Found a trick for stuck seatposts after 15 years of fighting them

Had an old Schwinn come through last week where the seatpost was seized solid, tried the usual penetrating oil and heat with no luck. Ended up using a mix of ATF and acetone I read about on some forum and the thing broke free after sitting overnight, has anyone else had good luck with that combo?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_morgan3d ago

Wait, ATF like transmission fluid mixed with acetone? That's INSANE, wouldn't the acetone eat through the paint or something? I gotta try that on my old Trek that's been stuck for YEARS.

keith2743d ago

nah, the acetone flashes off way too fast to hurt paint... i've used this trick on some pretty beat up bikes and never had an issue with the paint, @angela_morgan. just don't leave it soaking for days or anything. the key is the atf seeps in and the acetone helps it get deep into the threads. my old shimano crank was seized solid for like eight years and this mix broke it loose in two days. you gotta try it on that trek, just wipe any drips off right away.

harperp242d ago

Keith from the bike shop down the street swears by a 50/50 mix and lets it sit for a week on the really nasty seized stuff. He says the acetone helps carry the ATF way deeper than it would go on its own, just gotta make sure to reapply every couple days so it doesn't dry out.