Will take to LBS tomorrow. I furthered the damage by trying to use a kit I bought at Lowe’s to drill a hole in the screw to yank it out.
How bad does it look? Will this be an easy job? Any chance I damaged the BB or crank arm by trying to hammer a torx into it? (It all looks and sounds fine)
Thanks!
Ps: these are not hairline cracks near the BB. They’re just dog hair lol
by Lanky_Jellyfish9586
7 Comments
Did you put the other screw back in and tighten it then try to loosen the other screw? They sometimes bind on each other if you loosen one too much too fast.
Did you take the other bolt completely out? They need to be torqued/untorqued evenly to prevent things like this. Put the other bolt back in and torque it down to spec, probably a little beyond, pound a torx into the ‘stuck’ one and it should loosen right up. Only go half a turn on each as you loosen them both until completely loose.
I would get some JB weld and a number five Allen wrench, something cheap. Mix up the epoxy and put it into the stripped out hole. Next put your number five Allen key in and let the epoxy set. 24 hours minimum. Then try backing it out. If that doesn’t work, you’re gonna have to go the destructive route and drill the top off the bolt. Alternatively, a Blade through the crank arm gap to sever the bolt.
Are both pinch bolt screws stripped?
Hammer in a torx inside. It will work. And buy an impact gun and penetrating oil.
You would need a Dremel and a small burr tool to do this, but you could cut some slots in the bolt head and then use a large flat tip screw driver to take the bolt out.
This is totally recoverable. Putting the other bolt in will reduce the pressure on the stripped one, and normal extraction methods should work. Obviously it’s more difficult now, but far from impossible. A bike shop mechanic should be able to handle this easily. Hopefully they’re nice about and give you a couple of pointers for future wrenching. If they treat you well and don’t charge an excessive amount, a cash tip may be warranted.