Can't Remove Ignition Key
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Can't Remove Ignition Key
Help Guys! Can't remove the key from the Ignition switch. I tried turning the steering wheel left to right. Shot some WD-40 down into the lock but it still
won't release. Any info on this problem is appreciated.
won't release. Any info on this problem is appreciated.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 4,907
Likes: 39
From: suburban atlanta
Is the lock cylinder in the 'off' position? Can you rotate it to 'acc', 'off', 'on' without trouble? If you can do all that, and still can't remove the key, you have some stuck or broken pins in the cylinder.
If that is the case, you'll have to get a replacement cylinder and keyset, and then follow the shop manual procedure to break out the old one, and install the new one.
If you CAN rotate it, I think you can use a metal, such as a paper clip, to rotate the key past 'acc', and then it can be removed from the steering column easily. You then put the new one in, and rotate it towards 'on' and it locks itself in.
I may be wrong.
tom
If that is the case, you'll have to get a replacement cylinder and keyset, and then follow the shop manual procedure to break out the old one, and install the new one.
If you CAN rotate it, I think you can use a metal, such as a paper clip, to rotate the key past 'acc', and then it can be removed from the steering column easily. You then put the new one in, and rotate it towards 'on' and it locks itself in.
I may be wrong.
tom
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 16
From: Connecticut
Then bring it all to a locksmith, and he can either repair the problem, or fix you up with a new lock cylinder set that's keyed to your original which you can pop right back in.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 4,907
Likes: 39
From: suburban atlanta
Well, I was half right. Maybe. I think I remember doing this on an Econoline van (sitting next to the engine) where there was a hole in the front of the lock cylinder. And maybe something else, but details evade me. It had a 144ci six, and was used in a former life by a SnapOn tool salesman ... wonder what the GVWR was rated at. Rolled down a hill near Boulder, CO, or it'd still be on the road.
tom
tom
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