Camry ignition switch Q

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BionicCruiser

BionicCruiser

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a little off topic, but Toyota related. the ignition switch in our Camry froze. of course, it was while Jill and i were at the BB King concert. thanks to Steve H for coming to get us!

i have the dash apart trying to remove the cylinder, but to get the cylinder out it has to be in accessory position. the key won't move to accessory. so i figured to remove the whole assembly to get at it better. the bolt heads for the bracket are round cones! the hex head part was removed, probably at the factory. so now i have no idea how to get this thing apart. :mad:

any ideas???
 
Usually when you can't turn the key it's because the steering wheel has tension on it. Have you tried moving it back and forth to see if the column will unlock?
 
Yep, no less than 6 people have tried to get it to turn. the steering wheel is not the problem. that's the first thing i usually try. good suggestion, but it's definitely dropped a tumbler or something. i shot WD40 into it too.
 
yeah too small for that. i already tried the pliers, vicegrips.
i called Am. Toy. service and he said drill it out. I guess that is my project for today.:wrench:
 
BionicCruiser said:
NOT! i broke a drill bit off down in there now.:bang:
i have it with me at work now. i'll be pulling the steering wheel and all.
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This is shaping up to be almost as big a hassle as when I had a bolt seize up in the crankcase of the Accord when I was attempting to remove the axle carrier bracket so I could replace a leaking axle seal. Then I tried to drill out the bolt and ended up drilling off-center and completely through the crankcase. Then I had to remove the oil pan, oil splash cover and main bearing caps to get access to the back of the hole to plug it and remove all the metal filings.....
 
Well if all else fails, you can grind off the heads of the bolts, then use an easy out on the stud. PB Blaster is your friend for sure. Actually this may make your life easier, that is if you can get to the heads of the bolts.
Sounds like a fun challenge!!
I once broke a tap off in an engine block, tried to drill that out and broke the drill bit off in there. After 3 bits on my dremel tool, I finally got it out!!
I spent two hours re-tapping that hole, was scared to break another tap.
Daisy
 
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i actually got the bit out! it kind of shattered when it broke off. however, all my drill bits are now dull. time to invest in a sharpener and some better quality bits. i haven't gotten down far enough to get the cylinder to turn, but maybe tomorrow...
 
There are only two ways I know of to get those cylinders out. First try tapping on the back of the key while trying to turn it. A little lubrication inside the cylinder may also help, what happens is that the tumblers get worn and stuck. Tapping and lubing may get them unstuck enough that you can turn the cylinder and remove it.

The other way is to use a punch and hammer to drive the retainer pin far enough in that the cylinder can slide out. The pin can be seen through a hole in the bottom of the housing, it's round and brass-colored. Usually, once you see that the pin has moved, pry on the edge of the cylinder to get it to move outward. One word of caution: STUFF MAY BREAK!!

Removing the housing will not really get you anywhere, except you can then clamp it in a vise. Those are called break-off bolts and CDan can get you new ones. Just drill right in the center and use an easy out. The ones I use are a real short quick-twist style easy out, so you don't need a deep hole. The bolt head is where all the tension is, so once you get it to move, it should come right out.

If the cylinder comes out without hammering/damage just have a locksmith replace the tumblers. If you buy a new cylinder, and want to keep the same key, you will have to take it to a locksmith anyway.
 
i got it all done. the only problem is that i drilled a hair to far and nicked the tab at the end that the cylinder turns. the new cylinder works fine until the tab works it's way into the slot and gets stuck not allowing the key to go into lock so you can get the key out. that's much easier to deal with, because the car will start and we can get home. also, the cylinder can be pulled out. i am working on a ghetto fix for that, but had to go to work again.

thanks ToyotaDon for that info. i already had the sucker drilled out, but good for next time. we are just going to use 2 keys, like the GM style.:D
 
Shawn,

Was your cylinder on the steering column or on the dash? Mine is on the dash and getting to it looks like a major PITA.
 
pappy said:
Was your cylinder on the steering column or on the dash? Mine is on the dash and getting to it looks like a major PITA.
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dash. it wasn't too bad once you take the bottom section of the dash off. 4 bolts and 1 screw. still not easy, but much better.
to drill it, i had to remove the steering wheel. you need a steering wheel puller to do that.
 
Shawn-

Bring me the ignition cylinder and both keys and I can make it match the existing key for the doors and trunk in about 15 minutes.

I'm the shop pro at re-keying ignition cylinders. I just did one today, in fact...

Ryan
 
Its here Jan 14, 2009 and i can't get my key to ACC and can't get the tumbler off. hot wired and can move the car but steering still locking up until I jiggle key. All info led the way...hopefully I will somehow get key past ACC. No big deal to remove the breakoff bolts?
 
CamRay said:
Its here Jan 14, 2009 and i can't get my key to ACC and can't get the tumbler off. hot wired and can move the car but steering still locking up until I jiggle key. All info led the way...hopefully I will somehow get key past ACC. No big deal to remove the breakoff bolts?
Click to expand...

drill it out. just be careful not to drill too deep. once you get a drill big enough in there, the release pin will fall out or you can break it/push it up to release the cylinder. a new cylinder is cheaper and easier to do than removing the whole assembly.
i had to use a steering wheel puller to get the steering wheel off. Autozone has a free tool use program that i used.
 
Got the key to Acc with a little extra torque. Parts of the old tumbler the half pieces didnt work so now i have less tumblers in effect and the key comes out in any position. A locksmith can fix this? Lucky it happened at home!

Thanks!
 
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