3D Printed Gas Door Cam Lock Repair

The plastic arm that keeps the gas door flush to the body used in conjunction with the cam lock broke off my taco. The plastic is super brittle and it broke over time.

I didn't want to pay the insane $75 dollars the stealership and eBay was charging for a whole cylinder assembly, or add yet another key to my lanyard. I also wanted to use my original key.

I followed this write-up and printed these 3D STL files off Thingverse and went to work.

I printed it with an almost 100% infill (almost pure solid ABS plastic) (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, not Anti-Skid Braking System, lol.) so that it's solid and sturdy and won't break again.

Installation was simple, I did the following:

1. Remove cam lock assembly by pulling on retaining clip
2. Spray whole assembly and cylinder with brake cleaner to de-grease
3. Remove old locking arm debris
4. Sand entire assembly with 400 grit sandpaper (for aesthetics, not necessary)
5. Roughen 3D printed washer and locking arm with sandpaper or file
6. Add washer to 'T' post, add epoxy, and attach locking arm
7. Let dry for 24 hours
8. Insert assembly into gas door, and add retaining clip
9. Lubricate pins, key-way, and retention spring with Silicone lubricant spray.

And you're done. Assembly took less than 5 minutes and it went back on my truck the next day. It works like a dream.

I printed an extra locking arm, so if anyone needs to fix their broken locking arm PM me.

Here's some pictures:

Before:



After:


(I should note that I had the early style of the locking arm which was a lot skinnier than the one pictured. The one pictured is the style of locking arm used in later 1st gens. They're all intercompatible)

Here is the style of locking arm that was originally on my gas door:

 

Are these still available? I need one for my tundra gas door!

 

@BartMaster1234 I followed this write-up and had one printed. Works like a charm! I just bought my friend a $4.50 coffee and he printed it out for me.

 

You can print em yourself at any 3D Printer. I only had two made in case I messed my first attempt up.

 

Happy to hear! Post some pics!

Did you print it with 100% infill?

 

So long as the original creator doesn't have a problem with it, I wouldn't mind 3D printing a bunch for people for relatively cheap. I personally don't have a use for it (non locking lid on my taco) but I'm all for helping out TW.

 

I think the person who owns the files might be a member on here. Check his profile out on Thinkverse, should have the link in the first post.

 

I have found that 100% infill does nothing more than waste plastic and drastically increase print times. In a lot of cases it can also reduce part quality. Having 3 top and bottom layers and 3 shells with 20-40% infill is more than sufficient for the majority of jobs.

 

You probably know way more about 3D printing than I do. I just wanted the maximum strength, even if it’s overkill.

Two years later and it’s running strong.

 

No worries, it's a very common pitfall for new 3D printer users. I did the same myself when I first started out.

 

I'll get one loaded up here soon. What does 100% infill mean? I used your links and sent the 3D file to him and it was done quickly. A lot beefier than the OEM one for sure.

 

@Rocan can describe how they printing process works better than me. Infill is the amount of plastic “concentration” to air. 10% infill is basically a hallow shell with no structure, 100% infill is a solid piece of plastic.

 

10% wouldnt be hollow, 0% would be hollow with just walls and a floor and roof of how ever many layers you told it to print. larger parts generally need higher infill percentage to have smaller spaces between plastic, smaller parts need less. There are also many different infill patterns that have different pros/cons. More advanced printing softwares (known as "slicers") do varying infill percentages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuGqsZjdPQM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmEaNAwFSfI

 

Pics

 

Thank you so much for this guys. Just ordered the parts to be 3d printed.