Sentry Safe Digital Keypad Replacement
Irmgard Rossie
I just replaced the stuck actuator in my Sentry safe. I bought the actuator on ebay for $0.99 with $2 shipping. It looks like the code is stored on the actuator itself (not the panel). The actuator comes with a sticker printed with the factory code. The old code that I used with old actuator, does not work once I replace the actuator.
Sdody,
I am having the same problem with my sentry safe. The actuator gets stuck. I have tried to find it on ebay, but could not find anything similar. Would you have the reference or keywords to search for ?
Thanks and regards,
I purchased a sentry a3867 at a yard sale but it didmt come with any paperwork do u know what the factory code is for the a3867? I only paid 10 dollars for it so dont really want to put any money in it to het it open please help if u have a factory code that will work thanks
Hi, can someone help me? My sentry safe works with manual combination lock and it does not open. With the right number, the handle is jammed. I greased the dial and the handle with wd40 that did not work. I think the solenoid tubes are jammed. If I used the rubber mallet, where area of the safe should I hit? Thanks.
Did the whole thing of rubber mallet et al and then called support. Did the battery check thing and icons. Then she had me lift the handle towards the 10 oClock position and punch in the code. Surprise click and open
These safes are garbage. Mine stopped opening after about 16 months and the rubber mallet trick would not work. It took my 10 minutes to pry the door off using nothing but a hammer and screwdriver! The safe is useless now but that is ok it was garbage before. This company sells nothing but junk!
So we bought one. And THE DOOR OF COURSE WILL NOT OPEN. ITS A A3867. nothing works wd.40, rubber mallet. Nothing is working im getting pi$$ed. me and my husband have tried everything to open this safe for about 6 months still nothing. when we punch in the code you can hear it click. but the door will not open. the door has dents all in it because we have beat on it with the rubber mallet and with HAMMER. any ideas?
I have a Sentry Safe model AO3817 with an electronic lock and a key lock. Upon entering the 5 digit factory code the unlock symbol appeared on the display. From this point, apparently you have 4 seconds to push the handle down to open the door. After trying several times and changing the batteries and double checking all the wire connections I went surfing to find a solution as to why the handle would not go down allowing for the door to open. Of course the Sentry Safe FAQ on their website was no help at all. Then I stumbled upon this tread, hunted down the ole rubber mallet, gave it a good whack, just below the handle, entered the code and VOILA!!!! The handle moved and the door opened and I now have my passport!!
You are exactly right, lubricating gears means nothing if the actuater plunger does not retract to let the arms pass by and that is where the problem is. My only problem is putting the cover back on, it is binding on the hinge side, the inner spacer does not want to go over the inner wall I think and it is binding the plungers, any suggestions? With the inner cover off, everything is now working perfect for me as the actuater is where it is all at for sure
Wife discovered we could open the safe without entering the combination. My thanks to this posting above and all the responses. I just finished repairing the safe. Basically the same issue as everyone else, but mine had the actuator stuck in the open position. I removed the back cover, Pulled off the retaining clip on the gear. Removed one screw off the actuator and then unplugged the actuator. The metal plunger for the actuator was rusted and the spring not near strong enough to overcome the built up rust. I removed another retaining clip on the actuator plunger and pulled the plunger out with a small screwdriver as a lever. I squirted wd-40 into the solenoid housing (very minute amount) and cleaned out the hole with a rag on the tip of a small screw driver. I did this a few times until no more rust/dirt seen on the rag. As for the metal plunger, I used some 220 sand paper to remove the larger corroded/bumpy areas. Then I used some Emory cloth (400 grit sand paper) to smooth it out. Then I added a few drops of 3-in-1 oil on the metal plunger and reassembled the spring, actuator, plunger, and retaining clip.
Kudos to SentrySafe for the quick return on my email. Emailed them on Saturday or Sunday, got call back Monday morning, new solenoid with directions in my mail box on Wednesday or Thursday. I think they did more than can be expected of a company, safe is 5 years old.
I have no power to the keypad> I have changed the battery and tested the battery pack with a meter (all good) no lights no beeps , nada> Any ideas besides hammer and prybar> had the safe for many years no problems ??
