How to: Ignition Cylinder removal and disassembly w/ pics!

There have been lots of threads about the dreaded "locked ignition" and what to do about it. I had never been stranded but many times I would have to try several times to get my key to turn. After reading an excellent thread by ELP_JC:

http://ls1gto.com/forums/showthread....light=ignition
(This is required reading if you want to fix this problem) I went at it and took pictures on the way. Ultimately my repair technique was slightly different than ELP_JC, but they both fix the same fundamental problem. Now that I understand what is going on, I have to break some bad news: It is very unlikely you will be able to fix this by lubricating the key or spraying some lubricant into the hole. It will never reach the parts that need it.

Disclaimer!!! This thread is for reference only!! I take no responsibility for any damage you cause if you try this!

So let's get started:

Remove lower dash panel and then remove the airbag fuse


Remove Negative Battery Connection


Remove Ignition trim cover screw. There is only 1.


Separate the upper and lower trim covers. This is done by pushing back on the bottom cover while pulling forward and up on the top. This step is a little tricky. There are tabs that catch on the front. You need to disconnect these by pushing the bottom back.



Remove the key FOB interface from the cylinder. Disconnect wires from the interface first. The unit just slides off the cylinder.


Remove the ignition cylinder. This is done by turning the key to the ON position and insert a small Allen or drill bit into the hole on top of the cylinder. When you push down the tab inside the cylinder, you will be able to turn the key slightly and remove the entire cylinder assembly.


Cylinder Disassembly. Turn the key until you are fully on. Push down the pin and turn the key further to release the pin. Be ready to catch it. It's pretty clear where it is going to become unretained. There is a small spring behind it, don't lose it. At this time, you can slide the tumbler assembly out from the cylinder. There is a small black guide that may or may not fall out. If it does, there is a tiny spring behind it. Don't lose that either.

Note: I have never removed my key from the tumbler assembly when it was out of the cylinder. If you remove your key, the tumblers may fall out, or they might not. I never tired. Try at your own risk.



Here you can see the previous step completed. You will see the black tab is removed. He fits in that slot on the top near the key. The spring goes along side. It's easy to put back together, just don't lose anything.


Now to understand the problem: This pin, shown below, fits into this slot when the key is off. Normally when you go to turn the key, it will follow the ramp out of the slot and onto the main track. The problem is that a rut has developed at the bottom of the ramp. The pin is hanging up in this rut.




My solution was to CAREFULLY smooth out this ramp with a Dremel tool to remove the rut. I basically changed the profile of the ramp so the pin would move nice and easy. Take your time, remove the smallest amount of material possible and then clean all the dust out. Once I had the entire assembly clean, I cleaned the tumblers the best I could as well. After applying a good coat of grease to all moving surfaces, especially where the pin slides on the ramp, I reassembled. Last, reinstall into the car and put everything back together.

At this time, my ignition is totally smooth and works like it's new. Granted my problem wasn't quite as advanced as some other people, but this fixed my sticking issue. If you are considering this project, take your time and understand what the problem is when you have the cylinder in your hand. Once you know what is causing the problem you will have a better chance fixing it.

Quick!! Someone sticky this and add it to the knowledge base!!

Excellent write-up. It should def. be in the knowledge base.

BUMP

You don't need to remove the lower screw or slide anything. You just need to press on the lower cover where the clips are located to disengage, and lift the top cover off.

nice write up and great pix to show what we're talking about

FWIW the Helms says to not take the key out of the cylinder unless you really, really, really want to put all those little tabs and springs back together. 10 total, 5 per side, you have to hold five in with one finger, flip the unit 180° in your hand, install the other five, then put the key back in so it doesn't fall apart again. Very bad news from reading about it.

Interesting. This definitely needs to be a sticky and even passed on to GM. Maybe then when members take their cars in for service this can be done instead of getting a $1400 bill or GM having to pay major warranty money to replace them.

Quote: Originally Posted by swmn... FWIW the Helms says to not take the key out of the cylinder unless you really, really, really want to put all those little tabs and springs back together. 10 total, 5 per side, you have to hold five in with one finger, flip the unit 180° in your hand, install the other five, then put the key back in so it doesn't fall apart again. Very bad news from reading about it.

Nice, I'm glad I didn't do that. That's what I thought might happen (as read in my disclaimer). There is no reason to do that, if you keep the key in whenever you have the tumbler assembly out they will stay retained by themself. Once you have that assembly backtogether and the pin back in you can take the key out.

Damn good write up.

If there was a way to eliminate the wheel lock altogether I would be interested in that...I'd like to turn the key, and push the emergency flasher button to start the car like some expensive exotics.....seems so simple, but I'm sure its not....just thinkin'

you are a god. Thank you.

