BB axle thread problem…

[CharlieB]

I've been restoring an old Peugeot tourer for a friend.
To check the condition of the BB, I removed the crankset. It's a standard square taper axle.
The drive side took a lot of effort to remove, but now, trying to reassemble the whole thing, the bolt is not going back into the axle on the drive side. Have I wrecked the axle with the BB tool in trying to get it out in the first place?
Is there a simple answer or will I need to replace the BB?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

IME sqaure tapered axles are invariably steel, similarly the crank bolts that are used to tighten the crankset onto the axle, and I can't see how a bb extraction tool can damage either in normal operation since all it does is push on the end of the axle (while pulling on the crank thread which is usually alloy and EASILY damaged but that is not your situation). If you examine the bolt threads does it look damaged?

If you need to change, old french bb's can be different to modern iso bb's, and that BOTH cups are right hand threaded.

 

[gbb]

Ive come close to damaging those threads, the tip of the extractor can sometimes drive itself into them.
I always insert a short 8mm caphead bolt (IIRC) into the end of the axle, then use my extractor. The bolt protects the threads.
I suspect i'm using the wrong, or a cheap extractor.

If the threads are damaged, the only real choice is to chase it out with a tap. As its the start of the threads that are damaged, it's going to make it harder to get a good thread at a particually important point.

 

[CharlieB]

Ive come close to damaging those threads, the tip of the extractor can sometimes drive itself into them.
I always insert a short 8mm caphead bolt (IIRC) into the end of the axle, then use my extractor. The bolt protects the threads.
I suspect i'm using the wrong, or a cheap extractor.

If the threads are damaged, the only real choice is to chase it out with a tap. As its the start of the threads that are damaged, it's going to make it harder to get a good thread at a particually important point.

That's exactly what I think has happened. The bolt itself is in good nick.
Mind you, would it be true to say that if I can get a thread re-established at the end of the axle in the way suggested, the BB would still be useable?
More to the point, safely useable?

 

[mickle]

That's exactly what I think has happened. The bolt itself is in good nick.
Mind you, would it be true to say that if I can get a thread re-established at the end of the axle in the way suggested, the BB would still be useable?
More to the point, safely useable?

Yes.

Take a file to the leading edge of the bolt, filing a chamfer of 45 degrees into the first two or three thread turns. This will help it elbow its way past the damaged thread in the axle.