Show full size 924Board.org
Discussion Forum of 924.org
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 
 Technical FAQ924 FAQ (Technical)   Technical924 Technical Section   Jump to 924.org924.org   Jump to PCA 924 Registry924 Registry

How to remove an ignition lock cylinder for repair or rekey

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    924Board.org Forum Index -> How-To
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:59 am    Post subject: How to remove an ignition lock cylinder for repair or rekey Reply with quote

This weekend, out of necessity, I had to figure out how to remove the ignition lock cylinder from its pot-metal surround. I found some instructions online for VW parts which were close enough to get me in the general direction.

TOOLS REQUIRED
Drill
Center punch
1/8" drill bit
Jewelers screwdriver set
Assorted sizes of flat head and Phillips head screw drivers
10mm socket
8mm wrench
4mm Allen socket
Ratchet
Hammer

PROCEDURE
  1. Disconnect the battery
  2. Remove the horn button from your steering wheel
  3. Center the steering wheel so it is perfectly straight and use a center punch to scribe where the 12:00 position is on the steering shaft. This is essential so you can get your steering wheel on straight later on.
  4. Using a 24mm socket & ratchet, remove the nut on the steering wheel.
  5. Remove the steering wheel and set it aside.
  6. Crawl up under the dash with an 8mm wrench and a ratchet with 10mm socket and a 4mm allen socket. Unplug the O2 sensor harness from the little side box that is mounted to the main Lambda box.
  7. Use the 8mm wrench to unscrew the bolt that holds the little side box in place; set the bolt and side box aside.
  8. Use the 10mm socket to remove the three bolts that hold the Lambda box in place. You do not need to disconnect the main harness, just set the Lambda box aside and let it dangle.
  9. Unplug the main ignition switch connector, and the two connectors for the run signal / wiper switch assembly.
  10. On side of the steering column (from underneath, in the footwell), the same side where the turn signal is located, you will see an Allen head bolt that "pinches" the ignition lock assembly and fastens it to the thin sheet metal tube that houses the steering shaft. Remove this bolt completely and set it aside.
  11. Get back into the driver seat normally; get a thin bladed screw driver; you will see either 3 or 4 (depending on model year) small flat head screws that hold the wiper/signal assembly in place. Remove these screws.
  12. GENTLY extract the wiper/signal assembly. These things are amazingly fragile, so BE CAREFUL and set it aside in a safe place where you won't sit on it, kick it, or otherwise abuse it during the rest of the procedure.
  13. Using a variety of screw drivers, prize the plastic buffer off of the steering shaft that sits down flush against the steering shaft bearing. It will be VERY snug and somewhat difficult to move. Don't worry too much about chewing up the plastic a little bit, just get it out of the way.
  14. Insert the key into the ignition lock and turn it to the ACC position. THIS IS REQUIRED because doing so causes the lock cylinder pin to detract, which will allow you to remove the lock assembly. Now you should be able to pull the entire ignition cylinder assembly forward.

    On the cars with the three-screw wiper/signal assembly, you may need to remove the plastic surround first. There are two tiny Phillips head screws that allow these parts to be separated and removed. On the cars with four-screw wiper/signal assembly, you have to pull the plastic surround out (it's a single piece) with the ignition lock assembly. Once you have it clear of the steering shaft, you can press the ignition lock assembly back out of the plastic surround.

OK, take a breather, straighten back, have a sip from your beverage. Time to move to the work bench.
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made


Last edited by ideola on Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:33 am; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, now to disassemble the lock cylinder.
  1. Get a small Phillips head screw driver and remove the electrical portion of the ignition switch. You should replace it if you haven't done so prior to this operation. Here's a pick of where they fail (notice the crack in the one on the left):


  2. Now, in order to slide the ignition lock barrel out of the assembly, we need to perform some minor surgery. The location of surgery is slightly different depending on whether you have a 3-screw setup or a 4-screw setup.

    With the key IN the lock cylinder, make sure it is all the way to the OFF position. BE CERTAIN! The key head will form a line that will point you to the location where you need to drill. The reason we need to drill a hole is because there is a flat-spring that is inside the lock cylinder assembly that prevents the barrel from sliding forward. We need to depress this spring. It appears to me that the lock cylinder has an access slot for sliding a locksmith tool into the cylinder to depress this spring, but I was unsuccessful doing so with anything I had on hand. Here's a photo that shows where the slot is, and my attempt to use part of a hair clip:


    Here's what the spring looks like when it has been removed from the lock cylinder (you DO NOT need to remove the spring, I simply made this photo so you can get an idea how it operates...also, you will NOT be seeing this at this point of the procedure because your barrel is still in the cylinder):


    What we need to do is drill a small hole that will allow us to depress the flat spring. This is a VERY delicate operation. The cylinder housing is made of pot metal, so it is very soft. If you put too much pressure on the drill, you will punch right through it and damage the spring. Good news is, it can be replaced (as you see above) by pressing out the two small tension pins, but we want to avoid any extra work if possible.