We have a sentry safe with electronic pad and key. After replacing batteries a few months ago cannot get the pad to work at all. We have tried a couple of set of batteries and wires seems intact. Any ideas?
Bumping the front got the actuator to release and then got the door open ? you beauty, prized of the internal plastic cover, then got the Vaseline onto the gears etc and some WD40 onto the actuator shaft and now it works first time every time. ?
Great info all around! I am so glad my wife found this site. I was at the point of grinding, saws-alling or just beating the crap out of my A3807 p.o.s safe when I came to the last post about trying a 9V battery.
Several people have commented on the effectiveness of using a rubber mallet, but just wanted to add that this also worked for me. I sprayed some WD-40 into several holes on the back of the door but will try removing the panel to have better access and ensure all moving parts are lubed. It is quite disconcerting to have the very thing you bought for security be so unreliable.
My sentry keypad went dead, and I replaced the 4 AA batteries and no go. The plastic battery holder has a connection for a 9 volt battery terminals. Plugged n a 9 volt and walla it functioned normally
I have just experienced the same issue. My combo was good and the key unlocked the door, however even after beating on the door with a mallet and spaying the gap with penetrating oil, it still it would not open. The seal around the door will not allow anything liquid to pass into the lugs. I continued to beat on the door while forcing the handle to turn. I was relieved when it finally opened. The inside of the safe and items inside had a slight amount of moisture that I detected and thinking back a couple of months ago I realized it was due to a flood to the area the safe is mounted in. I was relieved to figure out why the moisture was there. In looking through the door and components this is why the digital release mechanism would not allow the lugs to move because of the rust and moisture in the safe.
If I had to do this all over again and purchased a new safe I would mount it only slightly off the floor with something strong and spray the inside of the door and lugs with a silicon that would not hurt the things you put in the safe. The other thing you should do is use a bag of Silica or Desiccant to keep moisture from harming your items and the safe.
I am in agreement that the components are cheap inside the safe, however its a cheap from a cost standpoint, and if you you should buy a safe of better quality. If you have the money to protect the items inside your safe you should buy a higher quality unit. I guess it just depends on how much you want to spend. but if you take these precautions when you first get it I think for the money its a decent unit.
hope this helps you.
I have had the same problems as everyone else who has left reply. The mallet worked perfectly but after it was opened I took some POWDER GRAPHITE and coated the actuator with it. Left the door open and worked the digital combination many times for a couple of days and it has seemed to solve the problem so far. Hopefully this will be the last time for the mallet.
02/15 OMG, 2 years of trying to open this safe and Luckily I finally found the answer here. Now I have to figure out how to open the plastic cover and grease everything and maybe simply remove the pin from the solenoid. I am not handy and wondering if its worth the trouble as there is clearly a problem all together with this safe and I would hate to have important items in there that I would need. Thank god I emptied it before it got locked as we were in the middle of moving locations.
Now would one blame me for being nervous about this safe not opening again, as you and I are here on this site for the same reason !! Never ever again would I buy a safe from Sentry. And should I come across an aisle containing safes in any store, be sure that I will tell everyone in that Aisle what a horrible safe company Sentry is. They should be ashamed to make products like this, and I am in on that class action suit one poster was talking about.
Thank you for the suggestion of the mallet, but since I am not well equipped in the house I used a hammer and tapped lightly. WAPPAM !! And YIPPEEEE !! HEY, it only took 2 years and 5 minutes to get this darn safe open.
I tried the hammer on the front of the door. Finally I took it and just hit the handle hard and the door popped open. The safe is ruined, which is a blessing. It is full of mold and ruined old stamps, and documents. Hate this thing. What a waste of money.
Easy fix
Put in your combination and when you hit enter at the same time take a rubber mallet and hit the door of the safe on the right side next to the key pad. The selinoid should drop and open.
I took off the plastic and lubed up the selinoid but it still happens.
I wish I would have bought a Gardall Safe.
Good luck
I tried the rubber mallet and all sorts of other ideas, but nothing worked. Finally, I applied 9v instead of 6v and it opened. Near as I can tell, the silonoid was sticking and the higher voltage was enough to pop it.
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