hey all.
my ignition keyswitch in my beloved '89 is getting worn out.
i have to "jiggle" the key to get the fan, windscreen wipers and power windows
to work - while the engine, stereo etc are still all good.
is getting a little scary - especially when it starts to rain...
do i remember reading somewhere that it's possible to fix this without replacing
the whole ignition switch - which oi'm sure is unpleasantly expensive?
any tips appreciated.
ken
ken newell
ignition swith problems.
ignition swith problems.
Ken Newell said:
For mine (an '89), it was just a matter of removing the switch
assembly and cleaning the contacts inside - maybe half an hour
including obsessive cleaning & photos.
There is only one screw holding the switch onto the lock part, and
it's on the left of the steering column. IIRC, the switch assembly
is held together by plastic clips which came apart easily by levering
with a small screwdriver (not like a lot of things which end up
breaking when you try to lever the clips).
I don't recall if the contact studs were plated or not, but the
moving contact pieces were plain copper. Brasso did a beautiful job
of cleaning it all up, then I washed them with soapy water (and made
sure not to get nasty corrosive fingerprints on them). I've had no
problems since.
I have photos of some of the job, if you're interested, but it really
is simple & I don't think pictures will make any difference (I just
liked the pretty shiny metal bits and had to take a photo). The only
possible use for a picture is if you get confused about which bits go
where, but they only fit one way, so a bit of fiddling will soon get
things in the right place.
I've heard of people claiming that a heavy set of keys can damage the
ignition switch by putting too much weight on it, causing problems as
above. I'm currently rather doubtful of this claim, but if cleaning
the switch doesn't fix things then maybe you'll have to check out the
lock end of things.
Karl.
My car had exactly the same symptoms, a couple of years ago.my ignition keyswitch in my beloved '89 is getting worn out. i have
to "jiggle" the key to get the fan, windscreen wipers and power
windows to work - while the engine, stereo etc are still all good.
is getting a little scary - especially when it starts to rain...
For mine (an '89), it was just a matter of removing the switch
assembly and cleaning the contacts inside - maybe half an hour
including obsessive cleaning & photos.
There is only one screw holding the switch onto the lock part, and
it's on the left of the steering column. IIRC, the switch assembly
is held together by plastic clips which came apart easily by levering
with a small screwdriver (not like a lot of things which end up
breaking when you try to lever the clips).
I don't recall if the contact studs were plated or not, but the
moving contact pieces were plain copper. Brasso did a beautiful job
of cleaning it all up, then I washed them with soapy water (and made
sure not to get nasty corrosive fingerprints on them). I've had no
problems since.
I have photos of some of the job, if you're interested, but it really
is simple & I don't think pictures will make any difference (I just
liked the pretty shiny metal bits and had to take a photo). The only
possible use for a picture is if you get confused about which bits go
where, but they only fit one way, so a bit of fiddling will soon get
things in the right place.
I've heard of people claiming that a heavy set of keys can damage the
ignition switch by putting too much weight on it, causing problems as
above. I'm currently rather doubtful of this claim, but if cleaning
the switch doesn't fix things then maybe you'll have to check out the
lock end of things.
Karl.
ignition swith problems.
Ken Newell said:
For mine (an '89), it was just a matter of removing the switch
assembly and cleaning the contacts inside - maybe half an hour
including obsessive cleaning & photos.
There is only one screw holding the switch onto the lock part, and
it's on the left of the steering column. IIRC, the switch assembly
is held together by plastic clips which came apart easily by levering
with a small screwdriver (not like a lot of things which end up
breaking when you try to lever the clips).
I don't recall if the contact studs were plated or not, but the
moving contact pieces were plain copper. Brasso did a beautiful job
of cleaning it all up, then I washed them with soapy water (and made
sure not to get nasty corrosive fingerprints on them). I've had no
problems since.
I have photos of some of the job, if you're interested, but it really
is simple & I don't think pictures will make any difference (I just
liked the pretty shiny metal bits and had to take a photo). The only
possible use for a picture is if you get confused about which bits go
where, but they only fit one way, so a bit of fiddling will soon get
things in the right place.
I've heard of people claiming that a heavy set of keys can damage the
ignition switch by putting too much weight on it, causing problems as
above. I'm currently rather doubtful of this claim, but if cleaning
the switch doesn't fix things then maybe you'll have to check out the
lock end of things.
Karl.
My car had exactly the same symptoms, a couple of years ago.my ignition keyswitch in my beloved '89 is getting worn out. i have
to "jiggle" the key to get the fan, windscreen wipers and power
windows to work - while the engine, stereo etc are still all good.
is getting a little scary - especially when it starts to rain...
For mine (an '89), it was just a matter of removing the switch
assembly and cleaning the contacts inside - maybe half an hour
including obsessive cleaning & photos.
There is only one screw holding the switch onto the lock part, and
it's on the left of the steering column. IIRC, the switch assembly
is held together by plastic clips which came apart easily by levering
with a small screwdriver (not like a lot of things which end up
breaking when you try to lever the clips).
I don't recall if the contact studs were plated or not, but the
moving contact pieces were plain copper. Brasso did a beautiful job
of cleaning it all up, then I washed them with soapy water (and made
sure not to get nasty corrosive fingerprints on them). I've had no
problems since.
I have photos of some of the job, if you're interested, but it really
is simple & I don't think pictures will make any difference (I just
liked the pretty shiny metal bits and had to take a photo). The only
possible use for a picture is if you get confused about which bits go
where, but they only fit one way, so a bit of fiddling will soon get
things in the right place.
I've heard of people claiming that a heavy set of keys can damage the
ignition switch by putting too much weight on it, causing problems as
above. I'm currently rather doubtful of this claim, but if cleaning
the switch doesn't fix things then maybe you'll have to check out the
lock end of things.
Karl.
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