Anybody change out a new style ignition switch??

I pulled the XJ (2000) in the driveway yesterday and parked it pointing down hill, wheels turned and with handbrake on...went out later and the key won't turn.

By accident, I first tried the Chrysler minivan so maybe that screwed it up. They're both Chryslers and the keys design is identical.

The correct key was occasionally giving me trouble also. Tried my spare key...still no workey. Tried everything to see if it was jammed.. steering wheel, shifter, even had my neighbor pull me from behind to see if there was any stress on the driveline holding it up. So now I can't get it out of park or steer it til I get the ignition freed up.

I assume if there is a chip in the key it only affects starting...not cranking. It seems that the key would only be a mechanical interface to crank it over, not electronic.

Anyone ever replace the key switch in a newer style?

Thanks,
Jay in MA - 2000 XJ

Be sure to rock the steering wheel (hard sometimes) it could be the lock in the colum holding you back. the fact that you turned the wheels tells me that.

Thanks....I checked and don't think it is that but I plan on jacking the front end up to see if there is any binding which might be holding the key from turning. We'll see.

Jay in MA

Assuming that holding the pressure off the steering wheel doesn't help, Squirt some penetrating fluid into the lock, then put the key in and give it a couple of sharp taps on the end with a small hammer (not so hard that you'll damage the plastic too much) This usually unsticks the barrel if it jams.
This lock jams quite a lot (it is used in WJs and minivans as well) once you can unlock it, replace it before it happens again.

Thanks for the tip.. I was actually thinking of doing something like that because it seemed that inserting the Chrysler minvan key made things worse...figured I may have pushed something up into the tumber that wasn't used to be up there.

When I move the wheel left and right it is hitting something hard like plastic or metal stops....unlike most times when a vehicle does this you have the sense that you are pushing against the steering linkages when moving the wheel left to right.

I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks again guys,
Jay in MA

Just a quick update to the ignition switch problem.

On aardvark4x4's advice I squirted WD40 into the switch and let it sit overnight..sprayed again the next day and tapped it with a wood dowel and a small hammer. Put the key in and turned easily. Some dirt came out with the excess WD40 so perhaps the previous owner sprayed some graphite in there at some point. The keyswitch works much better now than before it got stuck.

Thanks for the help guys.

Jay in MA
2000 XJ