Fox 36 axle issue

[sailcalifornia]

Went to take off my front wheel last night and when i went to undo the 20mm through axle, i heard a loud crack and then when i unscrewed it, a cap of some sort came out. At first i thought i had sheered off the head of the axle but after looking it looks like this end piece screws into the axel which is screwed fork. Any suggestions on how to remove the axel. And before i get a bunch of crap, yes i unbolted to screws on the front of the fork and i am very careful not to over tighten the axel. I will upload pictures tonight, thanks for any help.

[roadkillross]

the thing may be stripped, i'll try to help when i see the pics.

[2wheel_lee]

I have read about this before on other forums. I believe it's related to earlier 36 forks.

Edited to delete bad suggestions.

You should also contact Fox. They may send you a new axle. Of course, they may also have a better suggestion for removing the remaining part of your axle.

[sailcalifornia]

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

I have read about this before on other forums. I believe it's related to earlier 36 forks. Apparently, the axle is a two piece design, and the two pieces are bonded together (I'm not sure if it's pressed and glued).

I think you are right about it being a 2 piece axle.

It looked like red Locktite to me, i was thinking about trying to use that to put the cap back in. I will contact fox also.

Thanks

[ApexMan]

I encountered this when I first tried to remove the axle from my 40... It turned out that the shop that assemble the bike for me "lubed" the threads of the cap instead of using lock tight. I'd say just clean the threads real good, apply some lock tight and sinch down that cap, and after a couple of hours try to remove your axle again. I supose you can get tricky and leave you fork out in the sun for an hour and then just before you try to remove the axle spray some liquid air into the axle, this might help to shrink the axle from the slider.

[2wheel_lee]

If you can, I'm still interested in pictures. I haven't actually seen one of these come apart.

Did the piece come unthreaded? Did the piece come out of the fork, or is it stuck in there, but spinning?

If it's threaded, the challenge you may face is that when you use the red loctite, you have to tighten it - further tightening the axle into the fork leg. You'd also have to wait a day or more for the loctite to cure.

How old and what year is your 36?

[ApexMan]

The axle cap tightens flush so it looks like a tube closed on one end, those two joined pieces then slide together with the wheel and then is lightly tightened. I guess if you are in a hurry, then use some glue (super glue?) instead of locktite. The mechanic at Incycle hepled me out and I've not had to fuss with this axle since.

[2wheel_lee]

OH!!!! I didn't know that was a cap. Well, if there is no need to ever remove the cap from the axle, how about using JB Weld or equivalent?

[ApexMan]

Yeah, it's an odd design... It's light, and it was probably an easy way to achieve the part. The axle for the Shiver I use to have was kind of the same design, but I had to always back the cap off the axle out a touch, tighten the opposite side then sinch it down before tightening the external clamp socket heads. If I didn't do that then the fork legs where not pulled together against the hub enough, just an issue with inverted fork design, never had the problem with the 40. As for using the JB weld, I think loctite is plenty good as the axle is not suppose to be driven home with any great force.

[sailcalifornia]

The first 2 shots show the axel with the cap removed, the next shows the cap on the way out, and last is the cap itself.

So do we think red locktite or JB weld would be better in an attempt to re-install the cap with the axel in the fork?

Thanks again for all the help

[ApexMan]

I guess try them in that order, if loctite fails... Weld the effin thing!

Well, before whipping up a batch of JB Weld, give Super Glue a try. It's easy to clean off if it doesn't work, just use nail polish remover and and a tooth brush.

[2wheel_lee]

I'd probably do the JB Weld route, but I'm not sure if that's good advice. Since the hex for the 5mm is getting worn, JB Weld may make it difficult to replace the cap in the future. If you're going to do something that is permanent, replace the cap first (that doesn't solve the immediate issue, though). Apexman's suggestion of Superglue may work well for the time being.

Give Fox a call at 1-831-274-6500 and see what they recommend.

[sailcalifornia]

Just got off the phone with fox, you guys should work there, your help was equal to, if not better than what i got from them.

Thanks again

[2wheel_lee]

So what did they say to do???

[sailcalifornia]

locktite, and i asked about why the two piece design. I was told that if they did it in 1 piece it would be so heavy that people "would not buy the fork". It seems to me that 1 piece would be lighter than 2 but.... i am not engineer. I asked what if i can't get it out with the locktite, and the service rep basically said that it will come out with the locktite, and if not i would be doing surgery to the fork. I asked about JB weld and he said that should be my last effort before the surgery. Though a new axle is only about 30-40 dollars shipped to my house, and the new design has the threads of the cap reversed so this is nearly impossible with the new version.

[2wheel_lee]

Thanks for the update.

Sounds like you had to drag the answers out of him.

It would be very expensive to machine the axle of that style in one piece. However, they could have inserted a locking pin or set screw. If you have the tools, this is something you could do after you get the axle out.

[Gabriel Zink]

I have seen this before, some guy stuck with a flat tire on the trail.

[sailcalifornia]

I am VERY lucky this happened in the garage not on the trial, though the tubless tires help a lot

[jfromlv]

Same thing happened with mine, I used the red loctite, let it sit overnight, and it was good to go.

[dukethenuke]

Originally Posted by sailcalifornia

I am VERY lucky this happened in the garage not on the trial, though the tubless tires help a lot

I have had the same thing happen to me. I wasn't as lucky as you were and it happened to me on a trail when I was trying to fix a flat. I ended up having to walk for a very long time because of this. Definately a design flaw