So my friend broke her like house key or something in her trunk keyhole (don't ask... drinks were involved)

I'm going to her house to fix some other **** on her car and I figured i'd help her out with this too. Is there a way I can disassemble the keyhole housing and get it out? I was going to take apart the inner part of her trunk and see if I can get to it.

Thanks guys, its a 05 Civic EX if that matters.

 

best thing i could think of is to like glue or epoxy some other metal to whats left of the key stuck in the hole then try and to "wiggle" the key out of the lock. Im not sure if you can dissamble the lock itself but that would be the first approach i would take. Or if you dont want to use glue then a pair of some nice Vice Grips should work too. i have had some "similar" **** happen to me before, but in my events it was me try to jerry rig my bike so it could limp home then i would properly fix her.

 

To be honest, even if you did get it out, the locking mechanism may need to be replaced. I'd say try starting by removing the mechanism from the housing, by opening the trunk and unbolting it.

 

Agree. If the key actually broke off, the tumblers inside the lock cylinder are probably hammered. I'd replace the whole thing. If you can get new tumblers you can rekey it yourself to match the original key or have a locksmith do it for you.

 

Yeah, she was drunk when she did it and based on the way the key is in there it looks like she was trying really hard...

The key is like ******* bent to the side and curved, hard to explain.

I'm going over there in a bit to see if I can get it out. I'm sure she'll love to hear that she fucked up something else on her car...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phootbag &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Agree. If the key actually broke off, the tumblers inside the lock cylinder are probably hammered. I'd replace the whole thing. If you can get new tumblers you can rekey it yourself to match the original key or have a locksmith do it for you. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Most key breakage is due to the key being the weak part that gives - there is a good chance the key broke and the lock is fine.

I'd use a set of picks and swiss files to unbend the remaining key shaft and to pull it out of the keyway. As with many things, it is difficult because you likely don't have the tools that sort of job requires. Most mechanic's picks are too thick and aren't hardened enough, for example. Do you know any machinists?

I am saddened that toyomatt84 deleted my first post to thread... you gotta admit, dude, Gobble's post was rife with innuendo.

 

The tumblers a probably damaged because there was mention of the wrong key being inserted. I've seen tumblers bent like banannas without damage to the key.

 

I've zero lock experience with the newer Civics. With how quality control has gone downhill with the newer drivetrains and transmissions I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

 

I got it out, no damage to the keyhole.

 

Great! She is lucky she didn't damage the cylinder or tumblers.