Car broken into, damaged ignition tumbler, help!

[SUPRMSC]

Hello all,

I'm new here, but certainly not new to Toyotas (current have two Lexus SC300, and a 96 Toyota Corolla).

Recently my car was broken into and the thief decided it was a good idea and jam up the ignition tumbler pretty good with some crude picking tools.

My key goes in, but does not go even a bit to the right. I tried various methods such as air compressing anything out of there, spraying a generous amount of WD40 on the key and some inside. Of course all of this while holding the steering wheel to the left and right.

My last resort is to get an ignition tumbler, but unfortunately I read that you will need to get it to ACC before switching them out, so that idea is pretty much out the window at the moment.

Does anyone have any other ideas or solutions to help me out?

Thank you very much

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Welcome to the forums!

Sorry to hear about what happened to your car, although at least it's a good thing the stupid thief didn't get away with your Corolla. You are very correct in saying that the key needs to be in the ACC position before you can depress the retaining pin and remove the ignition tumbler. So in your case, the only way I can think of removing it is by drilling it out with a sharp drill piece. Although before doing that, try wedging a flat-head screwdriver in there (even if you have to hammer it in a bit) as there's a good chance the thief could have just bent some metal in the tumbler which is stopping the key from turning. Give the screwdriver a bit of a wiggle to make sure.

If all else fails then you'll most likely have to get a mobile locksmith to come out and have a go at it. They do it all the time and know all the tricks to get it out. Even try giving them a quick call and they might be able to give you some advice over the phone for free. Best of luck with getting it fixed.

[cipher93]

One last thing to try is to get some liquid graphite. Do this with latex gloves on in the grass and be careful as it gets everywhere. Coat your key with it, and then gently wipe off the excess. Then try the key in there for a few minutes and then try to turn it. It's likely the lock is damaged and this won't do much, but at least try in case there may be a little debris in there or something is jammed. It's typically more effective for something like this than WD40.

[SCT]

Not sure if the ign cyl is similar to the AE92, but I noticed this in the junkyard one day because it had been jacked...

The bastard pry'd and ripped out the part of the ign cyl that turns with the key. All you see is a hole about the circumference of a dime and a groove inside that looks tempting for a screwdriver. Since your ign cyl may be screwed anyways, complete the bastards job, it should allow you to turn it with a screwdriver.

My car got broken into twice before, luckily they didn't want the car. Only my sound system, but that was costly enough.... Both times. One bastard I went to elem and high school with.

[Rip The E Brake]

your gonna have to drill it out.

[SUPRMSC]

Kiwi, thank you very much for your reply and warm welcome. I will give a blacksmith a call to see what he can do for me.

CJ, I will attempt to do that after purchasing some liquid graphite from a local hardware store. This is perhaps one of the easier options I have at the moment,

Rip do you have any idea how to drill it out? Is it as simple as using a corded driver with a big drill bit and just destroying the internals?


Thank you everyone!

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by SUPRMSC

Kiwi, thank you very much for your reply and warm welcome. I will give a blacksmith a call to see what he can do for me.

You're very welcome. In addition to what I was saying earlier about using a large flat-head screwdriver, get a pair of vice grips and try turning the end of the screwdriver with it in the tumbler (as the leverage from your hand won't be strong enough) and it just might be enough to get the key to the ACC position which will allow you to take it out the easy way.

As for the drilling, it's best to get a marker pen and draw an 'X' on the ignition tumbler so you know exactly where the center is. Then you get a strong, sharp drill piece (around the same thickness as the lock's opening) and drill until the small lock bar either comes loose or breaks (be sure to wear appropriate eye-wear when drilling). This should allow the tumbler to slide out freely and easily. Alternatively, just get the blacksmith out and he'll do it within a matter of minutes, probably without the need for drilling as they have various pick tools and techniques. Keep us posted with how you get on .

[SCT]

You guys mean locksmith? Not blacksmith.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Originally Posted by SCT

You guys mean locksmith? Not blacksmith.

I said locksmith in my first post, but because the member who started this thread said blacksmith in their reply I said the same thing in my second post to avoid any confusion .

[SUPRMSC]

Sorry about that, I ment locksmith haha, seems like I've been playing too many games.

[speedy25]

Pay the price and have a locksmith handle the problem. They have techniques to remove lock parts we have no clue about. A good guy can remove your trashed lock and replace it with a good one and maybe even match it to your current key too.

-SP