frozen quill stem -- good shop in socal to remove???

[Mapearso]

ok, so i just picked up a merckx century tsx that had been sitting for a while

not surprisingly but unfortunately the quill stem is frozen into the head tube

i've tried wd40 for a few days to no avail ... so i'm guessing that the aluminum has galvanized / bonded to the steel

looks like it is not gonna twist out and i dont want to wreck the fork by trying so i guess im gonna have to drill it out

has anyone had this problem? more specifically, can someone recommend a good shop in socal to drill it out... dont want to trust this to any ol LBS

thanks in advance

[Drewmanchew]

Try pb blaster and let it soak. I have had good luck with, it does smell.
Good luck-Drew

[GuyGadois]

I had this same issue and it took some work but I was able to do it using the following. Buy a can or two of that compressed air for cleaning a keyboard. Turn the bottle upside down and spray the liquid nitrogen out the straw and try to only freeze the stem. Do this by putting the straw where the bolt goes on the stem or turn the bike upside down and hit the head tube from under. Again, nail the quill stem as much as possible. The thought (which works) is that when freezing, AL contracts more than steel which should crack the seal. When the quill is nice and cold (easy to tell), start working it back and forth.

Good luck.

Monsieur Gadois

[TAW]

Put your 5/6 allen wrench in the bolt on the top and hit it hard with a mallet.

[karimmtl]

I had the same problem recently with a bike. I applied a whole lot of WD40 overnight. The next day I unscrewed the tightening bolt just enough to be able to hit it hard, but not enough that it was no longer screwed in the piece at the bottom. I hit it very hard a few times and it finally released.

If this doesn't work, try for a few days (seriously, it will dissolve the bond).

WD40 - Overnight - Hit - Try to realease

Good Luck

[Peter P.]

WD-40, PB Blaster, ammonia, Coca Cola. All good stuff. You probably should invert the bike and pour it in from under the fork crown. Let it soak-1 day, 2 days, even 3 days. Each day, hit the stem with a rubber mallet or hammer for 10 minutes to create vibrations which will help work the liquid into the bonded area.

The keyboard cleaner idea is good, but you can buy real freeze spray from some electronic stores.

You are going to need a way to apply leverage to twist the stem. You'll likely install a front wheel to grasp between your knees as you twist with the handlebars. CAUTION- It's quite possible you'll break the front wheel's axle as I did, so use a cheap wheel.

Consider the stem toast. If all else fails, cut the stem off, leaving a stub, and cut the remainder out with a hack saw blade.

[Dekonick]

WD-40, PB Blaster, ammonia, Coca Cola. All good stuff. You probably should invert the bike and pour it in from under the fork crown. Let it soak-1 day, 2 days, even days. Each day, hit the stem with a rubber mallet or hammer for 10 minutes to create vibrations which will help work the liquid into the bonded area.

The keyboard cleaner idea is good, but you can buy real freeze spray from some electronic stores.

You are going to need a way to apply leverage to twist the stem. You'll likely install a front wheel to grasp between your knees as you twist with the handlebars. CAUTION- It's quite possible you'll break the front wheel's axle as I did, so use a cheap wheel.

Consider the stem toast. If all else fails, cut the stem off, leaving a stub, and cut the remainder out with a hack saw blade.

Instead of a wheel, try a front fork mount bolted to a 2x4 or similar... much better than risking a wheel axle...

Try heating the steel with a heat gun or hair dryer (careful for decals and paint...) and then do the freze trick to the stem. Hit and repeat. May take a few days, but eventually it wil work. I did this on a friends frame that was completely siezed. Took a while, but worked in the end.

[David Kirk]

So tell us what you have done to get it out.

I assume you have loosened the bolt a few turns and then given it a sharp whack down with with a hammer to break the wedge loose?

Anything else?

dave

[cid499]

I would be careful with this method; if you need *excessive* leverage, you might consider waiting longer for the chemicals to do the job. I once made the mistake of rushing it and ended up shearing the stem off with half of it still stuck inside the steer tube...

You are going to need a way to apply leverage to twist the stem. You'll likely install a front wheel to grasp between your knees as you twist with the handlebars. CAUTION- It's quite possible you'll break the front wheel's axle as I did, so use a cheap wheel.

Consider the stem toast. If all else fails, cut the stem off, leaving a stub, and cut the remainder out with a hack saw blade.

[Wilkinson4]

Important to remember that WD-40 is a rust inhibitor... Try this stuff:

http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

Or any penetrating oil and let it soak in and after a couple of applications give it a go.

mIKE