# Stuck Axle in OD Side Effect **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [April 24, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667 "2025-04-24T00:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/1 "2025-04-24T00:24:45Z")
How can I safely remove a stuck axle from a Side Effect without damaging anything? I’ve tried using pliers and a towel, no dice. To clarify, I held the SF with the pliers and tried to remove the axle with a hex tool, but it was so tight that the SF just rubbed against the towel. Anyone have suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![TheThrowingGnome](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/thethrowinggnome/32/14231_2.png) [@TheThrowingGnome](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/TheThrowingGnome)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/2 "2025-04-24T00:27:39Z")
It’s connected to the SE with Loctite at the factory. ---
**Author:** ![SlowThrow](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/slowthrow/32/307451_2.png) [@SlowThrow](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/SlowThrow)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/3 "2025-04-24T00:31:24Z")
It’s not supposed to come out of the one half. What’s got you trying to remove the axle completely? ---
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/4 "2025-04-24T00:32:16Z")
The yoyo it’s in has some vibe, I thought loosening the axle might help. Good to know that’s not the case 😅 ---
**Author:** ![SlowThrow](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/slowthrow/32/307451_2.png) [@SlowThrow](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/SlowThrow)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/5 "2025-04-24T00:34:29Z")
I usually unscrew the YoYo a bit, pop the one half down off the SE and rotate the half around the SE like 90°, pop the half back up onto the SE, and then tighten it down again. You can really crank it tight, too. That usually helps as well, making sure you really tighten the halves together ---
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/6 "2025-04-24T00:43:50Z")
Tightening it the right amount seems to help. The vibe’s not completely gone, but it’s small enough that I don’t care. I was just hoping to make it completely smooth. TBF, the previous owner mentioned that it had a bit of vibe so I was of course expecting it. ‘Twas only hoping to fix it 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Captrogers](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/captrogers/32/647012_2.png) [@Captrogers](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Captrogers)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/7 "2025-04-24T00:52:20Z")
You can use heat to dislodge an axle that’s held in with loctite ---
**Author:** ![bheinz63](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/bheinz63/32/137310_2.png) [@bheinz63](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/bheinz63)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/8 "2025-04-24T00:54:40Z")
just crank the ■■■■ out of the SE’s. its not the axle thats causing the vibe. you can also rotate the SE’s within the halves until you get smoother. tuning with SE’s is an adventure. ---
**Author:** ![zunedude5](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/zunedude5/32/173515_2.png) [@zunedude5](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/zunedude5)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:30am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/9 "2025-04-24T01:30:30Z")
Which yoyo is it? What type of SE? ---
**Author:** ![LordKingOf](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/lordkingof/32/599279_2.png) [@LordKingOf](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/LordKingOf)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/10 "2025-04-24T01:38:54Z")
My first yoyo with side effects was a used purchase and the axle came out of both ends, should I re-loctite it? ---
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:14am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/11 "2025-04-24T02:14:08Z")
Terrarian w/ spike SE ---
**Author:** ![zunedude5](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/zunedude5/32/173515_2.png) [@zunedude5](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/zunedude5)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/12 "2025-04-24T02:30:59Z")
I found a few things on one drops. The best bearing besides the default flat bearing is a center track. Helps reduce vibe on SE yo-yos. Also when you crank down the SE’s you can put your fingers on the outside of them and get a harder turn. Also make sure the o rings on the SE’s are centered. You can try different SE’s in them too, if the vibe still happens there could be a few flat spots that done look like dings ---
**Author:** ![Slestak75](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/slestak75/32/212315_2.png) [@Slestak75](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Slestak75)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/13 "2025-04-24T11:10:02Z")
Like @bheinz63 said. Tighten the crap out of it. You can crank those Side Effects a very scary amount and I feel like that vibe will disappear. :wink::+1: ---
**Author:** ![Xanadu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/xanadu/32/84910_2.png) [@Xanadu](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Xanadu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/14 "2025-04-24T14:45:41Z")
I would be careful with “tightening the crap out of it” because it can cause galling, particularly on the bearing seat. If you need to overcrank, I would lube everything first. More importantly, have you tried tuning it? Meaning you continuously try slightly rotating one of the side effects then screwing it back together to realign the halves. Once you have that figured out, I recommend marking the halves with masking tape before taking the yo-yo apart for maintenance, that way you can match it up again after without having to retune. Some side effect yo-yos will just have a bit of vibe. You can also try swapping to a different side effect, that can help. I used to obsess a lot over vibe but it was affecting my enjoyment of playing so I don’t care as much now. Plus I’ve mostly switched to fixed axle. :joy: Goodluck! ---
**Author:** ![bheinz63](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/bheinz63/32/137310_2.png) [@bheinz63](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/bheinz63)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/15 "2025-04-24T16:53:40Z")
cranking down an SE will not cause damage because the SE will slip well before any damage can be caused on the anodized layer. i’ve been cranking down SE’s for many years at this point with no damage. ---
**Author:** ![da5id](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/da5id/32/48214_2.png) [@da5id](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/da5id)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/16 "2025-04-24T18:23:44Z")
We recommend never trying to take the axle out. It’s glued in and centered to the best of our ability. The best options for tuning are to unscrew the yo-yo and pop the side effect out and rotate it a little bit. Also, definitely tighter screwing together is better. Vibe. As a yo-yo maker, vibe takes up a lot of time and space in our minds and hearts. The tolerances to get smooth yoyos is insanity. If the audience was just a little bit more tolerant of vibe, yoyo prices could be a lot lower. But, you all have spoken clearly over the years so the daily war against vibe continues. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/17 "2025-04-24T19:50:07Z")
Oh don’t worry about it! I thoroughly enjoy my Terrarian! Restating the fact that I recived this second hand, and that currently the vibe doesn’t affect play that much if at all! I’m amazed when I learned of the standards your team holds when it comes to quality. Thanks everyone for your input. It has been invaluable! ---
**Author:** ![SlowThrow](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/slowthrow/32/307451_2.png) [@SlowThrow](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/SlowThrow)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/18 "2025-04-24T19:54:19Z")
Vibe= Character, and you cannot change my mind ---
**Author:** ![NuroVolt7](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/nurovolt7/32/671908_2.png) [@NuroVolt7](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/NuroVolt7)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/19 "2025-04-24T20:02:32Z")
Fo sho. 90% of the time it’s so quiet that peering at the yoyo to see the vibe is the only way to tell how much power I got left XD ---
**Author:** ![LordKingOf](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/lordkingof/32/599279_2.png) [@LordKingOf](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/LordKingOf)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667/20 "2025-04-24T20:12:12Z")
How would one go about re-doing the glue? I need to and would love advice [Next page](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stuck-axle-in-od-side-effect/423667.md?page=2)