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bottom bracket adjustable cup stuck

Old 12-09-21, 05:14 PM
  #1  
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bottom bracket adjustable cup stuck

Old 70's Ron Cooper with Campi bottom bracket cups
Adjustable cup with 6 holes for pin spanner.
I have tried using a pin spanner on it and it won't budge.
I Have used liquid wrench on the threads.
Is there a social wrench for this type cup with multiple pins so you can use more force?
Any suggestions for how to extract this cup with out destroying it that have worked for you?
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Old 12-09-21, 05:15 PM
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bottom bracket adjustable cup stuck

Old 70's Ron Cooper with Campi bottom bracket cups
Adjustable cup with 6 holes for pin spanner.
I have tried using a pin spanner on it and it won't budge.
I Have used liquid wrench on the threads.
Is there a social wrench for this type cup with multiple pins so you can use more force?
Any suggestions for how to extract this cup with out destroying it that have worked for you?
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Old 12-09-21, 05:20 PM
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You could remove the fixed cup and BB from the other side, then once you have unfettered access try a large bolt and lock washer inserted from the drive side with a lock washer and nut on the side we see in your photo. Then use a socket on the bolt head and a big wrench on the nut. You might be able to "tighten" the bolt to drive the cup out. I'd use an impact driver on that bolt. Lots of soaking with Kroil or PB Blaster and some heat before trying the wrenches, of course.
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Old 12-09-21, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by capnjonny
Is there a special wrench for this type cup with multiple pins so you can use more force?

Here's one: https://lecycleur.com/tools/6-pin-mu...able-cup-tool/
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Old 12-09-21, 05:24 PM
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Duplicate thread.
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Old 12-09-21, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by thumpism
You could remove the fixed cup and BB from the other side, then once you have unfettered access try a large bolt and lock washer inserted from the drive side with a lock washer and nut on the side we see in your photo. Then use a socket on the bolt head and a big wrench on the nut. You might be able to "tighten" the bolt to drive the cup out. I'd use an impact driver on that bolt. Lots of soaking with Kroil or PB Blaster and some heat before trying the wrenches, of course.
This was my thinking also.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
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Old 12-09-21, 06:23 PM
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IF you can remove the fixed cup, you can try the PO from the opposite side.
Squirt onto the shell and let it run down the side of the cup. The beveled inner edge of the cup acts like a reservoir. Let soak. Repeat a couple few times.
Could the cup possibly be "painted in"?
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Old 12-09-21, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by thumpism
You could remove the fixed cup and BB from the other side... Lots of soaking with Kroil or PB Blaster and some heat before trying the wrenches, of course.
...if you can get out the fixed cup and spindle on the other side, buy all means do so. It's got flats, and you can hold a fixed cup wrench on with a bolt the same threading as a crank bolt, and some fender washers. I've never had the same kind of results from anything like Kroil or PB Blater that I get with 50-50 ATF/acetone as a penetrating oil.

When you heat it, focus your torch heat on the cup itself.
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Old 12-09-21, 07:38 PM
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Are you sure you are turning it in the right direction? You should be able to grab it from the sides with a Vise Grip.
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Old 12-09-21, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by 2_i
Are you sure you are turning it in the right direction? You should be able to grab it from the sides with a Vise Grip.
OP said "remove it without destroying it"...that kinda rules out Vise Grips. I thought Campy or somebody made a wrench that was half round on the end and it had 3-4 pins...can't remember for sure.
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Old 12-10-21, 03:23 AM
  #11  
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Don't know what type of pin wrench you were trying but this style you can use with a cheater bar vs. the "V" type.


