I tried to fix a creaky bottom bracket with a whole tube of grease

The customer said it sounded like a haunted house, so I figured more grease was the answer. I packed the cartridge bearings so full that grease started oozing out of the frame gaps when I tightened it. The creak was gone, but the bike weighed about two pounds more and left a slick trail on my shop floor. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a bigger cleanup job?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicecooper24d ago

Ever try to fix a squeak and accidentally build a grease bomb? I once used so much chain lube trying to quiet a dry chain that my whole drive train turned into a glittery, dirt catching paste monster. The noise stopped, but I basically invented a new kind of grinding compound. What did you use to clean up your floor?

felixt3124d ago

My buddy did something like that trying to stop a freehub from clicking. He pumped so much heavy grease in there that the pawls just stuck and the wheel wouldn't drive at all, had to soak the whole thing in degreaser for a day. The cleanup took longer than the original job was supposed to. What did you end up doing with all that extra grease?

william_henderson16d ago

That "cleanup took longer" problem is why I now use a syringe to measure grease.