I have not been able to find a good DIY for this very common problem for a 2003-2004 Disco 2. Since the good folks at Land Rover decided that only the driver's door would get a key lock cylinder, if it fails and your key fob isn't working, how are you gonna get in?

Tools needed:
Flat and Phillips screwdrivers
Torx bit/wrench
Vise grips
Drill with drill bits
Hammer
Dremel tool with reinforced cutoff wheel
Small punch or finish nail
20D common nail

You will need to remove the inner door panel for this fix. You can find write ups elsewhere in this forum for that. You should leave the window all the way up.





Here is the culprit. A 2003 Discovery 2 drivers door handle with lock






To remove the handle remove the torx screw indicated by the red arrow.






After the screw is out, rap on the handle with your palm on the end of the handle at the red arrow in the direction of the blue arrow. Pull out on the handle to partially remove it from the door





In order to completely remove the handle, you need to undo the latch actuator rod inside the door. I couldn't get a good picture of the location, but you can see the above connector if you peek inside. Stick a small flat blade screwdriver in the slot at the red arrow, and pull the connector apart to release the rod end.





While pulling out on the handle, reach inside the door panel and squeeze the spring at the front of the handle indicated by the arrow to slide the front of the handle out of the door.





Here's the problem. There is supposed to be a rod attached to the inside of the lock cylinder where the arrow is pointing






Inside the door you can see the plastic X where the rod from the lock cylinder is supposed to be inserted. Somewhere inside the door you will find the broken piece.






The red arrow points to the broken rod, and the blue one shows where it broke off






Here you can see the break where the locking pin in the cylinder held the rod






Better view of the locking pin in the cylinder






Pound out the locking pin using a small punch. Or, if you're like me, and have no punch, you can use a finish nail with the end cut flat.






Now you can see the broken pot metal rod, and the hole it goes in. he locking pin is shown by the arrow.






Earlier posts suggested a 6D nail, but I don't see how that would work. I chose a 20D common nail for this fix






Using a vise or vise grip, drill a hole in the 20D nail. Use the old rod as a guide to position the hole at the right length (red arrow). I don't know what size drill bit I used, but it needs to be larger in diameter than the locking pin so the rod can "float" in the cylinder. Grind the end off the nail so the rod will fit in the cylinder (blue arrow). Grind an "X" in the other end of the nail using the original rod as a template (green arrow)





As you can see, the "X" does not have to be perfect. Mine looked crappy, but it slid into the actuator just fine.





Here's the finished product


To reassemble, start by sticking the spring end at the front of the handle into it's hole. Angle the handle to get the two rods into the hole, and wiggle them in. You may have to reach inside the door panel to guide the new rod (nail) into the top of the door actuator plastic "X". Fiddle the handle to get it seated, and put the torx screw back in. Put the latch actuator rod back together with the plastic snap together connector.

Test it.

Put the door panel back together.

Enjoy your 50 cent fix.

Regards,
Keen

 

Thank you! Filed for future reference.

 

Great write up. It's the same thing I described over on DiscoWeb back in March '08 but you have pictures! This is a well-known fix but your pics and descriptions are the best I've seen. There's even someone selling modified nails on eBay just for this purpose.

 

Thanks. I saw a couple write-ups including yours, but I still had questions about the procedure, so I thought others might too.

It would seem silly to spend $20 for a nail on eBay when you could buy a box of nails and a Dremel tool for the same cost. I LOVE my Dremel.

Stay tuned for a driver door lock actuator repair DIY that doesn't break the plastic case, and costs zero $.

Keen

 

Ingenious! Worked as described - thanks!

 

I can't get in the 2004 Range Rover HSE (BMW) it's locked. All my doors are locked and trunk. My key just turns now from left to right. The key isn't unlocking after I replaced the key battery and I think the unlock key wasn't working before? But it now won't open manually with the key stick. I know triple A can't get into these cars and my hood is shut so I can't open the hood from the outside. I don't want to break my window. Please help if possible? I see my battery is still on because the alarm is still blinking red underneath the rear view mirror.

 

This is a great thread and after digging into this myself I thought it made sense to add some info.
First, my lock tumbler did not work, just spun with the key, and being stuck outside the car. Fearing a broken pin I ordered one. Turns out it just fell out of the receiver spot, if that makes sense.
I wanted to include the photo of the plastic clamp, I thought it better illustrated how to pry it open. This step took the most time of anything. When you go to put it back together, you want to push the clamp/clip down as far as you can and then push the rod attached to the exterior hand down as far as you can as well. This ensures the throw of the exterior handle is sufficient to actuate the mechanism. Plus, it feels better when you pull the handle.
Third, the rod that connects the mechanism to the exterior handle can be removed by rotating it downward. It clamps around the pin in the bottom photo. This made it much easier to pull the handle off.

Finally, if anyone wants to buy the door lock pin, I have one for sale. Mine was in fine shape.