Is it possible to disassemble a door lock cylinder (a.k.a. barrel)? I've already taken it out of the car, but need to fix its internals. There are two plastic parts at the end of it - not where the key goes in, but the other end - and neither I nor my local locksmith can figure out how to remove them in order to open the cylinder. Or is it supposed to open from the side where the key goes in?

The reason why I need this is that I don't want to have a different key for the driver's door, so I want to rebuild the original lock cylinder such that it works with the original key.

Thanks in advance.

You should be able to push it off. I took off the door lock on my car and if I remember correctly I just pushed the plastic parts off with a flathead screwdriver.

You should be able to push it off. I took off the door lock on my car and if I remember correctly I just pushed the plastic parts off with a flathead screwdriver.
well i kinda tried that yesterday, and the locksmith tried it too, but it didn't work. neither of us wanted to push too hard though, for fear of breaking it.

but at this point i have nothing to lose... the lock doesn't work anyway, so if i don't fix it, i have to buy a new one. if i break it, i also have to buy a new one. same deal. i'll get it back from the locksmith tomorrow and try harder.

in the mean time, if anyone has any insights, please do share.

Can you post a pic of it? I can't remember what the lock looks like, but you can definitely take it apart. When mine broke I couldn't lock the car and that was due to one of the tiny springs inside the lock being broken.

When mine broke I couldn't lock the car and that was due to one of the tiny springs inside the lock being broken.
I have the EXACT same problem. Good to hear that you were able to fix it - this gives me hope. Here's a picture:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q183/thetodor/IMG_0705a.jpg

I posted the fix below. By the way, how do you even get it out of the door?
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http://www.killsometime.com/Pictures/images/RedNeck2.jpg

:stickoutt

I posted the fix below. By the way, how do you even get it out of the door?
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http://www.killsometime.com/Pictures/images/RedNeck2.jpg

:stickoutt

HAHAHA LOL
that's what i'm talkin about!!!

on a serious note, i'm planning to do a full DIY writeup on removing the door panel and taking out the lock cylinder. i'll post a link here when it's done, but it won't be done until i reassemble mine cuz i'll need to take pics during that process. if you need the info sooner, PM me.

AHA! Eureka! I figured this sucker out!
Basically, you just have to pry off the plastic plates on the back. They're not held in by anything other than being tightly pressed in.

So I found that 3 of the tiny springs (out of 8) weren't working properly - they had gotten crushed over the years and weren't "springy" at all. This causes some of the little plates to get stuck in certain positions instead of following the curvature of the key, which is equivalent to someone inserting the wrong key. That's why the lock did not work. I'm gonna go back to the locksmith in the morning and see if he has any of those little springs for sale. I can't imagine them costing more than a few cents. I'll just need a really, really tiny screwdriver, with which to poke out the old ones and properly seat in the new ones. I'll take pictures along the way and do a full write-up when I'm done.

. Isn't annoying how springs that tiny can cause such problems? Either way, its a good thing it won't cost you more than like $5.

Done! Cost me $1.42 (which includes labor - the guy put in the springs for me) :D

Done! Cost me $1.42 (which includes labor - the guy put in the springs for me) :D

Woohoo - that little journey is done. Good job on the perseverance. I look forward to your DIY! :cool

Rob

The DIY is done and can be found here:
http://www.todor.info/repair/