    The location of the hole is very critical. It is about 8-10mm from that slot in the picture I showed you above, directly in line with the head of the key when it is in the OFF position. The location is different depending on whether you have a 3-screw housing or a 4-screw housing.

    Here's where it is on a 3-screw housing (notice how the hole is directly aligned to the key head!):


    I had to hunt a little on the 4-screw setup that I was repairing. On mine, there were two ribs, and it turns out that the place to drill is RIGHT BETWEEN those two ribs, again, directly aligned to the key head in the OFF position. In the photo below, IGNORE the larger hole ... that was my first FAILED attempt. The smaller, tiny hole between the ribs is the correct location:


  3. Once you've located where the hole needs to be drilled, use a center punch to mark where you'll drill
  4. Use your hand drill on LOW LOW LOW speed with a 1/8" (or even smaller) drill bit. The hole doesn't have to be huge, just big enough that you can fit a paper clip or something similar into to depress the flat spring.
  5. Slowly and patiently drill the hole. It will be about 2mm or so deep. BE CAREFUL! Don't damage the flat spring!
  6. Once you have the hole drilled, use something like a paper clip or a tiny jeweler's screwdriver to push through the hole and depress the flat spring.
  7. The key should still be IN the ignition lock. Carefully slide the lock barrel out of the cylinder. Here's what it looks like removed:

In some posts I read about this procedure, there were warnings about springs flying everywhere. I didn't have that problem, so I'm not sure what those posts were talking about...but suffice it to say, anything may happen, so very carefully slide the lock cylinder out. If you have the key inserted, and rotated to the off position, the locking tab on the cylinder assembly should stay right where it is.

Now that you have the lock barrel out, you can take it to your locksmith to have it rekeyed.

In my case, the whole reason for the operation was because I was getting intermittent electrical outages for all of the accessories that are operated with "key in" functions. This includes (by default) the seat belt warning buzzer and the radio. Read on to find out why and how to fix it.
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So as it turns out, the intermittent electrical outages I was having was due to the "nose" of the end of the lock barrel being completely worn down. When you insert the key into the barrel, the "nose" portion of the ignition lock gets pushed back and makes contact with the center contact on the ignition switch itself. This contact is what provides power to the seat belt buzzer and radio. In my car, I'm also using this circuit to "pre-power" the electronic/digital boost gauge and AFR gauge. Really annoying when they kept flickering on and off!

So, now to replace the "nose" of the ignition lock.
  1. Make sure the key is inserted and in the OFF position.
  2. Rotate the lock barrel in your hand until you can see the tiny tension pin that holds the "nose" onto the main assembly. In this photo, the pin is partially pressed out so you can see it better:

    Use the tiniest of your jewelers screw drivers to gently tap and press the tension pin out.
  3. Once the pin is out, the nose will separate from the main assembly.

  4. Replace the nose piece using one scavenged from another known-good unit. In my case, I happened to have an excellent condition 924S lock barrel on hand, and its nose piece was in much better condition than the original. Here's a comparison pic: the worn nose piece is on the left, the replacement piece is on the right. Notice how the original unit is pretty much worn completely flat. This is why I wasn't getting reliable, consistent contact!!!

  5. Press the tension pin back into the lock barrel assembly.
  6. Reassemble the lock barrel and cylinder, reversing the steps described above. Make sure you leave the key IN the lock cylinder throughout the procedure.
  7. When you reinstall the lock cylinder assembly onto the steering shaft, you have to turn the key to the ACC position to cause the lock pin to detract, otherwise you will not be able to get the assembly back onto the shaft all the way.

_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rasta Monsta  



Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 11723
Location: PacNW

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You've got way more patience than me. . .when I needed this job done the whole assembly went straight to the locksmith!
_________________
Toofah King Bad
  • WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My local locksmith is closed on the weekends, and I was dying to try out the new boost controller and water/meth injection kit! Strong motivation to figure it out myself, otherwise, I would have done the same thing!
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
pmcaya2  



Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 183
Location: Scio, NY USA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! Rebuilding the engine would be much easier than swapping out the key cylinder.

Did you mention that 'crawling under the dash" of a 924 is painful? I did a similar repair on a Jeep Cherokee and it was like doing brain surgery upside down.

My ignition is a little weird - the radio and some other electricals come on just by inserting the key. I'm not sure if this is normal, but if it's not, I'm not inclined to fix it. - Peter
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
ideola  



Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15548
Location: Spring Lake MI

PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 1:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

pmcaya2 wrote:
My ignition is a little weird - the radio and some other electricals come on just by inserting the key.


Not weird at all, that is the default behavior. The radio and seatbelt alarm/buzzer are on a special "key-in" circuit. This was the whole reason I did this operation was because the nub on the end of the lock cylinder was worn down to the extent that it wasn't making contact, and was interrupting that circuit. I also use the "key-in" circuit to power my digital AFR, digital boost gauge, volt meter, and the water/meth injection pump. All of my other added accessories are on the ACC circuit, which comes on when you turn the key forward.
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Nobbi  



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 1379
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello,

is it for a 944 and 944S2 the same procedure and parts?

In the Parts catalog for a 944S2 i couldt not find the ignition switch and suroundings?

I have the Problem that on my S2 the Ign.switch doesnt make good contact to the X-relais and even fried that one.....

Thanks,

Nobbi
_________________
NA 924 - april/1977- 4-speed-audi gearbox.
500.000 km with fun.....and new toy:Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet.Other car Daimler c-class cabby,brandnew..Plus : DEUTZ 4005 tractor Built 1969
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
musicalannette  



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 413
Location: UK

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:19 pm    Post subject: Thank you Reply with quote

this was fantastically helpful, I ordered a set of golf mk2 keys and door handle parts, the door handles were "use some golf parts and some old 924 bits" to make it work but the ignition barrel was a straight swap and is exactly the same as a mk2 golf.

IIRC with the handles, the old 924 handle had to be used as the retaining protrusions were slightly different on the golf, the new mk2 golf lock insert fitted in a treat to the old 924 handle, the mk2 golf lock plate was the same, but the door release pivot that the pushrod connects to that operates the door release catch was slightly different (The golf will foul) and the 924 one must be used, the new mk2 pads the handle sits on were very very usable though. The metal (yes these were supplied with metal inserts for 20 quid)) handle inserts have slightly different tab spacings but can be epoxy glued on with great success if you carefully file off the obstructing tabs.

this was really really helpful. and made the lock swap a one drill job. probably more luck than judgment, but if you look carefully at the excellent photos, taking into account the casting marks, you can see which side to drill and if you use your new lock as a reference of how far down the spring clip is and where the spring sits in relation to the angle of the keyslot withe the key removed, It might even not be considered luck.....but dont ask me to do it again in 1 drill!

thanks again.
_________________
I KNEW white wall tyres were invented by Americans .....just not at Boeing.... to be fitted on the 737.....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Mitragorz  



Joined: 30 Jun 2014
Posts: 27
Location: Manorville, NY

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to dig up an old thread...

I'm trying to replace my ignition switch, but I just can't seem the get the damn thing to come off the steering column. I'm pretty sure I understand all the steps... The only one that had me scratching my head was the pinch bolt. I'm pretty sure I found the correct one, since I didn't see any other allen bolts in sight, but mine was 6mm as opposed to 4mm. This is the bolt, correct?






Or maybe I misread step #13... I was trying to remove the large plastic surround... Was there something else down by the bearing I should've been looking for? I removed a snap-ring that was down there, but I don't recall anything plastic.

It's too laet now to go out and check... Everything's back together (I need to drive the car home...) and it's beer time.
_________________
1980 924 N/A
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rasta Monsta  



Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 11723
Location: PacNW

PostPosted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You need to put the snap ring back on and remove that black plastic spacer tube. I use channel locks and carefully work it off.
_________________
Toofah King Bad
  • WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Mitragorz  



Joined: 30 Jun 2014
Posts: 27
Location: Manorville, NY

PostPosted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, I'll dig into it again in the next few days. Is the spacer tube visible in my first pic?
_________________
1980 924 N/A
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rasta Monsta  



Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 11723
Location: PacNW

PostPosted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, the black tube slipped over your steering shaft.
_________________
Toofah King Bad
  • WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    924Board.org Forum Index -> How-To All times are GMT + 10 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group