Wow, what a great write up. If only the HELMs book had pictures so good as those.

One stupid question: for those whose columns have "locked up"--is it possible to get the key into the on position to even remove the cylinder or are you screwed by that point?

If you can't remove the ignition/lock cylinder, are dealers replacing the whole column?

I haven't had any issues yet, but then again I only drive my car a few times a month.

You are the man. I printed it out, and it will go with my car to the dealer.

Couple questions- will this eliminate the rutting, or merely stave it off? How long did this take you? And do you have any photos of the finished dremeled piece?

Looks simpler on the 3rd or 4th read. I plan on doing this this weekend.

Great write up!

Quote: Originally Posted by 1 Bad Black Goat... If you can't remove the ignition/lock cylinder, are dealers replacing the whole column?

From what I hear, the dealers are replacing the entire column and it costs something like $1400.

Quote: Originally Posted by onebadgoat9286... Couple questions- will this eliminate the rutting, or merely stave it off? How long did this take you? And do you have any photos of the finished dremeled piece?

I'm not sure if the rutting will come back. I would say the method given by ELP_JC would most likely fix if forever, but it also modifies the way the switch works (accessories will turn off immediately when the key goes to off). I plan to not worry about mine until I develop problems again. I have no idea how long this will last, but I expect it to be good for awhile.

Unfortuantly I didn't take a picture of the cleaned up cylinder, but it looked pretty similar to the original, just a slightly diffrent ramp profile. From start to finish, it was probably 3 hours or so, but I went slow and took pictures along the way. I spent a good deal of time just trying to understand what was happening and causing the problem. I would be interested to see pictures of a cylinder with a more dramatic problem. This mod may be more difficult to do on a car that is bad.

Thanks guys for all the compliments, but like I said before, lots of credit to EJP_JC. His write-up gave me the confidence to tackle this project.

As of right now my car has never "locked up", but it has been grabby. I hit it with some lithium spray grease..question though..do you think that with the velocity of the grease and the length of the nozzle that it could reach back there at all? I mean it doesn't look like the cylinder is water tight, therefore giving me the impression that it could reachm, albeit slightly.

Next saturday me and a couple other goats in the area will delve into this. Your pics have really given me the confidence to get in and get out. Do you think you could explain the more "permanent" fix (if you could call it that) that ELP JC has tried (or even he himself)?

I also sent this link to my service manager. Let's hope and pray they can do something about this!

Hey gang, first of all, the full credit belongs to 'Silver96Firebird' not me, but it shows he's a humble guy. Glad you were able to document the procedure for everybody to see, my friend.

Well, the bad news first. Yes, the problem would eventually rear its ugly head again with this fix, simply because the pin will continue to be slammed against the lock when removing the key. And the key will continue to 'stick' when being removed, due to the spring pressure on the cylinder. However, lubing the cylinder properly should diminish it. And the weakening of the spring should take longer to create a problem again, and should also reduce the 'sticking' effect.

The good news is I have an idea if you want your lock to operate like stock, but will require experimentation. Glue a piece of transparent film like the one used to protect the paint under the hood when you push the hood release in front of the car. If you push that release all the way up, it'll hit the underhood, which has a square of this film I'm talking about. It's flexible, and thin, so if you superglue a small piece right on the area where the pin slams, it'd never erode the lock again, and your lock would function just like stock. Problem is the lock has to be eroded, or the cylinder wouldn't 'lock' after slamming, meaning you'd be able to push the cylinder with your finger and activate the 'acc' circuit. Please don't ask me to explain how this works without taking apart the cylinder. Needless to say, the lock has to be squeaky clean before gluing this. The good news is even if that piece were to come loose, it wouldn't cause any problems... and you'd know if it does right away by the change in sound.

Some more good news. You can remove the key from the cylinder without any fears of blades flying off, but if you're paranoid, just wrap the cylinder in your hand and remove the key. I shook my cylinder and the now free blades didn't even budge (grease is holding them). I pulled the blades one by one and cleaned them, and it wasn't easy. I could remove all blades and shuffle them, and I'd probably take 10 minutes to figure out where each one goes by putting your key next to the cylinder and matching the 'teeth' to the length of each , like a puzzle (worst case scenario is you'll insert one blade at a time 55 times and you'd be done: first one might take 10 tries to get the correct blade, next 9, next 8... so NO FEAR guys < he he>). Hope I gave you enough confidence with this to go at it.
Anyway, when you're done playing with the blades, insert the key and grease that cylinder on the outside real well, pushing the grease with your fingers into the blades, and you won't need anything inside (key will be nice and clean).

