Help! Key just broke in fuel cap

I just went to fill up with fuel and the flipping key broke in the fuel filler cap lock Any ideas on how to remove it? Was just going to drill it out but worried about bits dropping inside fuel tank...

Any ideas appreciated asap as I need to be out and about in an hour, grrrrr!!!

Leave it until you've got more time.
Then try and fish it out with a bent paper clip.
Can you get the cap off? if so try shocking it out by banging. You might get enough to get some pliers on it.
Shame to destroy the cap for the sake of a key.

Shifty1962 said:

L
Then try and fish it out with a bent paper clip.

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i'd like to see that trick !

you'll need a pair of VERY flat (.5mm) long nose pliers to slide into the keyhole over the broken bit, remembering you'll probably have to twist it anti clockwise to get the cap unlocked

BUT before you do this - make sure the cap is warm as it being frozen wasn't probably the cause of you snapping the key

Unfortunately I can't get the cap off which is my biggest worry right now as I need to use the Landy and there's no fuel in it The drill is looming

richardjeaton said:

Unfortunately I can't get the cap off which is my biggest worry right now as I need to use the Landy and there's no fuel in it The drill is looming

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has yer doris got a pair of eyebrow tweezers ?

all you need is something very thin but strong that you can slide down over the broken key - and then (assuming you find some tweezers) use a pliers to help turn it

if you do start drilling at least take the fuel feed tube off where it joins the tank so the debris won't drop into it

How much has broke off ?, can you tap a screwdriver in and twist it with mole grips .

Had the same problem a week ago, superglued the key back together in the lock and pulled it out carefully. Worked a treat

Sean said:

i'd like to see that trick !

you'll need a pair of VERY flat (.5mm) long nose pliers to slide into the keyhole over the broken bit, remembering you'll probably have to twist it anti clockwise to get the cap unlocked

BUT before you do this - make sure the cap is warm as it being frozen wasn't probably the cause of you snapping the key

Click to expand...

Paper clip with a 1mm hook in it goes down along the teeth of the broken bit and hooks on the first one. Gentle pulling and out it pops. Used to work as a locksmith when I left school. Done it loads of times. Of course if you have the correct picks its a piece of piddle but not everyone has these hence the paper clip.

Shifty1962 said:

Paper clip with a 1mm hook in it goes down along the teeth of the broken bit and hooks on the first one. Gentle pulling and out it pops. Used to work as a locksmith when I left school. Done it loads of times. Of course if you have the correct picks its a piece of piddle but not everyone has these hence the paper clip.

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but - what usually happens is peeps put the key in, turn it, they can't get the cap off cos it's frozen, so they force it again - and then it snaps, so before you can withdraw the remnants of the key it would have to be turned back again

think i'll make meself a little spring steel device along the lines of what you said, might come in handy one day

Hacksaw blades are good to make picks .

Or feeler gauges.

just put the head of the key back in the lock and turn it to unlock, just cause its in two parts dont mean its not goin to work
and it will be easier to get broken bit out

Mine nearly went yesterday! Not just the key, but the cap itself!
At the garage, needing fuel, they had nothing to help, as all their pipes were frozen!
Just kept my hands over it, until it thawed, took a while! lol

Me, is gonna make a nice thermal fuel cap protector!!

Cheers for the ideas, I managed to make my journey there and back with the fuel I had left so I didn't have to resort to violence (not yet anyway!).

At least I now have time to sort it tomorrow morning without being in a mad rush. Well, I'll just be in a rush to go out playing in the snow again... has anybody heard of "towboarding"

Wow! never thought of that.....doh!

Done it with the horses & mountain boards! Also with my Malamute & mountain board!

Defender & snowboard!!!! Brilliant!

richardjeaton said:

has anybody heard of "towboarding"

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Yeah its great fun , inner tubes are great too


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Ujqt36Ac4"]YouTube- Dancing on ice, Forest of dean style!!!!![/ame]

Me driving , but not my post .
.

Sorted

Took me about half an hour of messing with with tweezers and bent paperclip but got it unlocked and undone in the end. Cheers guys!

Up here in the frozen North, I recently dispensed with my locking fuel cap because it was frozen solid every time I went to get fuel and I had to mess around in the petrol station trying to get it to defrost. I bought a non locking fuel cap (exactly the same but with no lock gubbins) from the bay and haven't looked back. The locking one will go back on once it gets a bit warmer...