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I've read that ammonia is good, but where on earth so I get that from!? I've also read about heating the crank up so as to expand the alloy but will this not tarnish the crank?
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The stem bolt is free, its the actual stem itself that won't move...
Just found this which has a few good suggestions http://www.londonfgss.com/thread7169.html
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• #6
plus gas + hammer to bolt in stem then upwards = free stem :)
pedal - plus gas + fuckload of strength and anger = worth the trouble . . . -
If the wedge is not the cause of your problem, and the stem is really seized badly, and you're not too worried about damaging the handlebars (or you can remove them and replace with something you don't care about) you can try using some WD40 or similar then bolting the fork to something stable or a crap wheel that's wedged between strong legs and then wack the end of the handlebars with a 2x4 piece of wood to make them rotate while the fork stays still.
Once you've got the handlebars rotating just keep using brute force rotating back and forth with a bit of upward lift and eventually you'll get the stem out. This is much easier with a second set of hands.
Good luck, and do post about your solution when you've resolved it - I'm curious to know what option worked for you!
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It could just be that the wedge is stuck, holding the stem in place when the bolt is loosened. You could try loosening the bolt, and then tapping the head of the bolt with a hammer to dislodge the wedge (don't undo the bolt entirely, so the force is spread across more than one thread). This has worked for me in the past, however if it's the stem itself then you will need a bit more brute force or chemical assistance...
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If the forks are worth more to you than the stem then saw it off as high as you can and then undo the headset, then grab whats left of the stem in a vice and WD it, twist it, heat it until the S.O.B. lets go.
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use some old scaffolding pole, leverage is the answer to many problems!
put the end of the pedal tool in the scaffolding and HTFU!
And with regards to the stem, i hope you have the bars still in because as i have already said leverage makes a big difference, so stick some risers on it and twist till it gives.
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Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Right the stem is out, it wasn't as bad as some of the situations I have read about on the net I was lucky enough to get away with a soaking in ammonia (£1.99 from homebase) and as someone said I removed the drops and used some straight bars to get plenty of leverage. Still took plenty of effort and sweat but the removal of that stem was oh so satisfying!
The pedal though remains stuck on. The biggest obstacle I have with these is that the nut where the spanner goes has been rounded and although the spanner will grip briefly I don't think it really is sufficient enough to apply the kind of force required to get it off.
I have tried soaking in ammonia. I put it in the freezer for the night then put it in boiling water and then tried it over the gas but no luck yet. I'm going to give the gas idea another go but I'm thinking that I might have to strip the pedal and lock it in a vice, which I would really rather not do...mole grips are a little too wide and I'll risk serious damage to my crank :(
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Seized stem and pedal
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I'm trying to strip a bike but the left pedal is stuck fast! And yes I am turning it clockwise to take it off. The pedal spanner just slips off (starting to round off) and an allen key is nigh on useless. Any tips?
Also while I'm on the subject of seized stuff on the same bike the handlebar stem is also seized. It's been soaked over night in WD40 but alas it will not budge....
I've read that ammonia is good, but where on earth so I get that from!? I've also read about heating the crank up so as to expand the alloy but will this not tarnish the crank?