Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:18:58 -0700
Reply-To: Al Knoll <anasasi@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Al Knoll <anasasi@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: door key cut from code?
In-Reply-To: <48b8ad94.02578c0a.5008.fffff467@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Thanks to Jeff and Wally, his dad, the wind wing now stays open. We
had talked about how to snug up the wind wing so the AWO air
conditioning works as well as it ever did. While the Wally the VW
Wizard tussled with the wind wing tightening, Jeff showed me how to
remove the door handle and find the numbers.
Here's how: With the door open, look below the two large philips/pozi
bolts on the latch assembly and you will see a third bolt under the
weather seal. If you remove this one and slide the door handle
horizonally away from the hinge it will come off. Careful inspection
of the prongs as mentioned below will reveal the 4 digit code.
As far as tightening the wind wing, Wally the Wizard sacrificed
himself to tighten the poorly designed clamping mechanism. The clamp
is held by a virtually inaccessible phillips head screw whose head is
obscured by the outer door sheet metal. To adjust the screw with a
screwdriver you will have to remove the main window and then remove
the wind wing assembly. Only then can a phillips head be inserted
into the tightening screw. Wally was able to use a 4" ViseGrip plier
to grasp the head of the screw and through several increments, tighten
the clamp suffiiently. If you have to remove the windwing assembly,
Wally recommends replacing the screw with a hex head bolt of proper
thread and length. Then you can use a flat wrench to tighten the
pesky wind wing.
You will have to remove the door panel and the speaker and use a
mirror to view the location of the bolt in question.
Much thanks to Jeff and his Dad for the usual excellent service.
Their business Vanagonparts.com has unique offerings to the Vanagon
community.
Al
On 8/29/08, Jeff <vw.doka@gmail.com> wrote:
> Actually... the number is on one of the two "prongs" that come off the
> tumbler assembly. I'm referring to the prongs that lift or lower the door
> lock mechanism to lock and unlock the door.
>
> It's a 4 digit code.
>
> In a funny coincidence, I just removed the handle from Al Knoll's van today
> so that he could get an extra key made.
>
> Symmetry...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jeff
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Mike S
> Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 3:49 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: door key cut from code?
>
> At 06:35 PM 8/29/2008, Todd Last wrote...
> >The code is on the inside of the door handle (You have to take the
> >door handle off to see it - if my memory is correct.
>
> I'll add - as long as it hasn't had that lock cylinder replaced or
> rekeyed. The number is on the handle, not the cylinder. When a handle
> is replaced, the cylinder is usually transferred to the replacement,
> and the number won't match the actual cylinder. It may make sense to
> check for matching numbers on a couple of handles, if you don't know
> they're all original.
>
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