Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:24:12 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: replacing gas cap lock or gas cap
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
I'm curious if you tried a large screwdriver as I suggested.
I would hope that by now someone has tried that.
you'd be surprised how many locking 2WD vanagon gas caps will unlock with a
screw driver.
I have never had to drill one out or anything horrible..
I don't know what 'winter freeze' is ..
but if it has anything to do with moisture and freezing temps ..
that's easily address.
and ...all lock cylinders, and all door seals, when freezing conditions are
expected, should be treated, before they are frozen, with WD-40.
it displaces the moisture, hence, it can't freeze up on ya.
or certainly won't as easily.
which type of filler neck to you have ? .
large metal or small plastic.
the smaller plastic style is far easier to deal with than the early metal
ones.
in any case,
behind the outer plastic part of the stock locking gas cap are 3 screws,
that hold the part the gas cap goes in ....if holes are drilled in that
outer plastic part ..
it's not hard to get at the screws behind there ..
look at another vanagon like yours to find out where to drill..
hopefully it won't come to that .....this would be a fairly drastic
approach.
but if you can not get the cap out of the part it screws into, you could
probably get both off the van.
you'd be surprised how often some serious jiggling and a little bit of force
will get a lock to unlock at least one last time.
I arrived at a class the other night ..
the teacher had inserted her house key into the wrong lock..
and the key was stuck in the lock, and the door would not unlock.
( like a real problem ...even having the right key still would not help in
that situation.)
I grabbed the key with a vice grips ..
I just kept wiggling left and right, and push/pull in and out ..
just kept doing it ..
with in 25 seconds or so ......suddenly, the lock turned, the door opened
and the wrong key came right out.
try the big screw driver method. Sometimes that works just fine on 2WD
vanagon locking gas caps.
I don't think it's a hard lock to overpower inside really.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joy Hecht" <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 12:03 PM
Subject: replacing gas cap lock or gas cap
> Hi folks,
>
> I took my van ('89 vanagon) to my local locksmith (also the best one in
> town) to see if he could do anything about being unable to get the key
> into
> the gas cap lock. He said it's "winter freeze" but he couldn't fix it.
> He
> suggested I see my mechanic.
>
> I'm guessing the cap may have to be drilled out altogether, and I'll have
> to
> get a new one. Does anyone know if it is possible to replace a gas cap?
> I'm sending this email directly to a few folks who I think might know more
> about replacement parts than some folks, but if anyone knows, please let
> me
> know! I will phone my mechanic soon, but thought I'd rather start by
> finding out whether anyone has ever had to replace a gas tank cap, and
> what's involved.
>
> Might I be able to get one from a parted-out van? (Chris, do you know?
> You
> often seem to have parts.) How much of it would I have to replace, in
> order
> to end up with a gas cap lock that works? Might I be able to replace it
> with some other cap, even if it doesn't lock? Ron, I didn't see this as
> something Bus Depot sells - do you know whether it's possible to replace
> them? Frank, have you come across them? Or anyone else???
>
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
>
>
>
> Joy
| 
