Does anyone know where I can get the little springs that tension the key entry cover on the MK1/Eunos door and boot locks.
A Mazda part number would be very useful.
I have lots of locks that require this spring to repair and have a feeling I am not alone with this problem.
Hmm, it needs to be stainless.
I would seriously consider buying some stainless wire in the correct gauge and making replacements in the usual way; heat to bright orange and bend around a former and then trim the ends to size. Maybe a bit more heating and cooling to get the right amount of springiness.
I managed to find this online, but as I feared you can only get a lock cylinder complete by the looks of it.
I feel your pain about the tiny spring as I had to replace one on a lock in my car, in fact it was one of the first jobs I did.
Don’t do what I did though. After getting a spring from another MX5 lock cylinder and seeing a little corrosion on it from the barrel I decided to give it a quick clean with a wire brush on a Dremel before fitting it in my lock. Within 5 seconds it had shot out of the pliers I was holding it with and disappeared somewhere in the garage. I’ll never see that again I thought, and sure enough after a quick search I couldn’t see it. However… the following day I saw something on the ground. It was the spring!!! It’s still got that corrosion on it, where’s the Dremel? Ping, out of the pliers again and this time it was gone for good. I remember saying something like ‘Clucking Bell’ or similar.
I think I ended up using one from another door lock I had in the garage at the time, possibly from a SD3 type Rover 200 series. It would be easier to find a similar part from a common door lock than to make one.
Thank you Richard - great idea as it seems likely no springs available for this application.
The wire is more easily manageable 0.5mm so should be easy enough to shape on an arbor by hand, cold and then an hour or so in the oven.
I found this which looks right and enough to do a few thousand:-)
Looks like 316 stainless is the way to go rather than the stronger but less corrision resistant 302/304.
Will buy the wire later, just got to work out how best to cook it:-)
If this works Banned Biker, will let you know and post you out a few.
Or just buy a bag of torsion springs, and cut to length. I have an idea that a bit of wire wrapped around a nail, even stuck in the overn, won’t be much of a spring, and you’ll win no fans when someone gets a key jammed in a repaired barrel.
http://www.entexstocksprings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=38&unit=mm
Couple of quid each, if off the shelf. They’ll likely be able to reproduce the same spring easily enough.
Making springs was not something I am familiar with either but after Richard’s useful post I spent time on the internet and read up on it.
Obviously these would be trialled on my cars first but it the worst came to the worst, this spring is not going to jam the lock up.
This may be of interest.
Looking forward to having a play - nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The springs used to be available for BA 323F as a separate part on a TSB because the little flap used to break (plastic on that model). I’ll try and dig out the part number for you. Not sure if they are identical or not though.
Thanks Robbie - can’t find an image of the BA door lock but the boot lock looks very similar to the MX5 one.
Spring from a wooden clothes peg … ?
These springs are really small - a tight fitting arbor = 1.5mm drill bit. I am going to use the slightly looser fitting smallest precision screwdriver shaft as I think 316 stainless will expand slightly with cooking.
On that note any ideas on cooking the springs without stinking the kitchen out? Hoping i may get away with an hour at 450F with the springs wrapped in tin foil.
Part number from Mazda is B25D-58-49X (for a 323). I don’t know how much it is or if it’s still available even. You’ll need to try the number at a Mazda dealer or MX5parts.co.uk maybe.