There is also a version meant to work with a ratchet wrench or breaker bar from McMaster-Carr but it's not cheap

Square Drive Dual-Size Adjustable Pin Spanner Wrenches for Holes on the Face



Shown with Ratchet Wrench (Not Included)


Wrench


Replacement PinUse your ratchet wrench as a handle. Reverse the pins to fit different hole sizes on the face of collars, bearings, and other machine tool components. Wrenches are hinged to fit a range of diameters.
Wrenches
Replacement
Pins Square
Drive Size For Circle
Dia. Pin Dia. (Pin Lg.) Overall
Lg. Material Finish
Each
Each 1/2" 1"-3 3/4" 7/32" Dia. × 1/4" Dia. (3/16" Lg. × 3/16" Lg.) 3 1/2" Steel Black 69745A52 $63.65 69745A521 $8.85 3/4" 2"-6" 5/16" Dia. × 1/4" Dia. (3/16" Lg. × 1/4" Lg.) 5 1/2" Steel Black 69745A51 140.10 69745A511 19.56
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Old 12-10-21, 07:49 AM
  #12  
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Sometimes it takes a (long) while to free up a bottom bracket. How long has it been since that one was removed?

1. Apply penetrating oil.
2. Let it sit a bit.
3. Put the pin wrench on it. Double-check which way to turn it.
4. Give it a whack.
5. If it moves, unscrew and continue.
6. If it didn't move, come back tomorrow or the next day and start all over.

Maybe 10 years ago I had two bikes' BBs need replacing, about three months apart. Both of them took about 6 weeks to come free.
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Old 12-10-21, 07:56 AM
  #13  
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Heat gun and impact, though impact is harder with a pin spanner.

Liquid Wrench is not the best penetrant. I think PB Blaster is better. Some get even better results with an acetone/ATF mixture.
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Old 12-10-21, 08:27 AM
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Done carefully, a pair of large Vise-Grips can work without damaging the cup. Pad the jaws with pieces of leather, rubber gasketing material or brass or aluminum shim stock to prevent marking the cup edges and clamp it on firmly.
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Old 12-10-21, 09:32 AM
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I broke a pin wrench removing a cup as such, I ended up using a new pin wrench clamped in place using a torch to heat for loosening hardened grease and melting in PB Blaster to the threads. You can get things pretty warm, or hot to the touch with out damaging your paint.
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Old 12-10-21, 11:57 AM
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The 'whacking' mentioned in a previous post is important. It may be 'the' thing that does it. Assuming the direction of force is in the right direction. I read it should be counter-clockwise on the drive side, and also counterclockwise on the non-drive side. I don't know if that is universal but that's what worked for my particular frame. But the initial torque to get things started should be of an impact nature.
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Old 12-10-21, 11:58 AM
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this is pain because of duplicate threads so to repeat from the other thread

Get the drive side of first

then use the sheldon brown bolt remover method

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
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Old 12-10-21, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by squirtdad
this is pain because of duplicate threads so to repeat from the other thread

Get the drive side of first

then use the sheldon brown bolt remover method

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
I’ve taken to removing the drive side first on all loose bearing bottom brackets using this method. However this method could be used on the removable cup side to remove a stubborn cup. Swap the bolt and cup over to the nondrive side and use it to trap a pin spanner. That would allow for more leverage without the pin slipping. That and some penetrating oil (Kroil is what we used on parts that had been heated to 1400°F in the lab) should do the trick.
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Old 12-10-21, 03:02 PM
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I've used PB Blaster but the 50-50 homebrew might make it easy to fill the bb.
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Old 12-10-21, 05:38 PM
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Merged duplicate threads.
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Old 12-12-21, 06:00 PM
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Just curious, since it's been a few days: Any luck getting it to move?
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Old 12-13-21, 09:56 AM
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After using as much force as I could at home without success and applying liquid wrench both to the outside and (through the bottom bracket cut out holes) from the inside I figured I would have to take the drive side off and use the bolt and nut method to try and get the adjustable cup off. Using the spindle nut and washers to clamp my thin wrench to the drive side cup I still couldn't budge it . The shop at the Bike Exchange has a dedicated wrench for this that completely encircles the cup so I took the frame in , hoping that with some help and a long breaker bar we could shift it.

As I was getting the tools together another volunteer offered to help me. He produced a Park pin wrench, and proceeded to unscrew the adjustable cup easy peasy. Apparently the penetrating oil had finally done it's job. The forking thing unscrewed with absolutely no effort at all.

Note I just ordered a can of Silicroil from Amazon. If I have to use penetrating oil I might as well use the best.
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