Stem stuck into the frame tip

[2manyoranges]

Re:

That’s exactly right. Force and temp change are the two things here - both to break the bond of rust and deal with the EXPANSION of diameter of the quill and wedge which comes with corrosion.

HANG ON!!! ... you said you removed the bolt. But removing it without whacking it whilst still in the quill will do nothing. So....did you unscrew it about 5-10 mm and then give a huge whack with a big hammer?

If you didn’t do that, then that’s the cause of the problem....you need to release the wedge - and you do that by unscrewing the bolt by 5-10mm, then leaving it in place - protruding at the top but still engaged with the wedge. And then whack the bolt, releasing the wedge.

If you did do that, sorry for being patronising.

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

^^^ beat me to it.

Slightly undo the stem bolt, hit it with a hammer (the bolt).

 

[dyna-ti]

As above

The bottom of the stem(you likely know) is wedge shaped, and the wedge wedge is also 'wedge' shaped. Initially, when you tighten up the stem, those two wedges are forced into each other and its not always rust or dirt, they can be jammed together tighter than a ducks 4r5e, and thats watertight.
It really is a secure system.

It does help to clean the steerer tube on the inside of the dirt/oil/gunk first, as the wedge can be stopped from moving down far enough to release the stem just by dirt.
Also if you feel the wedge has been knocked out, and you can wiggle the stem, but it still wont release, it is possible the dirt is holding the wedge in place, and waggling it(Or wiggling it,whatever your preference, we at RB don't judge ) you can turn it and 're'wedge it, so cleaning it allows the wedge to drop straight out the bottom, where it can bounce off the tyre and roll under the fridge.

To force the wedge wedge and stem wedge apart, you need to undo the stem bolt so it is about 1/2" proud of the top of the stem but still screwed into the wedge, then whack that hard with a hammer, preferably a wooden mallet, but whatever can deliver a shock blow usually helps force them apart.

 

[JoanFontcuberta]

As above

The bottom of the stem(you likely know) is wedge shaped, and the wedge wedge is also 'wedge' shaped. Initially, when you tighten up the stem, those two wedges are forced into each other and its not always rust or dirt, they can be jammed together tighter than a ducks 4r5e, and thats watertight.
It really is a secure system.

It does help to clean the steerer tube on the inside of the dirt/oil/gunk first, as the wedge can be stopped from moving down far enough to release the stem just by dirt.
Also if you feel the wedge has been knocked out, and you can wiggle the stem, but it still wont release, it is possible the dirt is holding the wedge in place, and waggling it(Or wiggling it,whatever your preference, we at RB don't judge ) you can turn it and 're'wedge it, so cleaning it allows the wedge to drop straight out the bottom, where it can bounce off the tyre and roll under the fridge.

To force the wedge wedge and stem wedge apart, you need to undo the stem bolt so it is about 1/2" proud of the top of the stem but still screwed into the wedge, then whack that hard with a hammer, preferably a wooden mallet, but whatever can deliver a shock blow usually helps force them apart.

Thanks to all. I already tried to hammer the bolt but didn't work. I lost the wedge because I unscrew the stem bolt to much but now I figure out how to screw it again. So the problem is not the wedge because is moving up and down, but the stem. I think that the wedge cannot came out from the bottom of the fork, right? Should I have to hammer the wedge from the bottom of the fork with the bike upside down?

 

[JoanFontcuberta]

^^^ beat me to it.

Slightly undo the stem bolt, hit it with a hammer (the bolt).

I was hoping it was so simple again this time but unfortunately this time it didn't work.

 

[mk one]

Just hit the stem with a mallet side to side

 

[JoanFontcuberta]

Just hit the stem with a mallet side to side

How can I block the fork, any suggestion? Don't want to bend the fork

 

[mk one]

Put a wheel in it and hold the wheel between legs.

 

[RetroDavy]

I had a stuck stem and tried all of these tricks. But the aluminium alloy of the stem had reacted with the steel of the steerer tube and virtually welded itself to it. It was not coming out.

So... I had to cut the angled top of the stem off, leaving as much vertical stem tube in place as possible. This freed the fork from the frame and made it easier to work on.

Then I used a hacksaw blade to make two parallel cuts about 1cm apart down the inside of the stem tube. The alloy is soft and easy to cut but it took ages as I was careful not to cut into the steel steerer.

Then I used a long punch to hammer out the strip of alloy. And then a big vice to collapse the end of the tube to enable penetrating oil to reach inside and then hammered it backwards and forwards until it came out.

There is probably a word in German or Japanese for a sense of great satisfaction from achieving a goal tinged with a sense of foolishness for having spent so long achieving it. This is what I felt that day!

 

[MR OX]

Re:

I usually loosen the bolt off a bit then hit the top of it to force the wedge down. Also get some Plusgas on it. I had a stuck BB this month, I poured a tonne of wd40 down the seattube & stripped the rest of the bike over a few days. Still wouldn't budge, I used some freeze & release spray not joy. I sprayed a bit of Plusgas down the seat tube & round the outside in once last attemped before I binned it off, left it five minutes as I'd pretty much given up on it. Gave it one last try & out it came.