1990 4X4 ignition lock, key problem

I do not know which year it started, but take your vin number to a Chevy dealer, and they can make you a new key. I did it on a 97, and it was $15. my2cents

Just had one made for my girlfriend's 99 Cavalier. Cost me $12.

Al

The ignition on my 1980 Caprice Classic would sometimes not turn when I put the key in. One day I had to leave immediately and it decided to act up. In my desperation, I grabbed the vice grips laying on the passenger seat, clamped it onto the ignition (with key in place) and turned hard.

It started. In fact, I never had that problem again.

On a side note, I'd like to mention that I never had to use the key again either... ;-) The ignition worked fine with no key after that. I didn't expect that. But I was 16 and that car was seriously fugly to look at, and noone ever attempted to steal it. I don't know what the exact problem was with the switch on that car, but before I did this, you could turn the key just enough to unlock the steering wheel, remove it, then start the car normally...weird.

~jp

Dan wrote:

You didn't do anything to the switch which is not where the key is, but down at the bottom of the steering column, you stripped the tumblers out of the lock cylinder, which is why you never needed a key again

Whitelightning

Hi!

Sounds like a measure of desperation. :-)

A while back I more or less inherited a 1984 GMC Sierra pickup truck. While it runs well, the body is falling off. Anyway, over time the ignition keylock got to be more and more worn out. Then one day I found the key would just pull out. The locking mechanism itself still worked (if the switch was in the "lock" position, you'd need it to turn the switch out of there) but nothing else required the key to be in place.

Of course, after I discovered this, I drove the truck about 20 miles out of town with no key in the switch! I came so close to just blindly shutting it off before I realized that doing so wouldn't be such a great idea.

I still have the truck, and maybe one of these days I'll get around to restoring it. Then I'll fix the keyswitch, as I have heard people like to steal these trucks.

William

We had a 85 Suburban like that. As long as you didn't turn it to Lock, you were fine. The cylinder was worn enough even with a new key made from the VIN by the dealer, it would pull right out in Run. It got more lose after 3 years. Got to the point that if you didn't turn the steering wheel so the lock plate engaged, you didn't need the key to turn the cylinder from lock!

Charles

Thanks all for your input!!!

I'll try it on Monday and let you know.

Dan wrote in news:Xns98AF9AA5D2F75danhargravehotmailco@66.250.146.161:

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Yep... that's how the Caprice was. Before I busted it, it was as you guys describe. Once the ignition was turned past the 'lock' position, the key wasn't necessary. So the vice grips just "disabled" the lock function.

One time, this chick I worked with thought it'd be funny to "steal" that POS car. I never locked the doors, and rarely rolled up the windows. She hopped in while she was on break and hid my car behind the building. She then watched me freak out for about an hour while I tried to figure out what to tell my Dad... I was 16 at the time. Well, during all this, Dad comes in to say hello, and as calmly as possible, I acted as if nothing was wrong. I was sweating bullets. The girl apparently was freaking during this too, because she hadn't anticipated him coming in, and she knew if I told him it had been "stolen" that she'd have to cut in and tell the both of us exactly what in the hell she was doing driving my car around. She'd parked it right in front of the back door of the building, so that when I took out the trash, I'd find the car.

~jp