Specifications

I pushed the screws back with an
ice pick and opened the door. After
filling the screw holes with little
wooden plugs that I carry — with
Locktite on them — I let them dry a
few minutes and replaced the
damaged bolt. The lock worked fine.
James Harding
Delaware
[Editor’s Note: As James’ tip proves,
the problem is not always the most
obvious one. For the newer locksmiths
out there and maybe some of the older
ones who might not have encountered a
similar situation, when a customer
calls to say that the lock is not working
check the lock first and if you don’t find
a problem with the lock, check for a
bind somewhere else on the door. That
includes checking for loose strike plates
and protruding or improperly installed
screws. It may even mean taking old
Mother Nature into account.]
Tech Train Video Winner
The Expanding Door Syndrome
I’m a new locksmith and don’t
know if this will help some of the guys
and gals that have been locksmithing
for a while, but it might help another
novice like myself.
The first big job I was involved in
was rekeying a new restaurant (still
under construction) and installing a
Simplex Unican L-1000 on the back
door of the kitchen. The door was
metal and this was the first and only
Simplex I had installed. Two days later
the customer called me to tell me the
contractor could not get the lock to
work and resorted to prying the door
open to get in (no key bypass on this
one). That, of course, ruined the latch.
I drove over to the next city and
picked up a latch from a supplier there
and installed it on the door. I tried the
combination and everything worked
fine. The next day, the customer
called and said they couldn’t get the
door open from the inside or the
outside. I asked them not to do
anything to the door until I got there
and headed to the restaurant.
Sure enough I could not get the
latch to retract after entering the
combination. And from what I could
see of the latch, it did not appear that
the anti-friction pin or deadlatch pin
had slipped into the hole in the strike.
I went inside and tried the inside
lever. No luck there either.
Inside, two things struck me. One,
when I walked towards the door, I was
nearly blinded by the sun coming
through the security window. And,
two, when I pushed against the door
to try to force it open, it was really hot!
You got it! The door faced due East
with nothing to protect it from the
morning sun. As the sun rose, it
heated the metal door causing it to
expand, which bound the latch. (It
was a tight door anyway.)
I went outside, used the customers
hose to spray cold water on the door,
entered the combination and opened
the door. The customer was
impressed and I haven’t had to go
back to service the Simplex since.
Now, as a matter of course, I tell
customers with East-facing metal
doors that they could have a binding
problem on hot, sunny days.
James Whitman
Kansas
Sieveking GM Wheel Puller Winner
Roll Pin Removal
I used to dread being sent to a job
where I had to remove a Nissan or
Ford Escort ignition for repair or key
generation. I just hated to try to
remove the roll pins to remove the
ignition cylinder.
I was taught to drill a 3/32” or
a1/8” hole along side of the roll pin
and then using a blunted ice pick or
scratch awl, to pry the pin up and out.
Not only was this difficult, I frequently
wound up with holes in my hands or
fingers when the ice pick slipped, or I
would often cut myself on a sliver of
metal when the ice pick slipped and
gouged the housing. At any rate,
removing these ignitions has been
aggravating for me.
Now, I still drill the hole beside the
roll pin, but instead of using an ice
pick or scratch awl, I use a #10 or a
#15 Torx screwdriver! Usually, I can
get these pins out on the first try with
the Torx and I leave my fingers intact.
The Torx screwdrivers have turned
a normally thirty minute job into a ten
minute job for me. If you try this, I
think you’ll be surprised at how well
this works. Although I have not yet
broken a Torx driver, I do use the
ones that are guaranteed for life from
the company you buy them from - just
in case.
Robert Brown
Florida
Major Manufacturing Winner
Lexus Trunk Popping
A customer had locked her keys in
the trunk of her Lexus SC400. I asked
her if the car had an inside trunk
release and she said that it did. As I
headed out to the job, I didn’t think
that it would be much of a problem to
retrieve the keys and get the customer
on her way.
I opened the door fairly easily and
pulled the trunk release lever.
Nothing happened. Apparently the
Lexus alarm system disables the trunk
release until the alarm is disarmed
with the key.
With her spare key three hours
away and the dealer promising a key
within three days, the customer was
desperate, so I decided to remove the
rear seat to see if I could access the
trunk that way. Not finding any holes I
told her I thought the only way would
be to drill the lock. She agreed. But
when I saw the location of the cylinder
in the tail light housing, I opted not to
drill the lock.
I realized that what I had to do was
fool the alarm into thinking the key
was turned in the lock. Here’s how I
did it.
I removed the door panel. This is
easy since there are only a few screws
holding it on. After peeling away the
water shield, I located the back of the
lock cylinder and followed the harness
coming off of it to the connection
closest to the bottom of the door
(Illustration 4). Then, I disconnected
the connector.
Using the connector piece closest
to the hinge side of the door, I jumped
the connector and “unlocked” the
door locks. Once the doors were
unlocked, the alarm was shut down
and the trunk release lever could be
pulled to open the trunk.
If the trunk release lever is
manually locked you can use the
same “jump” method on the back of
110 • The National Locksmith
WINDOW
HINGE SIDE
OF DOOR
USE THIS SIDE.
(CONNECTOR SIMPLY UNPLUGS.)
Illustration 4.
Continued from page 108
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