Ignition switch stuck!

[wingtime]

While working on the XJ last night I went to start it. The key wouldn't budge. So I pushed the gear shifter forward to make sure it was in park all the way. Still stuck. Tried wiggling the steering wheel thinking the lock was bound up. Nothing. Popped the gear shifter cover off and wiggled the safety interconnect cables. Still stuck.

I endeded up pulling the steering wheel, and the turnsignal assembly. After probing around and pushing "tabs and Buttons" in the column the key turned.

How do I get the key tumbler out of the steering column to replace it? When we bought the XJ it was from an impound. The original key tumbler had been removed since they didn't have a key to it. They had a key tumbler that had some tabs ground off of it that you could stick in and out of the column and start the jeep with out a key. I had sitting in the bottom of my tool box a new key tumbler that someone had given me for my CJ. I stuck that in the coloumn and it just snapped in place and has been working fine untill now. I think that my be the problem since it may not be the right tumbler for the XJ. Is there a special tool to remove it?

Has anyone had a similer problem? and if so how did you fix it?

Thanks!

 

[AZ Jeff]

I assume you are talking about the 1990 XJ in your sig line.

If that's the case, your year XJ has a GM manufactured steering column. To remove the lock cylinder, go to the following web site:

http://www.chevyasylum.com/column/tiltcol.html

Although this site covers fixing a GM tilt wheel column, the procedures to get to the lock cylinder apply to all GM columns of that vintage.

My lock cylinder was held in by a torx head screw that is only accessible after removing the turn signal switch.

 

[Pioneer89]

Sorry I dont have much insight on your post Wing, but i would like to thank Jeff BIGTIME for that link. I was haveing a helluva time getting my column back togeather, and that was Perfect for showing me what I needed to know.
Sorry for post-jacking, I just needed to give some props

Thanks
Jeff

 

[wingtime]

Thanks for the link Jeff! Thats a great site!

I managed to fix the problem. It turns out there were several things working against me.

As I mentioned the XJ came from a impound lot. They had pulled the original key cylinder so it could be started with a gutted out key cylinder. It turns out that the new lock cylinder I stuck in there was for a CJ and not an XJ. While it did work for a while it wasn't quite right and jammed up.

When I pulled the column apart to take out the cylinder we couldn't find a way to release the "CJ" cylinder. No screw holding it in or anything. It turns out the CJ cylinder has a detent you have to push in to release it. Well, this was hard to find in a XJ column! (yes I was yelling some four letter words for a while!) Finally we were able to pop out the offending cylinder. When reassembling the whole works we couldn't find the screw that retains the lock cylinder. Finally we found it, in all places but in the glove box. Turns out the towing company had pulled to column apart too and had the presence of mind to put the screw some place safe.

Thanks for the link!