Stuck stem, need suggestions

[bloo]

We need some clarification then. I thought the wedge or cone was already loose, and it was simply the aluminum stem stuck in the steer tube. Which is it?

 

[Schwinny]

Maybe I didn't get the idea right?
If its the stem surface area against the steering head surface area.... yuck
I must have started in the middle some how.
Went back to #1....

I did that a couple times but it wasn't extremely hard. I had the wheel off, fork wedged high up on the legs not to move or bend. Handlebars installed, turned the stem. If the handlebars wont do it, a long pipe or rod. Longer the better.
At some point either the stem breaks or comes out. No choice. Lever action works one way or the other.

I had a steel to steel seat post corroded to weld so hard it ripped the seat tube when I twisted it with a lever...
...but it came out. Different of course but it had been soaked for a week.

You may have to sacrifice the stem but I doubt the steerer will be damaged much past the corrosion

One thing I might ask is HOW you know the wedge/ cone is loose and lowered?
Sorry if its stupid but sometimes...
the bolt is out but how do you know it is loose from the stem?

....I also disassembled a bike once that had a 22mm stem slightly ground down and hammered into a 21mm steerer.
That one I had to turn the bike upside down and hammer the stem out with a sledge.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

One thing I might ask is HOW you know the wedge/ cone is loose and lowered?
Sorry if its stupid but sometimes...
the bolt is out but how do you know it is loose from the stem?

You have to know the health of your threads on the stem bolt and wedge. If it torques up normal and doesn't give you that rubbery feeling, they're all OK. Also if you go beating too hard on say...a 50s stem bolt...that isn't hardened, you'll want to take it all the way out and make sure you haven't bent it. I'm pretty sure I've turned a few stem bolts "S" shaped even with a 1lb hammer. If that's all ok and you've raised the bolt head and tapped it down a few times, it's safe to say your wedge is moving down with it.

 

[Schwinny]

You have to know the health of your threads on the stem bolt and wedge. If it torques up normal and doesn't give you that rubbery feeling, they're all OK. Also if you go beating too hard on say...a 50s stem bolt...that isn't hardened, you'll want to take it all the way out and make sure you haven't bent it. I'm pretty sure I've turned a few stem bolts "S" shaped even with a 1lb hammer. If that's all ok and you've raised the bolt head and tapped it down a few times, it's safe to say your wedge is moving down with it.

Yes.
Sorry, a question for the OP @Tim s
I see tape over the top to smack-on. Im assuming the bolt is removed

 

[volksboy57]

If you don't care about the stem, and nothing else on the bike is aluminum or titanium, maybe put some gallium on the stem after sanding it. It should soak into the metal making it very brittle

 

[PCHiggin]

If there's a hole in the bottom of the fork crown, maybe you could turn the bike upside down and feed it penetrating oil from the bottom.

That works too, I use KANO KROIL penetrating oil. The only stuff, other than the GM product sold @ dealers that eats rust. The other stuff is useless

 

[Jay81]

I second KANO KROIL, although I have never tried it on a stuck aluminum stem, it does work great on steel stuck in steel. Might be worth a try.
Let the Kroil soak in for a few days, and apply it a few more times. I would also recommend trying this: reinstall the handlebar, and stand over the front wheel, using your legs to prevent it from turning side to side, while using the handlebar as a lever to try working the stem back and forth.

 

[Tim s]

Hi everybody, I have tried the straddling the front wheel and twisting the stem with a handlebar many times. As I turn the bike from upright to upside down I can feel and hear the wedge sliding . I will have some time to mess with it more in the next few days. Thanks for the suggestions I will let you know how it goes. Tim

 

[bnewberry]

I haven’t done this yet, but I have read that as a last resort lye will dissolve aluminum. Look it up and proceed at your own risk (or at least the bike’s risk).

 

[Gnarlymarley]

I’ve had good luck with dry ice in water. Remove the stem bolt and plug the stem hole with a rubber plug. Flip the bike over. Pour the water/crushed dry ice solution in from the fork side. Then fill a large cup full of water/dry ice and put the stem in that. The cold will shrink the stem enough to break the surface tension and allow the PV blaster you’ve been spraying in there to travel further. I’ve had great success with this. I’ve had bike shops bring me bikes before to do just this. Works on steel, aluminum and carbon.