Ignition/steering lock ,318is

Tue Mar 20, 2012 4:35 pm

Hey all,

Had a problem a couple of weeks ago, got in the car at 4am to set off for the airport on holiday, and the key wouldnt turn in the ignition.

Im thinking its the barrel, rather than the steering lock stuck, since the key wont turn at all. I have another ignition (still in another car) and I was just wondering how tough this is to swap.
The car has an immobiliser which might complicate matters somewhat.
There has been no inkling that the lock was on its way out, it just chose to lock me out when I really needed it!

Anyway, is this easy>? or is there anyone around Pompey that you could reccomend to sort it? Im a bit stuck as the car cant go anywhere at the moment.

Thanks guys

Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:32 pm

bumpage

Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:43 pm

Four in the morning. Sure you picked up the right key? Whenever I get this problem, it usually means I'm sitting in the wrong car!
Have you tried some WD40 in the lock? Not the best thing to put in locks (should be graphite), but it might free things up.
Lock barrel can only be removed when it's turned to position 1.

Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:44 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:Four in the morning. Sure you picked up the right key? Whenever I get this problem, it usually means I'm sitting in the wrong car!
Have you tried some WD40 in the lock? Not the best thing to put in locks (should be graphite), but it might free things up.
Lock barrel can only be removed when it's turned to position 1.

Thanks for the reply.

I just went out and gave it a squirt of WD. No joy. Believe me I was also convinced I had the wrong key! Luckily the old faithful 318i LUX ALWAYS works, so no harm done. The iS has been perfect for 6 months until this fateful moment. Strange that there was no dodginess leading up to it. Just suddenly stuck locked and key unable to turn. I can say the wheel used to need a little wiggle to disengage the lock, but I dont think this is that unusual is it?
Im sure you can imagine the dread at 4am, plane to catch and only an ancient 318i that has sat motionless for 5 months (since I got the iS) as the only option for carriage!

Thing is, it definately feels like something mechanical stopping the key turning. To be honest it really feels like the steering lock does before it disengages, only it wont disengage! Key will not turn at all, with only the play you might expect if you turned it without giving the wheel a little wiggle, that you do to disengage the lock.

Very strange really, in my experience keys and barrells usually give you a bit of time where it feels a bit dodgy before failing totally, so maybe Im wrong that its the barrell, and something else has gone or likely got stuck.

In your vast experience, do you think Ill have any joy taking off the plastic and looking to see if anything is broken in there? Could the security steering lock actually be broken or stuck on somehow? Ive done alot of Google searching on it, and havent found anything really relevant. Maybe there is a part inside the column plastic cover that needs a squirt of WD and some working free?

Anyway, day off tomorrow, and I will be investigating this. Ill leave my other ignition switch/barrel etc in the other car for now until Ive pinned down what has happened.

Ill put up some pics if I find anything 'interesting'.

Thanks Brian!

Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:02 pm

Steering wheel won't come off with the steering lock engaged, so you'd have to break the plastic off, and there's nothing really to see underneath - all the lock mechanism is totally enclosed under alloy, and the whole lot is held on to the column by a bolt with a sheared off head.
If you can remove this bolt, you might be able to slide the lock assembly up and off the column, and then the wheel will fall off (having removed the 22mm nut first and the electrical part of the ignition switch, of course.)