Hi All, I just went through the 2 month odyssey of getting rid of a creaking crank and thought I would share what finally worked to fix it. I bought a brand new XT outboard bearing crank read the instructions and installed It made an annoying creak once each revolution that absolutely drove me up a wall. I pulled it all apart and reinstalled 3 times but what ultimately worked was getting the frame faced and chased. Along the way I also learned that inside the bearings is a very thin plastic washer/retaining ring that is very easily damaged. When you slide in the crank shaft be careful not to bang it against the bearings. The preload also needs to be just snug not tight!!!! Last but not least are the bolts holding on the non-drive side arm. Make sure you tighten alternately a 1/4 turn at a time and use a torque wrench. After your first ride torque them again as these seem to loosen up easily. Wiha the West German tool mfg makes a killer 5mm socket that fits torque wrenches. Way better than the Auto parts store tools. Hope this helps other garage mechanics.
On 1 Feb 2007 11:56:24 -0800, "Waterat Pat" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
I pulled it all apart and reinstalled 3 times but what ultimately worked was getting the frame faced and chased.
I built up a brand new CAAD 9 frame for a friend yesterday with FSA Mega Exo bb. I usually put some grease on my finger and grease the outside edge of the bb shell. When I did this I felt burrs on that face of the bb shell and used a fine flat file to remove them. Whatever needed to butt against that edge would not have gone on perfectly squarely.
Hi All, I just went through the 2 month odyssey of getting rid of a creaking crank and thought I would share what finally worked to fix it. I bought a brand new XT outboard bearing crank read the instructions and installed It made an annoying creak once each revolution that absolutely drove me up a wall. I pulled it all apart and reinstalled 3 times but what ultimately worked was getting the frame faced and chased. Along the way I also learned that inside the bearings is a very thin plastic washer/retaining ring that is very easily damaged. When you slide in the crank shaft be careful not to bang it against the bearings. The preload also needs to be just snug not tight!!!! Last but not least are the bolts holding on the non-drive side arm. Make sure you tighten alternately a 1/4 turn at a time and use a torque wrench. After your first ride torque them again as these seem to loosen up easily. Wiha the West German tool mfg makes a killer 5mm socket that fits torque wrenches. Way better than the Auto parts store tools. Hope this helps other garage mechanics.
Pat
Also grease, grease and grease....BB shell, spindle, bolts, etc.
As has been mentioned LOTS by some of us that own bike shops, ALL frames need to have headtubes(if possible) and BB shells chased and faced.. Most frames from the factory are not prepped. Outboard bearings include all sorts of limitations and procedures..most of which also apply to the 'old fashioned' square taper.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
