Can't open my old PVC front door (gearbox seems shot). Help!

Might be the barrel, rather than the gearbox ... I'd start by popping to the nearest DIY shed, buying an el-cheapo replacement euro barrel of appropriate length, then remove the handles, drill out the old barrel and see what I could do with length of wire coathanger. If you get it open, fit the temporary barrel then replace with a decent barrel later.

Many thanks for the suggestion. I will try that. Unfortunately one of the screws holding the handle on seems impossible to remove. I may have to try and drill it out.

By the way, contrary to what I said about mushroom studs, I now seem to recall it probably has roller studs like the ones at the bottom in this image:

...in which case it may be possible to remove the door from the frame by removing the pins from the hinges, if my logic is correct.

JD

I was going to say, though not cheap a locksmith has to have come across this before and no doubt has a fix. Brian

But this isn't uk.get-a-little-man-in and drilling out the barrel or removing the hinges as the O/P is thinking of aren't likely to hamper whatever a locksmith would try, if it comes to that ...

Why remove the handles? I would try to drill through the Euro barrel at the level of the retaining screw and then hope it pushes out.

Does the key keep turning from both sides of the door?

These people are helpful and might know the best way to approach the problem:

It's easy to do and might prevent them getting scratched if the drill slips, plus it might make it easier to poke the coathanger in.

There are plenty of guys set up to service PVC windows & doors - they will sort this quickly.

Michael, Yes, that seems to be an option - if I can figure out what level the retaining screw is.

Yes. The inside has a flat knob rather than a key+keyhole, but yes, they both turn freely, with no effect, on each side.

Many thanks for the input. It looks like one option would be to take the pins out of the hinges and try removing the door. I might try this when I get back home, weather permitting.

JD

About 5mm up from the bottom of the euro cylinder

Sometimes the wise DIY person may take that route. A neighbour of mine lost his key for a quality mortise deadlock on a Sunday evening (he had a spare key indoors). I offered to break in via a small double glazed bathroom window to minimise costs, but a locksmith got him in within the hour for £80.

I managed to open one by levering the door up and down. I guess it made the pegs lift out of the slots. It was all a bit random and desperate.

Thanks for your input. I may try this. JD

taining screw is.

Thank you. I got the euro-cylinder out. The euro-cylinder itself seems okay . The problem seems to be that the ring-gear that gets turned by the Euro-c ylinder's projecting lug isn't having any effect when it is turned. maybe o ne of the internal gears is stripped of its teeth or something.

I should mention that the gearbox is of the type that requires two full tur ns of the key to unlock the door. Do you think it is possible to pick the l ocking mechanism inside the gearbox, still? I had a poke around with a back

-to-front allen key held with mole grips but didn't have any luck. It might help if I could envisage what is inside the gearbox, and what needs to be moved.

JD

PS... It worked!!! Thanks million; you saved the day! Thank God for the plasticity of plastic! (It may have been almost-unclocked too.) Now I need to see if the lock/gearbox can be replaced.

Here is s photo of what I took out (with the face-plate removed):

If anyone can give me advice on replacing this. I would be very grateful.

I can't see any stripped gears, but it still doesn't seem to be engaging. Do I need to find an exact replacement, or should I just look for a 'universal' one with the correct offset, etc.? TIA, JD

JD

PS - I got the door open! Here is a photo of the gearbox I removed (with cover removed):

I can;t see any stripped gears, but the ring-gear still doesn't seem to engage. The paper sticker is in German. Any tips on finding an affordable replacement?

Thanks again,

JD

I got an "original" from

Risky to not take the opportunity to replace it - it seemed well lubricated. Glad you managed to get it open.

Thanks for the lead. Yes, I like that dealer - I've had stuff from him before. JD