Tailgate Lock Cylinder Not Turning

[victortj]

Hello,

I just bought a nice Jeep Tj with which I'm already in love. However, it's a 20-year-old car and it comes with some issues.
One that I believe I could deal with myself is the tailgate opening issue.
Indeed, I cannot turn the key when trying to open or lock the tailgate. The key cylinder just remains still.
The hatch seems to do its job well, all the mechanisms move smoothly, and plastic clips are in place holding metal rods.

I tried wd40 to free up the cylinder but nothing seems to work it remains locked. Meaning that I have to manually pull on the metal rod from the inside to set it to the unlock position to then use the handle to open/close the tailgate. Opposite processes when I want to lock it.

This is really frustrating because it doesn't seem like a big deal and I was hoping that it could be fixed without having to deal with a cylinder replacement with a new key...

If anyone can help, It would be amazing.

BR, Victor.

 

[chili_pepper]

Is it possible the tailgate was swapped from another vehicle and the cylinder was not changed out to match the key? The key may still insert fully but it will not allow rotation if it doesn't work the internal tumblers correctly. Sounds like if you can open it from inside working the rod, the rest of the mechanism is functional. Just a thought.

 

[victortj]

Well it's not something I tought about but it might be very true. Indeed the key feels like it's not the good one.

 

[joniki]

Have a lock smith come out and cut a key for your tail gate. Then have him cut a key on ONE side of a key for your doors and ignition and the other side for the gate. Cut a groove on the ignition side on the plastic...

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Have a lock smith come out and cut a key for your tail gate. Then have him cut a key on ONE side of a key for your doors and ignition and the other side for the gate. Cut a groove on the ignition side on the plastic...

Why not just have the locksmith key the tailgate cylinder to the Jeeps’s keys?

 

[chili_pepper]

Why not just have the locksmith key the tailgate cylinder to the Jeeps’s keys?

What this guy said....or I think you can do it yourself, and I feel like there's a thread on doing that very thing here somewhere...

 

[macleanflood]

I bought a set of lock cylinders and ignition from Wolf Security. Super easy to swap out. Brand new set of keys.

-Mac

 

[victortj]

Well, thanks a lot. I saw some video of guys resetting they key cylinder to their key with new pin set (see picture)

However, it was quite expensive (60$CAD) so I called some locksmith and for 50$CAD one did it and it works like a charm.

Thanks guys. Finally something repaired that works perfectly once done.