Basil Moss

Hello, yes, it's me again, and yes, it is the same bike as I was having BB troubles with. Seems the mechanic who assembled it simply didn't own a tub of grease, the quill stem is seized hard in place. Any tips for removing it?

I managed to get the wedge loose, but it's the quill itself (alu) frozen into the steerer tube (steel). I can't get the headset nuts loose either, but that could be because the stem is right at the bottom- there would be nowhere for the nuts to go if I did get them loose.

I've given it an overnight soaking in plusgas, to no avail. When I put a wheel in the fork for leverage, it bends with the force I'm applying, but the stem won't budge. I cant see how to heat it, because the steerer tube is inside the headtube- no way to get at it. I thought of using a rod and a hammer to punch it out from the bottom, but that would just drive the wedge in.

Any ideas?

Mondoman

Penetrating oil (PB Blaster, Kroil, or the less good Liquid Wrench, but NOT WD-40) is always a good first bet. Apply it liberally, from the top, on the headset nut, from the bottom (inside the tube), and apply multiple times over a day or two. Then, I'd try to loosen the headset nut first before trying the main stem.
In your case, you may also have galvanic corrosion bonding the aluminum to the steel, so feel free to apply lots of force with the understanding that you may have to sacrifice the stem.

DVH

just had this problem before christmas, none of the shops interested in helping.

What I ended up doing is remove the brakes etc from the forks, make sure expander bolt is still in place
tip frame/forks upside down
then fill the fork stem with diesel fuel
warm the the head area up with a hot air gun to expand the metals, DO NOT use a naked flame, diesel will ignite very easily.
leave it cool
carry out this cycle 3-4 times
stand frame/forks right way up---watch for any diesel spilling out
fit an old wheel into the forks then try twisting the handlebars whilst holding the forks to loosen the quill

It took me a week of this every night until it started to move, a lot of force is required, once it started to move 15mins the old stem was out, and buckled the old wheel in the process

I have heard that you can cut the quill stem off then hacksaw down through the tube to release quill in the fork tube, high risk of damage I would have thought.

Best of luck, hope the frame/fork is worth the hassle
Dave

jgedwa

So, have you tried to remove the seatpost yet? BB's and stems are bushleague compared to a stuck post.

About the quill, there is good advice given above. I might add that sharply applied force can sometimes to things that smoothly applied force cannot. So, try hitting the quill with a hammer. Try to rotate it with hard blows. And, I have had good luck hitting the quill down to free it. In your case, if the stem is solid against the topnut, this might be less effective, but certainly worth a try.

jim

Basil Moss

Ha ha, the seatpost was a doddle- the spoon who assembled the bike used one a few sizes too small, and some chopped up cola cans as a shim.

I'm wondering if ammonia might be the solution, to get through the alu oxide. Does anybody have any experience with this?

jgedwa

I have half-heartedly tried a few times on stubborn seatposts, and I have never noticed any improvement from ammonia. Evidently, though, the supermarket stuff is very weak. Seems there is a super-strength version out there somewhere that is more potent.

jim

Panthers007

Getting lab-grade ammonium hydroxide could present a problem - unless you have contacts at a college or university. Supermarket ammonia is around 10%. Lab-grade is around 28% - by weight. If you do get some, wear gloves and eye-protection. Don't get it on you - it will cause painful burns. Avoid the vapors - it can/will paralyze your lungs.

Ganzen

Aluminum has a low thermal mass and will pass heat and cold very quickly whereas the steel it is wedged into has a high thermal mass which means it is slow to heat and cool. Try using a 5 - 10 second burst from a CO2 fire extinguisher down the wedge bolt hole. This will super cool the inside of the aluminum tube and shrink the diameter of the aluminum tube allowing it to be extracted before it imparts that cold to the steel tube it is wedged into.

Use pecautions as CO2 will crowd out oxygen in an enclosed space and CO2 is also super cold when it evaporates (like -100F cold!). So do this in an open area and wear thick gloves to protect your hands from the extreme cold.

Ganzen

TallRider

You can try things as mentioned above, and they may be successful, but it may end up that you can't get the stem out. If the aluminum is well-enough bonded to the steel, you may just be stuck with it as-is. This is what happened with a Cannondale that I overhauled for a friend - really nice Dura-Ace stem, couldn't budge, with ammonia, heat, etc. So I just left it, didn't overhaul the headset, and the bike is in-use as-is.
If you really like the frame and don't like the stem position, it may also be possible to get the stem out by destroying it, without hurting the steerer tube. I don't know how to do this, but I've seen it done (or, rather, seen the results).

kpfeif

Just stop by your local meth lab - they can probably hook you up with the good stuff.

+1 on the whacking it down with a hammer though - that has worked well for threaded stuff for me. I had a stuck freewheel, and no amount of force would loosen it until it got a good whack in the tightening direction. Then it threaded right off. You just need to break the corrosion bond.

Also, maybe instead of a wheel, you could clamp the quick release into a mount for a car roof rack, fixed to a 2x4? That might give you some leverage without destroying any wheels.

trekkie820

If you are not saving the stem, try cutting the top off with a hack saw and driving the remaining back down the tube using a hammer. It's all about breaking the aluminum oxide bond with the steel, and quick, hard force (hammer blow) should shatter the bond, sending the remaining part of the stem down through. Definately use some PB Blast or comparable pentrating oil. Some suggestions above seem downright scary! Diesel? CO2 Fire Extinguisher??

rs1101

+1 on the hammer use. are you sure the wedge is loose?

drool

You might tbe able to shock it with dry ice shoved inside.

rs1101

carbon dioxide is a mild acid and will aid corrosion if it doesnt work.. i would put the wheel on good n tight, then take a hammer and crack that thing with a right roundhouse. the key is quick blunt force, like an impact wrench will break a rusty bolt free. i have done this twice on old bikes. just make sure you hit it dead on, misses will only damage the stem

Noam Zane

Use the search feature with the term 'stuck stem" and spend the weekend reading through the 263 previous threads on this exact topic.

Panthers007

To put this in perspective: Carbon Dioxide, forced into water under pressure, forms soda-water (Club Soda). It is not a very strong acid. Not really any worse than tap-water.