Hollowtech stopper plate not dropping
06-17-20, 07:29 PM
#1
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Hollowtech stopper plate not dropping
I installed an Ultegra 11-speed Hollowtech crank arm today. The left side crank arm has a stopper plate -- i.e., there's a little plastic piece that you're supposed to push into place.
The various online videos I watched show a little push and that little stopper piece drops right in. Not on mine... Some Googling indicated two things:
1) That stopper plate is entirely optional if the bolts are torqued to spec.
2) If the stopper plate won't drop in, then something is wrong... but I didn't see any indication as to what the problem might be.
Any suggestions?
The various online videos I watched show a little push and that little stopper piece drops right in. Not on mine... Some Googling indicated two things:
1) That stopper plate is entirely optional if the bolts are torqued to spec.
2) If the stopper plate won't drop in, then something is wrong... but I didn't see any indication as to what the problem might be.
Any suggestions?
06-17-20, 07:36 PM
#2
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The stopper plate serves two functions that I know of. One is to act as a last resort of arm retention if the pinch bolts or preload cap fail. The other is to confirm that the arm is overlapping the axle properly. This second function has some leeway. Of course Shimano will claim that their design allows for the only tolerance of this fit range. I will say that the tiny pin on the plate is easily bent and can thus change the overlap tolerance. I speculate that if this overlap amount was so specific that the confirmation method would be a bit less distortable. Andy
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AndrewRStewart
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06-17-20, 10:00 PM
#3
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Never had this problem, but I would take the arm off and fiddle with it, a closer look might reveal the issue.
06-18-20, 08:08 AM
#4
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Are you using spacers behind the crank arm? If so, are you certain your BB shell width requires them?
Were the two crank arm bolts loose enough to let the arm be seated properly when you tightened the cap screw/nut?
Were the two crank arm bolts loose enough to let the arm be seated properly when you tightened the cap screw/nut?
06-18-20, 08:22 AM
#5
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If the plate is standing up too far it won't be able to clear internally. You could try removing the arm bolt(s) to get it closer to it's final position and reinstall. That little piece can be a bit fiddly to get dropped into place...
06-18-20, 08:47 AM
#6
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If you pull the drive side out of the bike, can to attach the NDS crank to it and have the stopper drop in?
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06-18-20, 09:38 AM
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I ran into this on my last bike and found that I had to tighten preload plug quite a bit to get the pin to line up with the hole. Once the pin dropped in I backed the plug out a bit. It was also difficult to get the pin to pop up when removing the crank arm since it was tight up against the edge of the hole.
06-18-20, 09:41 PM
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I'd guess your NDS arm is not positioned sufficiently on the spindle, and the arm needs to travel towards the frame a bit more. It usually only requires finger torque to set the crank arm using the preload tool. Perhaps if the splines of the spindle are dirty, that may interfere with a proper fit or provide unnecessary resistance.
06-19-20, 08:56 AM
#9
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Thread Starter
So I wound up pulling the left-side crank arm out and verified that the stopper plate would drop "standalone".
Put it back together on the bike and the plate just dropped right in. As August West mentioned... maybe I put a little more torque on that preload plug the second time?
Whatever... it's in there now! Thanks for the suggestions.
Put it back together on the bike and the plate just dropped right in. As August West mentioned... maybe I put a little more torque on that preload plug the second time?
Whatever... it's in there now! Thanks for the suggestions.
