IGNITION PROBLEMS

[vix_98_318ti]

Hey,
I have a '98 ti with about 100k miles. The other day my wife took the car for a quick spin to her parents house and when she got home, she could not turn off the car (key would not turn). Luckly, I was about 10 min away from home and drove right over. I couldn't understand what was going on. They KEY would come out and the car was still running. I tried to turn the key and I was able to have it spin and spin, but would not engage to turn the car OFF! After several minutes of struggling with it, the key finally locked up and wouldn't turn anymore. Does anyone have had a similar problem and if so, what part did they replace/price and can it be done in my garage?? I was quoted about $600-700 to replaced/work on the problem from a NON-BMW dealer (bmw certified tech). What I don't want, is to start taking things off and buying them to find out they didn't fix my problem. So if anyone has had a similar issue recently, any advice would be great!

Thanks....
I'll be working on my car and come back every so often to see if anyone responed. thanks a bunch!

[pdxmotorhead]

Known E36 problem. Needs new ignition cylinder as I recall.

Search on bimmerforum....

Dave

[alaska]

Need lock cylinder, lock cylinder housing also suggest ignition switch.

[vix_98_318ti]

What is the easiest way to remove the lock cylinder without removing the steering wheel/cylinder housing?

[alaska]

I was never able to remove the lock cylinder when this problem happened.
You can try to- to do that remove both covers remove ant. ring. You will see a small hole in cylinder with a stiff wire of that size as hole igintion on release lock through hole. VERY HARD TO DO. Now if your just trying to turn car off remove igintion and turn off

[vix_98_318ti]

OK...I finally figured it out! Here is my 2-cents to the whole lock cylinder issues. My problem was that my ingnition got jammed in the "ON" position. The "KEY" would not turn in either direction. Had to manually kill the engine and disconnect the battery to avoid damaging the battery. I then removed the lower steering wheel housing cover on the bottom side. Next, removed the "ignition switch" (orange looking thing) by removing the "wax" around the set screws and backing them out. Simply pull on the switch and it pops right out. You will see this "shaft" looking thing sticking out from the cylinder housing. Use some pliers and gently give it a twist clockwise (if you are faching the shaft) and it will retract back into position. Put back the "ignition switch" in place and tighten the set screws. I then removed the "lock cylinder" by first removing the "security antenna" by gently using a small screw driver and pushing towards you. Then put the key in place and turn about ACC position (45 Degrees) and use a small enough tool to shove into the peek hole in the actual cylinder. Once they holes are aligned, use some minor force to shove it further into the cylinder thus, realesing the lock cylinder. You can try to use a flashlight to see where the holes align. I used a .050" allen wrench to stick in the hole and pry out the "lock cylinder". I put a tad bit of WD-40 around the cylinder and inserted back into place. The one symptom I was experiencing before it jammed, the key would occationally spin and spin, round and round. I guess it may be time to order a replacement and get it in there before it happens again. Well if any one needs some more info...PM me and I'll try to help as best I can!
Good luck with this terrible problem!!!