Adjusting gears after re-installing cranks?

[MattDB]

I've just removed my BB to apply more grease and hopefully solve the annoying clicking. No new parts and I installed the crank arms by tapping with a rubber mallet to get them started and then giving the crank bolts a good tighten.

Now my front derailleur isn't shifting to the big ring, I assumed that this was because my crank bolts weren't tight enough and have tightened and the chain is almost getting on to the big ring.

I'm just wondering if it's normal to have to tweak the front derailleur adjusting screws after re-installing cranks or is this indicative of me having not got them on far enough on the spindle?

 

[raleighnut]

Have you installed the shaft the same way round, if so the centre bolt might still need a tweak up.

 

[MattDB]

Fairly sure it was the same way around - it can only be out by a couple of mm max but I don't want to over tighten the crank bolts (is that what you mean by centre bolt?) I've read another forum advising to 'tighten the s**t out of them' but they feel pretty tight i.e. I couldn't get them much tighter by hand with an allen key.

 

[User6179]

Maybe not tight enough , if they were tighter than previous then the chain would over shoot the big ring.

 

[raleighnut]

Fairly sure it was the same way around - it can only be out by a couple of mm max but I don't want to over tighten the crank bolts (is that what you mean by centre bolt?) I've read another forum advising to 'tighten the s**t out of them' but they feel pretty tight i.e. I couldn't get them much tighter by hand with an allen key.

Ride round the block then check em again.

 

[MattDB]

It's them that pull the cranks up the spindle isn't it? I wasn't supposed to hammer them all the way on with the mallet?

Is it worth trying to put them on the other way around?

 

[User6179]

It's them that pull the cranks up the spindle isn't it? I wasn't supposed to hammer them all the way on with the mallet?

Is it worth trying to put them on the other way around?

Would be hard to get the chain on with the crank on the left , I would just adjust the limit screws and carry an allen key next ride just in case.

 

[MattDB]

Oh I just meant the shaft - the crank side cup isn't fixed to the BB like some so it will come out of both cups completely and I wondered if I'd put it on the wrong way around!

 

[User6179]

Oh I just meant the shaft - the crank side cup isn't fixed to the BB like some so it will come out of both cups completely and I wondered if I'd put it on the wrong way around!

Maybe the BB needs tightening on crank side. , think the cups are maybe handed like pedals so Left and right threads.

 

[MattDB]

Sorted thanks - I took everything off and started again - turned the shaft around and is now spot on!

Phew - thanks for all your help!

 

[raleighnut]

I had an idea it might be that, not that I've done it myself or anything.

 

[MattDB]

HAHA - thanks for your help. Last time I installed one fairly sure the drive side cup was fixed to the cup, that was a shimano and this is an FSA.

I always put off doing anything to BB but it's not too bad a job if everything goes smoothly. I used Pedro's BB socket holder and that helped immensely.

 

[Crankarm]

So has the clicking gone?

Pretty much all BB are sealed now so once they start to click or rumble it's time to replace them.

 

[raleighnut]

So has the clicking gone?

Pretty much all BB are sealed now so once they start to click or rumble it's time to replace them.

That one wasn't.

 

[MattDB]

Interestingly the clicking has 'almost' gone but still occurs, less consistently and sometimes at a different point in the rotation of the crank (was always the LHS in the bottom position. It initially started clicking the first week I had it and although my thought was to replace it, the suggestion from the vendor was to apply more grease as it was possible that the clicking wasn't caused by any malfunction of the BB itself but just that the threads were dry. I've checked and I can't detect any play in the BB at all but I do weigh 16 stone so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.

I'm not sure if this was sound advice or not but thought I'd give the re-greasing a go. The BB cups were disconcertingly easy to remove so I also wondered if the lack of torque could have been a contributing factor as well as the fact that they had hardly any grease on at all.

I'm tempted to try putting more grease on and seeing if this sorts out the click for good, one of my concerns was that I'd read somewhere that square tapered cranks are only good for a few removal and re-installation cycles - does anyone know if this is correct?