Locked Out of Older Casita

[mosquito13]

Door is stuck in locked mode. I have hit it with wd40 and gentally worked the lock for 15 minutes with no results, key will not turn. Where can i order a replacement. Origanal keys say Hehr and a # on flip side(key code). I will go Hulk on the key once I know replacents can be found. If needed able to drill out tumbler to open up, but at that point a replacement needs to be on hand.

[Jon in AZ]

You should be able to remove the two screws and pull the whole handle straight out. With the handle partway out you can rotate the square shaft to open the door.

You may be able to find an exact replacement for the complete handle with lock at an RV shop for under $20. If not, a square shaft garage door handle (L- or T-grip) from a hardware store will also work. You’ll have to cut the shaft to length.

Happened to me on the eve of our very first trip with our new-to-us Scamp, except mine failed in the unlocked mode. The RV shop that sold me the replacement handle cut it down for no extra charge. We were on our way in 15 minutes!

I now keep a spare around since it appears to fail without warning.

[Casita Greg]

This trick doesn't always work, but it has for some folks in some instances. Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to try it.

Try pushing against the door itself near the latch while trying to turn the handle. Sometimes the striker plate on the door jamb, that the latch goes into when the door is closed, can get worn and be out of tolerance. This worn striker plate has caused this "lock-out" problem for a good many out there. It's worked for a few folks to push the door in as hard as you can (by hand) while working the handle, but no guarantees. Works for some but not all.

[Lisa M.]

[QUOTE=Casita Greg;741746]This trick doesn't always work, but it has for some folks in some instances. Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to try it.

Try pushing against the door itself near the latch while trying to turn the handle. Sometimes the striker plate on the door jamb, that the latch goes into when the door is closed, can get worn and be out of tolerance. This worn striker plate has caused this "lock-out" problem for a good many out there. It's worked for a few folks to push the door in as hard as you can (by hand) while working the handle, but no guarantees. Works for some but not all.[/QUOTE

I have been locked both out and in on numerous occasions over the years. Never quite knew why. This trick has worked for me. Good luck!

[mosquito13]

Thanks i read about pushing in the door. My oroblem is the lock. The key will not disengage the lock. Key will not turn. Will try pulling screws and binging unit to rv store.

[Jon in AZ]

Yes, those locks are failure prone. I was told the weight of the lever handle bouncing against the mechanism as you go down the road leads to failure. A suggested solution is to mount the new handle with the lever pointed down. I opted not to do that, but you could if you wanted.

[Steve L.]

I wonder what year Casita and what length (16 curved door or 17 flat door. You might consider updating your title info to help us help you.

[Jon in AZ]

It would be either a 13’ or a 16’ with a curved door like Scamp. Casita never used this lockset style on the 17’ers.

[Lockman]

Seven,


Does the key enter the lock completely? Also it may be that the key is worn too badly being that old. I would suggest since the code is on the key to take it to a locksmith and ask if generating a new key from code would solve the problem. Spent 30 years in the locksmith business and seen a lot of worn out keys.

[Lockman]

Sorry Sven,


Also make sure that the lever is perfectly level when turning the key.

[Denise Jones]

I had this happen to me while camping with my 10 year old son. Of course it happened when returning to camp late at night.
We had to remove the door from the hinges. We had wrenches but no hammer to help remove the rusted bolts. Had to use rocks. To add to this fun experience we had no flashlight when we were outside just a light saber. I miss 10 year olds.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I would call Scamp and order a new handle. That's what I did. Works great.

[dgturner3]

I was locked out of 1997 Casita at a remote campsite but fortunately a rear side window had been equipped as an emergency escape window. I could slide glass and screen open and then crawl into camper and was able to open door form inside.

[John in Santa Cruz]

fwiw, I much prefer using the liquid lock graphite in the little blue squeeze bottle to WD40 on any sort of lock.

[Doctor Harold]

A locksmith turned me on to Tri-Flow as a lock lubricant. It's all I use now.

Since you have lubricated the lock and it has had time to soak in, I would put in the key and bump it and the handle lightly with a hammer while trying to turn the key and alternately jiggling the handle. This is a situation where being born with three hands would be useful.

Harold

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've also heard of holding something that vibrates against the side of the lock (which in this case would be the handle body near the lock cylinder), like the butt end of an electric drill, or a jigsaw without the blade, to jiggle the pins free.

With worn keys, I've had some success carefully pressing the key up/down (ok, left/right in the orientation shown in your pic), in such a way as it stays parallel to the lock (eg, you don't want it twisted so one end is high while the other end is low).

it helps to understand how the lock works... see the pictures here ("modern mechanism") for a pretty clear explanation... a worn key behaves like the 'wrong key'... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_tumbler_lock#Design

[Byron Kinnaman]

It's just too easy to remove the door and change both the inside latch and outside handle.

[mjwhitney]

Originally Posted by mosquito13

Door is stuck in locked mode. I have hit it with wd40 and gentally worked the lock for 15 minutes with no results, key will not turn. Where can i order a replacement. Origanal keys say Hehr and a # on flip side(key code). I will go Hulk on the key once I know replacents can be found. If needed able to drill out tumbler to open up, but at that point a replacement needs to be on hand.

Sometimes the door jamb holds the bolt tightly if the camper is not level. I either pull up on the handle or down... This usually frees the bolt from the strike plate.

[John in Santa Cruz]

it sounds like the lock cylinder isn't turning inside the handle, if thats the case, then the position of the handle is immaterial.

[Jim Park]

The L handles are easily available, but the distance between the 2 mounting holes varies. Get the correct one to save installation time.
As a locksmith with 46 years in the industry, I would recommend dry graphite to lubricate with, but my educated guess is you have the wrong key or a badly worn key. A reputable locksmith can decode your existing key and cut a new one at factory specifications for minimal cost. He/she will be able to ascertain, in a minute, if your existing key is so badly worn that it does not bring the wafers to the sheer line, thus not allowing the lock cylinder to turn.