Ignition Stuck! - 1995 Civic

On Jan 7, 9:58 pm, jim beam > wrote:
> wrote:
> > On Jan 7, 8:11 pm, jim beam > wrote:
> >> wrote:
> >>> Hi all,
> >>> I have an automatic 1995 Honda Civic. The ignition switch was replaced
> >>> 4 months ago after a burglar destroyed it with a screwdriver.
> >>> The ignition has been working until today. I cannot turn the key once
> >>> it is in the ignition. I've tried everything I read about on the
> >>> internet:
> >>> (1) Moving the steering wheel left and right while trying to turn the
> >>> key - the wheels are straight and the steering
> >>> wheel is unlocked
> >>> (2) Making sure the car is in the park position
> >>> (3) Shifting the car into neutral and letting it roll a couple inches
> >>> (4) Spraying WD-40 into the keyhole
> >>> Any other ideas?
> >> whoever replaced your ignition didn't do a complete job. there are a
> >> couple of interlock mechanisms built into the barrel and its housing.
> >> if the lock was forced, chances are, one of these interlocks was
> >> damaged. full repair in this situation requires either careful
> >> strip-down and examination of the entire mechanism, including the
> >> interlocks, and/or replacing the housing. you can often get these parts
> >> from a junkyard and save a lot of money as they can be expensive new.
>
> > Interesting... but, any idea why it suddenly stopped working 4 mo
> > later? The ignition was replaced 4 mo and I've had no problems until
> > yesterday morning.
>
> what was damaged is now broken. still need to get it fixed...

I'm not very knowledgeable about some of these terms. Sounds like I
don't need a new cylinder (which was replaced 4 mo ago), but perhaps a
new barrel and/or housing. Is this correct? A mechanic is looking at
my car now - just want to make sure he's not charging me for items I
don't need... Thanks again for the help.

wrote:
> On Jan 7, 9:58 pm, jim beam > wrote:
>> wrote:
>>> On Jan 7, 8:11 pm, jim beam > wrote:
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>> I have an automatic 1995 Honda Civic. The ignition switch was replaced
>>>>> 4 months ago after a burglar destroyed it with a screwdriver.
>>>>> The ignition has been working until today. I cannot turn the key once
>>>>> it is in the ignition. I've tried everything I read about on the
>>>>> internet:
>>>>> (1) Moving the steering wheel left and right while trying to turn the
>>>>> key - the wheels are straight and the steering
>>>>> wheel is unlocked
>>>>> (2) Making sure the car is in the park position
>>>>> (3) Shifting the car into neutral and letting it roll a couple inches
>>>>> (4) Spraying WD-40 into the keyhole
>>>>> Any other ideas?
>>>> whoever replaced your ignition didn't do a complete job. there are a
>>>> couple of interlock mechanisms built into the barrel and its housing.
>>>> if the lock was forced, chances are, one of these interlocks was
>>>> damaged. full repair in this situation requires either careful
>>>> strip-down and examination of the entire mechanism, including the
>>>> interlocks, and/or replacing the housing. you can often get these parts
>>>> from a junkyard and save a lot of money as they can be expensive new.
>>> Interesting... but, any idea why it suddenly stopped working 4 mo
>>> later? The ignition was replaced 4 mo and I've had no problems until
>>> yesterday morning.
>> what was damaged is now broken. still need to get it fixed...
>
> I'm not very knowledgeable about some of these terms. Sounds like I
> don't need a new cylinder (which was replaced 4 mo ago),

probably not, but be aware that if something is damaged, the cylinder
could also be damaged now. it's just a soft die-casting.


> but perhaps a
> new barrel and/or housing. Is this correct?

i'd say look at the housing first. there's a trick to getting the
barrel out in the first place - you need the key and there's a pin
located in a place you can't readily see - need to insert and twist key
to be able to push pin and remove cylinder. you can probably get the
cylinder out/in without knowing this, but the barrel mechanism could be
damaged in the process.

> A mechanic is looking at
> my car now - just want to make sure he's not charging me for items I
> don't need... Thanks again for the help.

the "safe" bet is to replace the housing and the whole locking
mechanism, even though it's a lot more expensive. if he has the honda
manual, the instructions on the locking mechanism and how to disassemble
are in the back of the section on the electrical system, not the
steering column section.

this stuff is real important to have working right - believe me, you
really don't want the steering lock mechanism to suddenly malfunction
when you're driving.