw blade in this hole. Take the blade out of the saw, run it through the spindle holes, and put it back in the saw (i.e. your saw is now "locked" to the frame). Saw from the inside of the hole towards the BB shell, cutting the BB into sections. Remove saw. Bash sections towards centre of BB hole.

Drink. Swear. Curse. (These will need to be done during the above process).

It's a square taper sealed BB, I can't remove the spindle...can I?

bails87

I assume you've put the tool on, bolted it in place and then given it a 'tap' with a hammer?

ride_whenever

^^ hammer the F£%k out of it

Gussio

LBS helped me to remove a stuck BB. We used a 3ft extension for leverage, but key was to put a brick under the BB shell to remove any flex in the frame / wheels. Worked in the end. Bon chance!

davis

essex-commuter wrote:

davis wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

davis wrote:

1. Hacksaw blade through the spindle hole, saw it into sections.
3. Profit.

How do you mean?

(I don't mean to patronise, I'm just trying to be explicit)
Your bottom bracket has a hole in it through which the crank spindles run. You want to get a hacksaw blade in this hole. Take the blade out of the saw, run it through the spindle holes, and put it back in the saw (i.e. your saw is now "locked" to the frame). Saw from the inside of the hole towards the BB shell, cutting the BB into sections. Remove saw. Bash sections towards centre of BB hole.

Drink. Swear. Curse. (These will need to be done during the above process).

It's a square taper sealed BB, I can't remove the spindle...can I?

Ahem. Excuse my misreading, I'd thought it was a cartridge type. In that case BB tool in a REALLY BIG vice and turn the bike.

gilesjuk

Shock it. By that I mean tap the spanner with a hammer. It will break any rust. Combine that with some WD40 (letting it soak in for 10-15 minutes) and it will come out.

Honestly, if you think a BB is tough try an immersion heater element, now that's hard

barry_kellett99

Dip the entire BB shell and BB into a container of diesel. leave it as long as you can.

Buy a new Vice, and do that trick again of using the frame as leverage.

essex-commuter

I'm wondering about bolting the BB tool to the BB and then taking into my local garage and see if they can budge it...

Barteos

...

Squarepants

I used the above method for a driveshaft that was stuck in a hub on my GT-Four. Soaked it for a week in a tub of diesel, then put it in a 40 tonne (yes 40T) press. Did it budge? Did it fark. It just mushroomed the end of the shaft and killed the hub.

Witchcraft.

(Not saying it won't work on the BB though..)

EDIT: Actually it was the one prior method above the above method

veronese68

If you don't care about the paint finish you could get the frame around the BB really hot first then use the long bar method. Presuming the frame isn't carbon fibre. Supporting under it to remove all flex is a good idea. Using a hammer to shock the thing is also good. I've got a bit of scaffold pole that is good for giving extra leverage. Usually either does the job or breaks something. I've never had to apply much force to the end of a 5 foot pole.

mudcow007

scaffolding bar over your spanner = mucho leverage init?

turns you into a man mountain of awesomenous

has anyone blamed wiggle yet?

rjsterry

Just as a note of caution, if you are using the frame as a lever, you will be putting the welds where the down and seat tubes meet the BB shell under a helluva lot of strain, in ways they are not really designed to resist. If you are splitting vices, how far away from tearing the BB shell off the frame are you?

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is using heat to release the steel bearing cups from the (presumably) aluminium frame.

essex-commuter

rjsterry wrote:

Just as a note of caution, if you are using the frame as a lever, you will be putting the welds where the down and seat tubes meet the BB shell under a helluva lot of strain, in ways they are not really designed to resist. If you are splitting vices, how far away from tearing the BB shell off the frame are you?

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is using heat to release the steel bearing cups from the (presumably) aluminium frame.

That's a good point. I haven't got any scaffold tube to extend the spanner, a garage would have though. Wonder if they would be kind enough to help...maybe I should go in waving a tenner.....

mudcow007

mechanics will do anything for chocolate digestives & money or.....chocolate money!

would the spanner fit down your seat tube? always use that to add a bit of leverage...obviously dont try this with a carbon post or you will be pulling splinters out of your eyes for weeks......

nicklouse

plus gas and leverage.

veronese68

I'm sure I mentioned heat. Just , not for a carbon frame.
I had trouble with the bottom bracket seized into my frankenbike frame. The reason it had stuck was because the removable cup had seized onto the sleeve of the bracket. So when trying to undo one side it would pull the other side in. I eventually got it off with the use of a breaker bar. Didn't quite have to resort to the scoffold pole.
With the tool bolted into the bracket don't forget to back it off as it starts to undo. Otherwise that will stop it from undoing very far. Forgive me for stating the obvious.

essex-commuter

Veronese68 wrote:

IWith the tool bolted into the bracket don't forget to back it off as it starts to undo. Otherwise that will stop it from undoing very far. Forgive me for stating the obvious.

It might be obvious but I hadn't thought of that..thanks! Oh to get to the stage of that being the problem!


Oh and the seat tube as an extension...goof out of the box thinking...spanner too big though.

Escadrille Ecosse

If it is an aluminium frame, the steel BB shell can lock in due to galvanic corrosion. basically the aluminium oxide build up glues the frame to the BB. The seal can be so good that things like WD40 won't penetrate. Heat and aluminium don't really go well together, it doesn't take much to wreck the aluminium. If reasonable force won't shift it the next thing to try is dissolve out the aluminium oxide with ammonia. The ammonia won't harm the good aluminium (or the steel of the BB shell) but it will remove the aluminium oxide, although you will need to soak it.

nicklouse

proper tool and extension.



will remove anything.



if not add Plus Gas.

itboffin

LBS innit

gtvlusso

a few things here:

1, Soak the bb overnight in a container (old washing up bowl) full of penetrating fluid of coca cola - coke shifts most things.....

2, If it really won't budge with a huge piece of extension and allot of force after a soaking, then you are more likely to wreck the threads if it finally does move - so plan fora re-threading the BB or one of the push insert jobs.

3, Depending on frame material, you can have the BB shell cut out and replaced - www.argoscycles.co.uk can do this.

4, When you insert the new BB - cover the threads on the BB and the shell in copper grease (coppaslip) to avoid corrosion and this happening again.