Help! 93 Prizm steering wheel locked and key will not turn!

[DLW]

Hello all.
In a bit of a jam here. I have a 93 Geo Prizm LSI 1.8 cyl. automatic trans. I put out on the street yesterday and when I went to go pull it back in the driveway, the key would not turn. I tried to move the wheel a little and moved it far enough to lock it. So, the steering is locked and the key will not turn at all. Even if I put pressure side to side on the wheel the key will not budge.

I need to get the car off the steet(in front of mailbox) ASAP. Looking to avoid a tow and labor charge if possible. I tried to undo battery cable hoping that may reset something, did not work. Looking for any help on this issue. Thank you! Dave

[GTChink]

Pull key out, and retry..don't force it... try wiggling the wheel at the same time as trying to turn the key. Try a few times just don't panic. IF all fails, release parking brake, push the little button on the shifter so you can move the shifter to Neutral and with help of a family member or friend, push car away from mailbox.

[NWMO 95 Prizm Lsi]

DLW,

Try another key if you have a spare. May have to jiggle it, try with the key at different depths (all the way in, pull out a 1/16" and try again). Good luck.

Nothing electrical here, just mechanical.

Chris

[speedy25]

Another thing that goes a long way is LUBRICATION. Its easy for your tumblers to get stuck in the lock cylinder. I use Lock Ease. Pour a little on the key and push/pull it in and out the lock a few times. Repeat a few times.

-SP

[DLW]

Unable to turn key at all, so unable to press button on shifter to get it into nuetral unfortunately. Tried moving the wheel and the key at different depths, flipping the key over. Only have one key. Tried all the combinations I could think off. Wondering if the lock cylinder just went bad?

[Salami1947]

Your Ignition Key Cylinder is the problem, same thing happened to my Geo.
It's a easy fix, but you have to put the key into the ACC position to release the pin that holds the cylinder in. If you can't get it into ACC you have to drill the pin out. Good Luck

[Bitter]

will the steering wheel wiggle against the lock at all?

[GTChink]

Originally Posted by DLW

Unable to turn key at all, so unable to press button on shifter to get it into nuetral unfortunately. Tried moving the wheel and the key at different depths, flipping the key over. Only have one key. Tried all the combinations I could think off. Wondering if the lock cylinder just went bad?

Not the button on the actual shifter, the one above the "P" hidden under the little pop out plate like the one shown here, the little black slit.