locking GAS cap won't come off >113< - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

71280SL · #1 06-26-2003, 07:48 AM

done search could only find where someone could not get their cap back on...KEY will turn,but does not feel like it is connected to anything.. cap just spins...awaiting a call from locksmith who may be on vacation. can anybody offer a solution short of hacksawing the neck that sticks out of the back of my car...thanx

gmask · #2 06-26-2003, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 71280SL
done search could only find where someone could not get their cap back on...KEY will turn,but does not feel like it is connected to anything.. cap just spins...awaiting a call from locksmith who may be on vacation. can anybody offer a solution short of hacksawing the neck that sticks out of the back of my car...thanx

I wouldn't take hacksaw to a tank full of gas vapors.. one spark and you could find yourself in the hospital. oKay.. have patience ;-)

If your cap is like mine there are two prongs that are spring loaded and are locked into place by the key. You might beable tow work it around to the notches in the neck and gentle pry it out. Otherwise just wait to hear from your locksmith.

300SDog · #3 06-26-2003, 03:46 PM

Best bet is to call 1-800- 222- 0100 emergency MB roadside assistance.

They bailed me out when doorlocks froze, common problem with 123s, on my 240D last February. Got through the Winter thawing my own locks with pencil torch, available at hardware stores.

They've got to have standard non-locking fuel cap on the shelf at nearby MB dealership - or better yet, check with Fastlane who sponsors this forum...... they might over-night the part to your home.

Locksmith will probably drill the tumblers, so figure your safety locking gas cap is junk.

Dont get mad at the car..... just throw the locking cap with broken internal spring as far as you can into the nearest lake... .

Why on earth anybody hassles with locking gas cap everytime they tank with fuel is mystery to me....

.

gmask · #4 06-26-2003, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 240DieselDog
Dont get mad at the car..... just throw the locking cap with broken internal spring as far as you can into the nearest lake - Why on earth anybody hassles with locking gas cap everytime they tank with fuel is mystery to me.

Oops.. I misread I thought he couldn't get the cap off.. Yeah just buy a new one.. you can probably get a decent replacement even at Kragen or Autozone or whatever your nearest autoparts palce is until you can get an OEM one.

I bought a cap for my car shortly after moving to LA because .. after I first got here I had this rental car and I came out one day and some kids had stuffed a rolled up newspaper in the tailpipe with a smoke bomb in it and the gas cap was off. Fortunately they didn't do any damage but after that it made me feel like an unlocked gas cap was an invitation for mischief.

rmadison · #5 06-26-2003, 04:14 PM

Not sure I understand the question after reading the replies but let me add to the confusion. The locking gas cap from MB works in a mysterious way (it seems to me.)

When the cap is "locked", the chrome outside ring spins freely. In this "locked" mode the outside cap does nothing but spin. The entire gascap stays on the car since the underpart does not turn, just the outer top cap spins.

When the cap is "unlocked" (turn the key to the other position), the outside cap now engages with the under body of the gas cap to allow the entire mechanism to turn and disengage from the fill tube.

Maybe this is obvious but I thought I would mention it since the MB cap works like no other I have ever used. Perhaps the original poster has the cap in "locked" mode so it just spins...maybe turning the key to the other position will do the job, I hope.

Richard M

cbdo · #6 06-26-2003, 06:11 PM

71280SL, forgive this if you know how the locking cap works, but just in case: The key has two positions, locked (cap spins free) and unlocked (normal). The tricky part is that the key can be removed in either position.
If knowing that lets you solve the problem, good. If not, and the cap truly won't reengage, then you're down to waiting for the locksmith and replacing the cap.

71280SL · #7 07-03-2003, 03:13 AM

with a hacksaw across the face which is only about .040 thick which will then reveal the broken spring which caused the problem and the brass plug which houses the two bayonet tangs.. there is no danger of spark because the plug encompasses the entire fill pipe..now I need to find and replace with a chrome cap without locking device...thanx to all who responded