Door locks and ignition key
Door locks and ignition key
Can either the door locks or ignition switch be re-keyed to match? Someone has either replaced the door handle assemblies or the ignition and now I have three different keys.
Last edited by Bug-Eyed on Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
You have to remove the ignition switch, and the driver side door handle. Then you can check to see if they have matching "key codes" ...two letters followed by a series of numbers. The letters may be SG, SC, SU, or SV. The lock on the handle AND the ignition MUST have the same letter code in order for the locks to be keyed the same. At some point in the life of most of these cars, one of the locks (ignition or door) usually ends up breaking and getting changed ...and the easiest thing seems to be just replacing one or the other without making the effort to match them up. That's why most of us have ended up have to use separate keys for the door and the ignition. Here are pictures of MY mismatched locks ..showing the key codes. Good luck!
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- ignition lock number.jpg (38.28 KiB) Viewed 16440 times
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- door lock number 1.jpg (37.42 KiB) Viewed 16440 times
Repining a lock is something I did on one of my cars from the 50's. My guess is that `66 locks are similar but I did the work so long ago that I could not give you specific instructions. It is certainly a job you won't find in a VW service manual and is a job you may not want to undertake. If you are not comfortable taking apart something like a carburetor and getting all the parts back together correctly than I would not attempt the job. It is very easy to loose the small parts (especially the very tiny springs). When I did the work I had some extra used locks that I could pilfer parts from. Before starting, may sure the key you want to use is the correct profile to fit into the lock. Insert the key that works into the cylinder. There has to be some method that keeps the lock cylinder from pulling out of its housing. There might be a small pin that needs to be driven out or a small set screw that needs to be loosened in order to remove the cylinder. Often the pins and springs are held in place by a thin metal plate that fits over the pin holes and is crimped in place. If the metal on the cylinder housing is fatigued then getting the plate back on and held in place can be difficult. When the cylinder is removed insert the key and try to rearrange the pins so that they are level with the outside of the cylinder. A pin can always be filed down but it can be a problem if you don't have enough pins that are long enough.
I went to TheSamba and found a detailed tutorial complete with pictures.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... rekey+lock
It had been so long since I did the job that I forgot that the locks use what the tutorial calls tumblers instead of pins - so forget what I wrote above about the thin metal plate.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... rekey+lock
It had been so long since I did the job that I forgot that the locks use what the tutorial calls tumblers instead of pins - so forget what I wrote above about the thin metal plate.
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- Senior Member
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- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:34 pm
- Location: Tampa, Florida