please help a girl out, ignition problems

[skyla]

Hi all,
I'm new to these fourms and new to commodores, I recently got a 1991 VN Executive, I've only had it a week and I'm already having problems with it, I went to start it a couple days ago and the key wouldn't turn, the whole ignition barrel has seized up . I've spent a few hours searching the fourms and reading numerous posts on the topic (looks to be a common fault), hoping to find a solution to my problem, I've tried practically all of the things suggested on these fourms, but still nothing has worked, and to make matters worse the steering lock is now locked on
I'm pretty sure the ignition barrel is shot, but how do I get the old one out so I can get the new one in?

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated

[sircruisealotVS]

this may sound daft, but have you tried moving the steering wheel (i realise its locked up) while trying to turn the key?

[bush_basha]

yeh excatly what sircruisealot said, wringle steering wheel back and forths while trying to turn the ignition, might work

[vks]

heya same thing happend 2 my s pack i sprayed wd40 in the barrel n it worked sum ppl told me 2 spray it sum ppl said dont spray it that it will stuff it up but i took a shot and it worked worth a try, it worked 4 me . Goodluck with ya commie

[skyla]

Yep that was one of the first thing I tried, rocking the steering wheel side to side while trying to turn the key, I've also lubricated the barrel, nothing seems to be working

[sircruisealotVS]

fair enough, just thought id ask the obvious to start with. if you dont know anyone that can do it for you and you cant do it yourself id say to get one of those mobile locksmiths to come round and set you up with a new ignition barrel (or possibly fix yours if its just something simple). another option would be to go down to a wreckers and get a ignition barrel, door locks and "hopefully" the key that goes to all that stuff and swap it over on your car.

[adam69]

The housing breaks inside(normal wear and tear).You may need to replace the housing too.How hard are parts to get over there?

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

If it id the original key then it is 16 years old....a fair bit of wear and tear. The grind of the key is designed to move pins in the barrel to unlock it, if the key is worn the pins won't move far enough to turn the ignition. Have you got a spare key? If not, got to a lock smith and get a new key cut. There should be a number on the key, this will tell the locksmith which grind to use.

[skyla]

Thanks for all the suggestions, The key does look a little worn but still works perfectly on the doors and boot lock, sadly I only got one key when I got the car and don't yet have a spare, I'll get another key cut and give that a try.
Just in case the new key doesn't work how hard is it to remove the housing? I've had a look and can't see any obvious nuts or bolts to undo to get it off the steering column.

[defa]

they barrel is easy to get out. there is a little hole where ya can put a small screw driver and the barrel just pops out.. ya gotta take all the plastic off first..

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

they barrel is easy to get out. there is a little hole where ya can put a small screw driver and the barrel just pops out.. ya gotta take all the plastic off first..

Don't you need to have the key in the on position to pull the barrel out though?

[defa]

ha ha ha.. yeah probably. i couldn't remember that part..
find a good car theif. they will help ya out.. ya car might not be there the next day though

[skyla]

Thanks every one for your help, after alot of time spent trying to get the ignition barrel out, I call a locksmith in to fix the problem, even he had issues with it look him quite a while to remove the barrel (he said it was the most difficuilt one he's done to date). It turned out both the key and the barrel were very worn.

Thanks again
Rach

[14secvp]

Least your back cruizing again.Lots of us kiwis here make yourself known theres a thread named "join now" its some of the kiwis on here.