Finally (about time, huh?), if you want to solve the problem permanently, like I did, even though my car only has 3.4K miles, you need to let the pin 'ramp down' the same way it ramps up. In other words, you need to eliminate all the metal that allows the pin to ride OVER the ramp when turning the ignition from 'acc' to 'off'. Will try to save the appropriate pic, modify it, and repost it to make it clear. Having said that, it's impossible to make the 'ramp up' equal to the 'ramp down', so I just 'curved' it, but it has to be smooth. And the very top has to be flush with the lock, otherwise the pin will still ride on top even with a tiny bit of material there. Took me an extra hour, but my lock now functions exactly like all my other cars (off is OFF), pin doesn't slam anymore, and key doesn't stick at all (smooth like butta' in or out).
Hope this helps, and if somebody has another question, just shoot... but with your cylinder disassembled on hand, that is <ha ha>. Take care folks.
JC

Excellent write up & pics. As a lazier and safer way to deal with it, maybe we can just pull the cylinder out and make sure that the pin & the ramp area get lots of lube, without actually disassembling and possibly loosing any of those small parts.

I'm thinking like a maintenance item that would be done at some interval.

Quote: Originally Posted by EngineChauffer... Excellent write-up. It should def. be in the knowledge base.

Done

http://kb.ls1gto.com/KB/article.aspx?id=10532

Quote: Originally Posted by ron2215... maybe we can just pull the cylinder out and make sure that the pin & the ramp area get lots of lube

Lack of lube is not the root cause of the problem. The pin will eventually wear the lock with the slamming; no question about that. That part of the lock doesn't need any lube to work properly when new, but lube definitely helps when the lock starts eroding to help the pin 'jump' the rut, but eventually it'll start locking, regardless of amount of grease.
If you're lazy, just remove the lock once and fix the problem. I'd rate the chances of losing any parts at close to zero just by using common sense. If you're careful, I'd say zero chances; you have full control of when to release the parts, and a finger prevents the parts from flying off. Work on a flat surface over a towel so springs and pin don't roll off. Honestly, this is even less challenging that changing your spark plugs. Do it and you'll agree with me. Time to work on it guys. Later.
JC

Nice writeup. I am glad I have yet to have this problem. But if I do, I'll be back here checking out your procedure.

LS1GTO medal of honor awarded.....you have saved my ass if the locked ignition happans to me thanks bro!

a must for a sticky because it will happen to me and i wont be able to find this thread

Quote: Originally Posted by Cyclone Chris... Done http://kb.ls1gto.com/KB/article.aspx?id=10532

hehe, sweet, thanks! This board has helped me tons (esp with the header install!), so its nice to try and give back

I'm gonna get into this next saturday after I finish my exhaust install..I'll be posting pics of its for better or for worse!

lol, I got a little Goat party together for this too. So thank you!

after 2.5 years, my ignition cylinder locked up fairly well today. all the metal parts must've expanded as my car sat in this warm spring day. a few huffs and puffs later i got the key to turn - saved me a call to a tow truck.

thanks for the write up. i never thought i'd had to do this fix, but looks like i need to get into it this week.

OK, so my ignition cylinder is stuck in the OFF position. I insert the key, and can not turn it. Does that mean I won't be able to get the cylinder out? If it is going to cost me $1400 to replace the steering column, I will sell the car.

Quote: Originally Posted by dredz172... OK, so my ignition cylinder is stuck in the OFF position. I insert the key, and can not turn it. Does that mean I won't be able to get the cylinder out? If it is going to cost me $1400 to replace the steering column, I will sell the car.

Try to shake the steering wheel while you gently try to twist the key. This may do it. Don't put too much force on the key or it could break and you don't want to see the cost for that. You should still be able to remove the cylinder without the key if necessary.

I became a member of this exclusive club yesterday. It took me about 1/2 an hour of jiggling and cursing at it to get it to turn. I drove it home and stopped to get some white lithium aerosol spray and put a little in. Still sticks but I'll try to get it to the dealer first chance I get. I also ordered a pair of lock cylinders on line, let's see how long they take to get here. I'll attempt to disassemble the cylinder some time this week or next and check it out.
Does anybody know if we can just replace the actual lock cylinder (the piece we dremel)? It's like $36.00 online. TIA

It didnt do it. I don't have time to fix my car this week, so I'll look into heavily saturday. Is there any way I could weasel a paper clip in there to get the pin to drop?

EDIT: Miraculously the key just turned. I'm so happy, this dremel mod sounds alot better than taking it to the dealership