996 ignition key not turning I think due to pressure from the steering lock.

[harrynavred]

The grandchildren have been playing in the car and have assumed that when they jiggled the steering wheel the steering lock came on. I have tried jiggling and turning the key at the same time with no success. As my long history of all things mechanical usually ends with tears, I am very cautious of using too much pressure on the wheel for fear of breaking something!

 

[Mac996t]

Try moving the wheel one way quite forcibly and note where it stops, then turn the other way and do the same. Then hold the wheel in the middle of these two positions then give the key a good waggle while twisting.

Also does the key rotate at all, and does it go fully into the barrel at the normal depth. If it doesn't they may have put something down the keyhole which is stopping the key entering fully.

Also try putting some wd40 in the key barrel.

If the above doesn't work something may have broken inside the main lock mechanism.
Normally before they break they will have been playing up for a while beforehand eg stiff or catching and needing a good waggle. How was yours?

 

[harrynavred]

Thanks Mac, all good, used your advice and worked like a very nice dream. Much appreciated.

 

[drac]

The other possibility is your ignition switch is failing, mine was. The key should rotate quite easily and you should feel a definite click between each stage. If yours is difficult to turn or feels like you are turning the key in sticky thick treacle then it may be failing. You can replace just the switch part, if your lock barrel is ok. There are how to's on the inter web. It's a bit fiddly but can be done at home in an hour or so with a few basic tools. Part is shared with VW and from memory is about 50 quid.

Also in contradiction to above. WD40 is not good for locks. It will work initially but then evaporates and can gum them up. I worked for a locksmith as a teenager, he always had me using powdered graphite.

 

[harrynavred]

All good now but thanks for the extra information on ignition, as some forums were suggesting applying wd40 to the lock and I was on verge of doing just that.

 

[Mac996t]

If you have a lock that's giving problems putting some wd40 into the lock cylinder can help you diagnose if that is the source of the problem as we were doing here, and when it does free it off that just showed the lock had a problem which you have just improved. The fact it can often go stiff again fairly quickly is not due the wd40 gumming it up but is actually more to do with the fact wd40 flushes away any remaining lubricant as it leaves very little behind when it evaporates. A couple of drops of engine oil will then provide the lubrication and you'll have a perfectly functioning lock again for a long time.

I've been playing with automotive locks forever and tried graphite powder as that's what urban legend said you should do, I've found it not to be the answer for automotive locks, as often it's corrosion or lack of lubricant that causes automotive locks to fail, I've found cleaning and lubricating is the answer. Graphite disappears from automotive locks quickly and then the corrosion starts.

Also if graphite is the answer why have 100% of the many automotive locks I've repaired had grease from the factory (with the main cause of issues being not enough from the factory)?

Is every car manufacturer wrong?

Mac