jonny7

Ignore this if it is a dumb question. I want to remove this crankarm to get access to my BB (which is toast). I removed the drive side without any serious problem, except for the fact that it was dirty and dry. Now my problem with this arm is that it seems like no socket is ever big enough for the crankbolt AND small enough to get inside the arm. I did not have such a problem on the drive side -- the bolt head seemed a bit smaller. Is there anything I can do besides looking for a set of thinner sockets?

(and while we're here : anybody has a magic trick to remove the patina on a crankset like this one?)

Amt0571

I recently had the same issue with an old bike.

You need as specific tool. I bought an XLC TO-S19 (look it up in Google) and it solved the issue.

Another option is to file a socket wrench, but the tool was 9.95€.

Mr. 66

For your patina, if it's not pitted you could try a rubbing compound. For more damaged alloy I've used steel wool, fine grit sandpaper 600 down to 1000, then used polish for final finished product.

Crankycrank

I can't tell what sized bolt head that is but spark plug sockets are thin walled and would probably fit if you have the right size. Sometimes the big auto parts stores have loaner tools that may include them.

dsbrantjr

Higher-quality sockets tend to have thinner walls. Something like Snap-On or pre-Kmart Craftsman might work. Or grind down a cheapie. Hit the bolt with Kano Kroil or PB Blaster beforehand to make it easier to remove.

Moe Zhoost

You need a peanut butter wrench.

sovende

IIRC, the "standard" for crank bolts used to be 14mm and yes, a thin walled socket is most often required. Some sort of penetrating oil will be helpful too! I do suppose that a "non-standard" bolt i.e. not 14mm, could have been used somewhere in this bike's past.

JohnDThompson 

Campagnolo, Ofmega, and many others used 15mm bolts, and a thin wall socket or dedicated "peanut butter" wrench was needed. As @dsbrantjr noted above, high-end sockets (e.g. Snap-On, Proto, USA Craftsman, etc.) tend to be thinner than low-end sockets and are more likely to fit. If you really don't want to buy the fancy socket or peanut butter wrench, you can grind the OD of a thick socket until it fits, but be aware that the low-end sockets are thick for a reason, and don't go overboard when torquing down the mounting bolts.

While the bolt head size may vary among manufacturers (14, 15, and even 16mm heads were used), the thread was surprisingly consistent at 8mm x 1mm, so once you get the 15mm bolts out, you could replace them with 14mm bolts to get more socket clearance for future maintenance.

jonny7

I think that settles it. Thanks a lot JohnDThompson

SurferRosa

I bought a thin walled 15mm socket at the hardware store. I think it's an internal 12-sided one. Then I filed the outside, which took some time. It's still a tight fit sometimes, but it has always worked. Never had an issue with a 14mm bolt, where a normal socket always fits.

dedhed

Either you find a thin wall that fits, campy wrench, or buy a cheap socket and grind it down.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...k-bolts-2.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...set-bolts.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-crankset.html

HillRider

Park used to make a multi-size crank bolt wrench, the CCW-2, in the style of the above Campy "Peanut Butter Wrench", that fit 14mm, 15mm and 16mm crank bolts. It's no longer listed but you may be able to find one on ebay or similar or an older bike shop may still have one.

sovende

It's quite possible that there isn't a "standard" for the wrench size required to to remove the crank arms from the spindles of bike from different manufacturers. My previously mentioned recollection of a 14mm "standard" was partially vindicated in my situation. I have a parts box with several spindle assemblies and found all of mine to require a 14mm wrench. I will add that all of the assemblies I checked used a nut rather than a bolt to secure the crank to the spindle! I would have to inspect some fully assembled bike's to see if any used bolts and see what size the bolt head was. I did check one bike where the crank was attached and found that my "pre-Kmart" Craftsman 14mm socket fit nicely on the nut !
I'm familiar with "peanut butter" wrenches but I'm unsure if they are designed to be used on the crank nut or bolt. I believe (with the square taper spindles at least) that there are torque specifications that would be difficult to obtain using a "peanut butter" wrench .

dedhed

That's the beauty of standards - That there are so many of them.

The standards for square taper cranks are 14,15,16mm, sometimes bolts, sometimes nuts, ISO & JIS tapers, a couple different crank remover threads, and you haven't even gotten to BB yet.

sweeks

JohnDThompson 

Yes, it's a handy tool to have. But be aware that the 16mm socket will not work with the 16mm bolt head of a Zeus bottom bracket with 22mm diameter extractor thread diameter; it's too thick to reach the bolt head. For that, you'll either need Zeus' thin-wall peanut butter wrench or the Park CCW-16: