Stuck rear wheel spline

[RobC]

During the complete teardown of my bike I have hit a snag. It appears that the rear spline has seized on the wheel. I tried to bump it while the swing arm was still on the bike with no luck. I removed the whole arm with the tire on it and tried to bump it with my sledge (with a block of wood to keep from damaging the wheel).

Has anyone got any ideas that I can try, or if anyone has had any luck with some sort of puller?

[nisom512]

During the complete teardown of my bike I have hit a snag. It appears that the rear spline has seized on the wheel. I tried to bump it while the swing arm was still on the bike with no luck. I removed the whole arm with the tire on it and tried to bump it with my sledge (with a block of wood to keep from damaging the wheel).

Has anyone got any ideas that I can try, or if anyone has had any luck with some sort of puller?

did you take the bolt out first....jk

Im no help I just wanted to say that.

oh wait try some pb blaster and do that a couple times and then once it has sat try pounding it out.

[RobC]

OHH that might help

Yes I did take the bolt out, I've been spraying PB Blaster in it as best that I can for two days but it just wont give up.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. RobC,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. You may have to rig up something with a few large C-clamps. Perhaps a vice to hold the swingarm vertical (wheel horizontal) and then tighten a few C-clamps between the wheel and the workbench, to pull the wheel and the table together, gradually pulling the gears apart. Or perhaps a machine shop. Best of luck to you.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

If the teeth on the wheel spline have become worn, sometimes they'll form "hooks" that keep the wheel attached. There are some pictures somewhere around here that show what a worn-out spline looks like. It sounds like the drive-side (bike side) splines are trapped behind the small "good" part of the driven-side (wheel side) splines.

If you can, reinsert the driveshaft, keep it from turning, then rotate the wheel in the "forward" direction. This should bump the splines clear of the hooks and enable you to pull it loose.

The only other possibility is that things are so grossly corroded that it's somehow stuck together. Unless you just fished the bike out of the Gulf of Mexico, this is pretty unlikely -- there's a good bit of clearance in the mechanism. And if it's that corroded, you probably don't want to re-use any of it.


Ah, found a photo -- thanks Dave (Redman)!
See how there's an unworn area at the edge of each tooth on the top photo? I think that's what's trapping your wheel.


Whatever happens, I'd definitely avoid forcing anything.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Put the bike in gear, then move the wheel back & forth while pulling. Don't need to be gental

[RobC]

I pulled the wheel when I first got the bike to mount a new tire on, and I cleaned and lubed it pretty generously when I went back together. I've put just over 4k miles on the bike since I got it together, I'll try to insert the driveshaft and see if I can bump it.

I've got enough scrap metal I can make up a 4 foot flat bar with holes drilled into it to mate up with the drive shaft, should be able to wiggle it enough to break the seal it has on the wheel assembly if that's the case.

I tried shifting it into gear on the bike, and then removed it to finish tearing the rest of the bike down (couldn't wait to get it stripped down lol)

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Perhaps I was over-thinking the problem. Mr. bwringer points out a phenomenon I hadn't considered. You never cease to amaze me Brian.

As Ms. SqDancerLynn1 says, don't be afraid to whack that wheel back and forth to free it. Good luck.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff