brian47
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 8,867
A few days ago my ignition lock wouldnt turn. Ah ha I thought, steering lock sticking it, just wiggle the steering wheel back and forth and itll free up. Oh yeah? No such luck.
When I did get the lock to turn, after much wiggling of the key and not an insignificant amount of foul language I was able to drive home and take a better look. I found that applying some pressure to the key while wiggling it up and down did release the lock, and that method is currently giving me access until a new lock can be delivered and fitted.
The jamming of the lock is nothing to do with the steering column lock, but more a problem with the actual barrel of the lock itself; the key goes almost to its full extent into the lock, but not quite all the way, not enough to enable the lock to turn. Closer examination of the trouble and much searching on Google, it would seem to be a pretty well known problem.
When the key is pushed into the lock, it has to pass through some brass gates which then set to high or low depending on the profile of the key which then allows the lock to turn. With age, some of these gates can become worn and/or damaged, particularly the very last one at the bottom of the barrel. I tried to clean up the workings of the lock by injecting some IPA into it, then gave it a squirt of PTFE dry lube with no success.
There would seem to be at least four ways of dealing with the problem:
A new lock set from LR, matched to the VIN of the vehicle but that costs about £260 and can take up to a fortnight since they have to order the assembly from France.
Removing the lock and taking it to pieces to remove those little brass gates; that can involve drilling out a small rivet, little springs flying everywhere and when its all back together, being able to turn the lock with anything . Not an ideal solution from the security point of view.
Removing the lock and taking it to an auto locksmith for repairs, costs about £30 apparently, but I dont know of one in this area, and how do I get there with the Disco unable to start cos Ive got the ignition lock in my pocket?
A new lock assembly from one of the sellers on that auction website; cost about £70. Downside the old key wont fit so thatll mean another key blade cut to fit to the two button fob or carrying two keys. A small price to pay and the supplier of the replacement lock does supply a blank blade for the purpose as well as two keys.
Since the old key would only be required to open the drivers door using the EKA code in the event of a central locking fault I am tempted to get the blade cut.
Actual replacement of the lock assembly looks fairly straightforward, once the security bolts have been loosened off, others who have done the job reckon that a small cold chisel or a centre punch and hammer need to be used to drive the heads of the bolts to a point where they can be removed with a mole wrench or pliers . Time will tell.
Others advise using a Dremel with a small disc in it to cut some screwdriver slots in the heads. Once that has been done it just looks like turning it off the steering column, unplugging it and fitting the new lock.
When I did get the lock to turn, after much wiggling of the key and not an insignificant amount of foul language I was able to drive home and take a better look. I found that applying some pressure to the key while wiggling it up and down did release the lock, and that method is currently giving me access until a new lock can be delivered and fitted.
The jamming of the lock is nothing to do with the steering column lock, but more a problem with the actual barrel of the lock itself; the key goes almost to its full extent into the lock, but not quite all the way, not enough to enable the lock to turn. Closer examination of the trouble and much searching on Google, it would seem to be a pretty well known problem.
When the key is pushed into the lock, it has to pass through some brass gates which then set to high or low depending on the profile of the key which then allows the lock to turn. With age, some of these gates can become worn and/or damaged, particularly the very last one at the bottom of the barrel. I tried to clean up the workings of the lock by injecting some IPA into it, then gave it a squirt of PTFE dry lube with no success.
There would seem to be at least four ways of dealing with the problem:
A new lock set from LR, matched to the VIN of the vehicle but that costs about £260 and can take up to a fortnight since they have to order the assembly from France.
Removing the lock and taking it to pieces to remove those little brass gates; that can involve drilling out a small rivet, little springs flying everywhere and when its all back together, being able to turn the lock with anything . Not an ideal solution from the security point of view.
Removing the lock and taking it to an auto locksmith for repairs, costs about £30 apparently, but I dont know of one in this area, and how do I get there with the Disco unable to start cos Ive got the ignition lock in my pocket?
A new lock assembly from one of the sellers on that auction website; cost about £70. Downside the old key wont fit so thatll mean another key blade cut to fit to the two button fob or carrying two keys. A small price to pay and the supplier of the replacement lock does supply a blank blade for the purpose as well as two keys.
Since the old key would only be required to open the drivers door using the EKA code in the event of a central locking fault I am tempted to get the blade cut.
Actual replacement of the lock assembly looks fairly straightforward, once the security bolts have been loosened off, others who have done the job reckon that a small cold chisel or a centre punch and hammer need to be used to drive the heads of the bolts to a point where they can be removed with a mole wrench or pliers . Time will tell.
Others advise using a Dremel with a small disc in it to cut some screwdriver slots in the heads. Once that has been done it just looks like turning it off the steering column, unplugging it and fitting the new lock.
