So I decided to borrow a pair of alloy 125s just for size. Now the dust cap on one of them is stuck in the crank and the crank is on the uni. To make matters worse, the hole is now rounded out. Yes, I used the right size Allen wrench. The metal just completely gave way. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get this stupid cap off??
sigurd, if you have already rounded out the allen hole on the dust cap, then don't wory about damaging it any further.
If I have your story straight the dust cap is threaded into the crank and the allen hole is stripped out. this has happened to me. what I did is took a dremel and ground a slot in the cap then I could use a screwdriver to unthread the cap. I don't know how you would use a hammer to get it out
* If I have your story straight the dust cap is threaded into the crank and the allen hole is stripped out. this has happened to me. what I did is took a dremel and ground a slot in the cap then I could use a screwdriver to unthread the cap. *
You may not even need to dremel a slot. Dust cap material is really soft and weak. Sometimes just grabing it with a pair of needle-nosed pliers or very small vice grips and unscrewing it works too. Or you can carve a slot with a sharp, sturdy knife or chisel. Whatever you do try not to damage the threads in the crank itself, or gash yourself in the process. Securing the crank in a vice (padded, of course) makes the whole job a lot easier.
The other possibility is that it isn't a dust cap and you've rounded out the allen hole in the crank bolt. If this is the case you're in a lot more trouble.
Thanks for all your input everybody. The crank is still on the uni, though. So it makes it a little awkward to work around. And I do know for a fact that it isn't a crank bolt because I've swapped cranks many times before. I'm glad it's *not* a crank bolt because then I would REALLY be in a bad way.
