So I pull into work on Friday, open the door, turn the key off- uh, what the hell? The Key Wouldn't Turn!!! I must've looked confused as hell. The engine was running and I couldn't turn the key backwards. I tried the key forwards, and it would turn- but that would kick the starter in, so I didn't turn it all the way. I tried tapping, then hitting, the sides of the column- still no good. I thought, Okay, the ignition switch rod is probably bent.

I pulled to the back of the lot, where nobody was parked, opened my door again, and ripped down the driver's side panels below the steering wheel (hush panel above the feet, and the front trim panel). Felt above for the ignition key lock; the rod felt straight. Hm. So I popped the hood and pulled the fuel pump/ECM fuse- the car stopped. I figured I'd make sure I could start it again, so I put the fuse back in, got in the car, and turned the key forward- DAMMIT! Key wouldn't turn forward now!!

I figured the rod inside the column was really bent, or maybe the ignition-lock-to-lock-rod "rack" was broken. Asked my coworker, he asked the first thing "Is the steering wheel stuck to the side"? I laughed, said no, it's not that, the car turns. He said he had something like that happen to an old car of his; a locksmith changed the ignition lock for him, and it was fine.

So you can read about my Macguyver-like mission to get my car started, and see pictures of a column disassembly, and get part numbers, and all that other fun stuff over on the tech board, the message is https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...postid=1160651 .

At least I have a brand new key, though!

 

Yep, been there.
When the key rack goes, it's gone. WHAT'S WORSE..
The part is a cast piece, so I'm surprised it lasts as long as it does.
There's nothing ya can do about it, at all, except as ya discovered.
Has happened in my Blazer, twice.
Not yet in the Firebird.
Tom, I just got over why the car dies while driving (alternator & ICMs frying!)
WHY YA JINX ME !?!?!?!

 

When I first got my car it had the "floppy" tilt wheel.
Well after fixing the flop one day I went out to start the car, and sure enough the key had stopped turning forward

So I had to do the old "Macguyver-like mission " and pull apart the column as you did. Man thank *** my dad has a nice array of tools, it was only an hour job to change and have it all back together.

 

one day i was online with the car at the gas pump with the car off waiting for people in front of me to finish. well time came to move up and i could turn the key at all. took like 5 minutes of jiggling for it to finally turn. im thinking of just scraping the ignition switch and using some sort of finger print ID pad to start the car

 

LOL, Karl! Hey, that rack is CAST? Yipes; maybe I should've picked one of those up, too.

Joe, I'm so glad I don't have a tilt wheel. The guy at the parts counter was a bit surprised when I told him "no, it's a standard column". I also don't have cruise control- and I'm not complaining for either one! How'd you get the blinker switch to get out of the way enough? Did you unbolt the bottom bracket from the column? I expected to find a small connector for the turn signals, not the huge SOB (at least 4 inches wide) at the base of the column!

Tek, -that- would be damn cool. I programed an interface for our fingerprint time clocks at work when we were "between systems", that biometric technology is sweet. I'd love one for a home security system, or hell, just a garage door opener.

 

I don't remember there being a big problem with the blinker switch. I remember I unscrewed it and pulled it back, got the key screw out, and carried on. Who knows they maybe slightly different in the tilt wheel.

 

Tom, you mean you DID NOT REPLACE THE RACK?
It's part of the rebuild kit for the steering column, from GM.
Yeah, it's cast, yeah it breaks.

 

HEy tomb i had to do the same my key would not come out at all..good thing car was shut off it went to off positions but wount come out lol...had to pole sterring wheel put new ignition in..fixed it like new...hey what gages do you ahve in your pod..and what shifter is that..i want a shifter like that got some more pics plz!!

 

LOL.. tom.. had the same thing happen to me before with my 6.. while I was out of town, none the less.. fortunately I was out of town to visit my dad drove back to his place, popped the hood, pulled the ignition coil supply *poof* car's off. Pull neg battery. Yank steering wheel and replace ignition cylinder next day. Fortunate thing, really, since the cylinder has to be in "on" to remove it

 

Tom,
I'm sorry for going off topic, but I was looking at the post that you linked to an noticed in the second picture that there are what look like gauges on the driver's side window/door post (or brace or whatever the term would be). Is that some kind of aftermarket trim piece that replaces the stock one? Or is it something you made yourself? In the picture it looks like it is all one unit, it looks pretty slick. What gauges are on it?
Thanks.

 

Yeah, the original rack is still in there.... I'll be diving into the column again this spring to put a new wheel on- I love my factory steering wheel, and never wanted to replace it- but like I've said a few times already, the car has been unchanged for a while. Time for change!

Firebird13, the gauges are Summit mechanicals, 2 1/16", one is oil pressure, one is water temp. I'll be throwing Autometer gauges (probably the Z-series) in this spring (they'll be mechanical, too). The shifter is a B&M Megashifter; installed it myself. Had to cut the console top for the new shift plate though; the new shift plate fit perfectly between the bottom of the ashtray button, and the top of the power window switches.

Glad to see that others have had to replace that switch, too! Haha, I'm still so excited that I have a new ignition key... it's the second sentence out of my mouth if someone asks me if I fixed the car.

Does the cylinder have to be on? I know they mentioned something about the key buzzer switch, and the cylinder had to be "on"... but I removed/installed mine a few times with the ignition lock in different positions. The key buzzer doesn't work. I think something broke on that plastic switch; it wobbled around in the hole when I pulled it out. When the little chip would extend from the ignition lock, to depress the key buzzer, the key buzzer would rotate. Almost like the front of the buzzer was supported but the back wasn't? So I said "screw it" after 5 or 10 minutes because i was getting wet, and just installed it the way it was.

 

How much did that shifter caust?...and Why dont you have a tach gage??

adam!

 

O.K. so if my car doesn't wanna shut off, and after jiggling the key around, it still doesn't turn off, what is it that I pull in the engine compartment? And where is it located? Car is an '89 IROC-Z 350 TPI. -89IRO

 

That sounds like one of those rare breakage occurances. That kind of stuff happens, but you never figure it would happen to you.


Over Christmas break at home, 1 week before I had to start the semester, I wasn't able to put my car in park. I had to turn it off in neutral and the key would not come out in neutral, or any other gear except park, the one position I couldn't get my car in.

It turned out to be a broken plastic rod and plunger. I have never heard of this happening to anyone before, just like that ignition lock thing.

Your ignition must have been turned on and off quite a bit.

 

Bought it from Summit Racing back in '96... you can check their website for an updated price. And what do you mean? You can see my tach in those pictures!

89IRO, it's the fuel pump/ecm fuse, if you do a search on the tech board I think Vader has posted a picture of it. It's on the passenger side upper frame rail, near the front of the car.

devian, where was the plastic rod & plunger? On the shifter?

I'm starting to wonder what else might wear out on my car that would leave me screwed. So far, I've thought of the actual ignition switch (at the bottom of the steering column), the headlights switch, and the brakelights switch.

 

I did a search but couldn't find anything. Would it be in the area of the fan relay next to the coolant over-flow? If that's where it is, I just pull it, and the car dies? This won't cause any damage to anything? Then I just plug it back in and I'm good to go? -89IRO

 

What did you search for? I found all these links in about a minute:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=150382
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=142801 (this is where mine is)
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=136085
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=135254
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=123209
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=103635

...you get the idea...

You won't be totally good to go. Remember that your radio will still be powered up, your power windows will have power, rear defroster, etc. Also you should unplug the gray connector from your remote coil; leaving the ignition on for a long period of time can overheat the ignition module. The gray connector powers up the whole ignition system (via the pink/black wire which comes off the ignition switch).

 

Yeah I did a search but came up with nothing- thanks TomP. So I guess the thing I was confusing with the fan relay is really the fuel pump fuse housing. If the fuel pump in our cars in mounted in-tank, why the hell is the fuse up near the front of the car? So there are two things for the fuel pump, the fuse box (near front of car) and fuel pump relay (firewall)- If I have a problem turning off the car, I un-plug the fuse, not the relay, right? And I won't hurt anything by doing this right? So that will turn off the engine, which is good, but then what do I do about getting the key out? Oh well, this hasn't happend yet, but you always have to be prepared. -89IRO

 

I had to take my car to the local shop because I needed my car to go back to school so I wouldn't miss my classes.


The plunger part was in the shifter. I don't know exactly where or how the rod was connected.