OT but useful advice usually found here!
Diesel Ford Transit fuel filler cap lock gets really difficult to turn key. I've tried cleaning with spirit, WD 40, blowing through with air line. I'm worried that the key might shear in the lock. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Kevin
Fine powedered graphite is normally recommended for locks to avoid trapping dust and grit, but it sounds as though you have a mechanical problem if WD40 doesn't give a temporary cure. Will the barrel of the lock come out for inspection?
AWEM
It`s not the actual cylinder that gets stiff,it`s the plastic parts at the back of it seem to swell and tighten up.I have dismantled them and eased them off in the past. Mark
Take the cap off, and put some oil around where the locking tabs turn (you'll most likely see the rust marks), and keep working it back and forth, holding it at vairous angles to get the oil worked in to the mechanism. Also check that the key you're using isn't worn.
I've had good experience for *cleaning* locks by soaking them with WD40 (or any other crap they call multi-purpose-"oil") and blow it through with air. Turn the key to get the oil in and the dirt out. Repeat that until the oil coming out is clean.
Then re-oil with an oil containing MoS2 or graphite.
Nick
Is it still tight if you take the cap away from the van?
It's a ford, so it could be the tabs in the bodywork that are rusting, bubbling and making it tight, rather than the lock itself.
Failing that, a new cap is probably only gonna be a fiver from ebay. Not much more than a new key.
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