I too, have had the unpleasant experience of breaking off the key in the gas cap. I've determined that this happens when moisture has gotten into the lock and frozen. There is a fairly easy fix: 1) Remove the stub of the broken key from your keyring (makes it easier to deal with) 2) Stick the stub into the lock as far as you can get it to go. 3) Using a heat gun (very carefully) or hairdryer, heat the cap and key stub. The stub will help conduct the heat into the lock cylinder and melt the offending ice. 4) When the key stub is almost too hot to touch, begin gently working it back and forth. Continue the heating/wiggling process until you can unlock and remove the gas cap. 5) On my syncro, I was able to release the lock cylinder from the cap, then easily remove the broken part of the old key from the lock. Note, the cylinder was only removable from the cap when it was in the unlocked position. Do NOT drill. If you have to forcefully remove the cap, I would attempt to break it off using a mallet. If you drill you run the risk of getting lots of small metal particles into the gas tank and possibly an explosion if you create a spark inside the neck of the fill spout. Regards to all, Jon B Kanas IBM Global Services / IT Architecture kanasjon@us.ibm.com 303-924-9049 |
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