Club 80-90 Forums

Hi, so i retumbled and cleaned up my sliding door handle - was a bit time consuming but got there in the end. Just had a look at the cab door locks and there both ceased with only two pins out of six working, the rest are rusted, my main question is; should the brass pins come out of the barrel just by pulling them out or is there some special way to take the pins out? Cant seem to get the pins out, not even on the loose pins.

My experience is with late T3 locks - not sure what you are working on. If by pins you mean the brass plates (about 1mm thick and 5mm wide) which actually protrude from the lock barrel to engage with the slot in the housing to give the 'lock' position, then yes they should pull out. But not if the key is in place.

Each plate has a slot through the middle (which the key blade goes through) and a lug on one side which sits onto a tiny coil spring. If you clean the barrel you will see the round hole at one end of the tumbler slot. It is this spring which pushes the tumbler out when the key is removed. The slots are each slightly different so that the cut of the key has to match the varying slots and get them all fully retracted at the same time to 'unlock'.

I have sometimes found the coil springs either compressed (weak) or broken. The whole tumbler assembly can also be full of grease and dirt. The key itself can also be very worn as can the sides of the slot in the housing/handle.

I recently decided to replace my handles, mainly to get new tumblers and housings. I then filed down top of each tumbler until it match the old key so the vehicle still has four locks and the ignition on one key.

Hope this helps
Garyd

I've looked high and low for the picture that shows the drill point in the barrel housing in order to release the spring clip that retains the lock mechanism.
The picture shows the exact positioning of the required drill hole where you push to release the lock.
Also
If the lock is spinning be sure the ignition switch function (several positions and the spring back for starting) are all OK.
Ignition switches cost around £9.00 and are prone so be sure it's fine otherwise replace it at the same time.

Martin

I bought a secondhand set of handles and locks. All with one key. But the ones I received looked worse than my old ones, corroded and overpainted. So I decided to change the lock cilinders in my old ones from the ones I received. I have just started with the cab handles. The cilinder is released by pushing out a pin in the lever. Used a sharp object I made grinding an alan key and a hammer.

The lock cilinder was badly corroded and full of dirt. The plates worn or bent.

Here is a fully working cilinder from a new handle, not worn as it was on the passenger side. All plates move easily and align well. Cleaned and ready to go back into the handle.

This is how it should look with a key in. All plates fully pressed by the key.


This is the one I received. Drives side. You can see that the plates are not fully pressed and they stick in the handle. This is because they are worn inside. Plates that are sticking out made grooves in the handle. So the handle is not repairable and can be opened with any key. My old handles are mint compared to the new ones so when I put this cilinder in it sticks.


Should I grind them down so they are smooth or should I try and source new ones? I think grinding them down is not a good idea as it weakens the lock. I tried to use the ones from my old locks but these are either badly worn or damaged.

Does anyone know where I can buy new plates and springs?

donciuz wrote:
Should I grind them down so they are smooth or should I try and source new ones? I think grinding them down is not a good idea as it weakens the lock. I tried to use the ones from my old locks but these are either badly worn or damaged.

Does anyone know where I can buy new plates and springs?

First bit no, second bit Volkswagen!

This is from another recent thread.
Hi all,
Went into my local VW van centre today to ask about the tumbler kit; it is a kit of 200 springs and 50 of four different types of tumbler (200 total) for about £63, not the cheapest but it would do a lot of locks. The tumblers appear to come in 12 mm & 13.5mm dia . The part No for the kit is 443 898 041, one version has an A on the end of the part number.

Another question
I am looking to replace and re tumble cab handles and lock. Can you use the VW tumblers on the after market locks and handles??
I was looking at the VW Heritage pair of cab handles for £80, then change the tumblers to suit my VW silding door handle.