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Sat May 30, 2015 11:33 am

I got problem during my holiday. Rear door lock has been really difficult to use. Just the one position has been right to get the lock open. Today the whole lock cylinder blew out. Check the photos.

How is it possible to fix this. Lock is now locked. It seems that something has dropped down when I look inside the lock. How is it possible to open it now to check it better? Could you help me?

Sat May 30, 2015 11:57 am

Hi there,

The square end opposite the key has a "tang" that is screwed on with a countersunk phillips head screw. It appears your screw backed out and allowed the tang to fall in. The tang has two positions:

Unlocked: Pushing in the button with your thumb will push the tang into the "releasing" lever and open the door.
Locked: The tang is now turned so it won't hit the "release" lever even when you push the button in.

You can open the door from the inside by pulling the "release" lever towards the front of the bus. (This might require removing the interior panel.) You may also be able to poke the release lever with a screwdriver or other blunt stick through the hold you've left behind.

Let us know if you get the door open to find all the parts, then we can help you get it back together.

Robbie

Sat May 30, 2015 12:06 pm

Here are some pictures from Colin's BobD bus; It's a '78 but the mechanisms are similar enough throughout the years.

Here is the button, removed form the car. You can see the philips head screw holding the "tang" on; this is what fell off of yours. I use a thread locking compound on mine when installing.

Here is the latch seen from the inside of the bus. The yellow circle is the "tang" that pushes on the red circle "releasing" lever. This picture shows it "unlocked." When locked, the tang will be rotated 180*.

If you can get to the latch from inside the bus, pull the red lever with a finger and the latch will pop the door open. Many camper owners add a pull-string or knob here to made opening the latch easy from the inside of the bus.

Good luck,
Robbie

Sat May 30, 2015 12:26 pm

Thank you a lot! I will look it carefully tomorrow.