Rusted pedals to crank

[KelRob]

Hi,

NEED HELP. I an working on a Monark girls Holiday. The crank was rusted but it free now since trying to remove the pedals. Now the crank turns but can not remove the pedals. What is the best way to remove a set of pedals when they are rusted to the crank? I have sprayed them with PB Blaster.

Kelly

 

[horsefarmer]

I would heat them with a torch and try them while warm, if no joy wait a while and try again sometimes it takes awhile, several applications of pb blaster and heat.

 

[RustySprockets]

The four things that seem most effective are lube, leverage, heat, and...patience. PB Blaster was a good start, and it does take a while to soak in and work its magic. A long wrench or a "cheater bar" adds leverage. The spinning crank aggravates the task, so place the bike firmly on the ground and wedge the opposite pedal against a curb (or other obstruction) to prevent turning. Remember: the left side pedal loosens clockwise...the right, counter-clockwise. When all else fails, resort to heat.

 

[Indyjps]

If you can get the crank out, vice and a long bar.
Heat it up and drip oil on the joint as it cools, the heat will pull the oil into the joint.

 

[xray]

I asked exactly this question not long ago. I had already tried the proper penetrating lube and cheater (pipe for improved leverage) to no avail.

I'm not sure if it was horsefarmer or who reminded me, but I'll tell you this: putting a torch on it made all the difference. I had not used a torch for a very long time. Now, I use it regularly. Heat is a great tool.

In addition to all the other good advice here already: vibration can help work the penetrating oil into the rusted threads as well. Apply oil to the threads, allowing gravity to pull the oil down - put a piece of wood against your crank, and gently tap it repeatedly with a hammer or whatever. Don't bang the heck out of it, just tap it gently with a little rhythm to vibrate it. Set it aside for a while and let the oil work.

Be careful using penetrating oil AND a torch, particularly if you're using an aerosol can! Keep the can and the torch well away from each other. Don't be horsing around shooting oil through the flame to see if it makes a cool flame thrower. Trust me, just don't do it. And don't be breathing the fumes as you oil on hot metal or flame on oily metal.

You probably already know, but when working with this kind of wrenching, use properly sized box wrenches rather than open ended or (even worse) an adjustable.

Like old Sheldon, I believe adjustable wrenches have many legitimate uses on bikes if used properly - but NOT when you are cranking hard on stuck parts. Worse than a stuck nut or bolt is a stuck AND rounded off nut or bolt.

And, of course you know the left pedal is "threaded backwards." The first time I tried to take one off, I budged it a little and it just seemed to get tighter. Cuz, I was tightening it!

 

[us56456712]

I like the vibration scenario. It gave me an idea to try in the future. BP Blaster first, then put my hammer drill with a chisel head against the pedal and let er vibrate. I have a friend who works the tug boats hauling ore freighters off ice flows and off shoals when the wind grounds them in narrow channels in the Ste. Mary's River. The big Diesel makes the whole boat shake like W.C Fields in the AM. There is a big metal stanchion with a work head attached to it on the boat deck. The whole stanchion vibrates so much under power that it is blurry. He filled a stuck V8 with old outboard motor 2 cycle oil and attached it to the stanchion work plate. After they came back from their job the stuck engine turned like new. I really got a laugh out of this. I always wondered if I could unstick a motor by filling it with 2 cycle oil and putting it in my truck bed all summer. The roads in Michigan are horrible and I find myself going sideways down the chatter bumps or getting tossed into the wrong lane on a corner. Could this do it? This reminds me of the 5 foot diameter worn out stuck cast iron gear. The gear was from the steel mill in Sault Ontario and a lot of Sault Ontario shops tried and failed to remove the gear from the tapered shaft. It was finally taken to Sault Michigan to Soo Welding (A Lake Freighter repair shop that fixes broken propellers, bent shafts and leaks from boats running aground) to see if they could take it off. They couldn't either. An old retired blacksmith was hanging around Soo welding and told them to tell the steel mill that he would remove the gear for the exorbitant price of $150 (this was a long time ago so $150 was a lot). He got the go ahead and had a steam shovel dig a big hole in the Soo Welding yard. He had the shovel put the gear in the hole with the gear up and the taper on the shaft was pointing up. He spread a bunch of dynamite under the gear and had the shovel fill the hole with dirt and then put a big mound on top. Since Soo Welding is in a residential area and not in an Industrial Park he placed tarps, then all the old mattresses he could get and on top and finally all the old construction machinery, tractor and dump truck tires in town. It went off and everything rose up a few feet but no houses fell down. It was dug up and the gear was free from the shaft. He never got this job again as the Steel Mill found out his technique and did it themselves. Nothing like vibration to get something loose.

 

[jpshaw]

You probably already know, but when working with this kind of wrenching, use properly sized box wrenches rather than open ended or (even worse) an adjustable.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you will get a "closed" box wrench on a pedal. I will have to be an open end since there is a bar on one side and a pedal on the other.

 

[CrazyDave]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you will get a "closed" box wrench on a pedal. I will have to be an open end since there is a bar on one side and a pedal on the other.

Most pedals I've seen have had flat sides only for a pedal wrench or open end'er. Where's Bicycle 808, he would know if there ever was a pedal you could remove with a box end. lol.

After I exhaust the easier options and just before I get the torch out I like to use a air hammer. A flat bit slightly smaller then the pedal threads and give it a few raps with that. I get carried away with the torch and have discolored things I would of preferred not too. Lots of good suggestions above.

 

[murdercycles]

I have also had success going from extreme heat to extreme cold. Heat up with a torch then blast it with some "freeze off" (available at most automotive suppliers) or an upside-down can of spray air, or dunk it in ice water. The drastic expanding and contracting does the trick!

 

[Bicycle808]

Most pedals I've seen have had flat sides only for a pedal wrench or open end'er. Where's Bicycle 808, he would know if there ever was a pedal you could remove with a box end. lol.

After I exhaust the easier options and just before I get the torch out I like to use a air hammer. A flat bit slightly smaller then the pedal threads and give it a few raps with that. I get carried away with the torch and have discolored things I would of preferred not too. Lots of good suggestions above.

AFAIK, there aren't any pedals you can us a box end on, but in a case like this, depending on the design of the pedal and if you care about saving it, you might be able to remove everything but the pedals spindle and fit a box wrench over it.

This is one of those things where you might be best off with a buddy and a looooooooong cheater bar.