More electrical problems -_-

[almostacrayon]

Well as the title read I am having more electrial problems... This time only accessories work i.e. headunit, amp, heater, cig. lighter interior light. My car wont start as my barrel for some reason is jammed and wont pass acc. I cant get my headlights to turn on and my dash cluster seems to be dead. I can turn the steering wheel when the key.
So far I've checked all the fuses and battery, all seem to be fine.
Does anybody have any clue as to what is going on?
These electrical gremlins are pissing me off, I guess thats the trade off for having a car with no rust?

[treff-7]

Well as the title read I am having more electrial problems... This time only accessories work i.e. headunit, amp, heater, cig. lighter interior light. My car wont start as my barrel for some reason is jammed and wont pass acc. I cant get my headlights to turn on and my dash cluster seems to be dead. I can turn the steering wheel when the key.
So far I've checked all the fuses and battery, all seem to be fine.
Does anybody have any clue as to what is going on?
These electrical gremlins are pissing me off, I guess thats the trade off for having a car with no rust?

If you can't turn the barrel past ACC (accessory power) none of the things you listed will work.
Headlights only work on ignition on, cluster obviously won't work without ignition on. Steering lock however turns off when you turn the key to ACC.
Looks like your only problem is the ignition switch. All the other problems originate from that. Hope this helps!

[almostacrayon]

If you can't turn the barrel past ACC (accessory power) none of the things you listed will work.
Headlights only work on ignition on, cluster obviously won't work without ignition on. Steering lock however turns off when you turn the key to ACC.
Looks like your only problem is the ignition switch. All the other problems originate from that. Hope this helps!

Cool, so who should I call to help get this fixed? An auto electrician or an auto locksmith?

[treff-7]

Cool, so who should I call to help get this fixed? An auto electrician or an auto locksmith?

It depends how handy you are. If I were you I would take a look at it first. I've never taken one apart but as far as I know you can separate the actual switch from the lock itself. Check if it's the lock that got stuck or the switch. I think you can turn the switch with a flat head screwdriver. If it's the switch you could replace it yourself. If it's the lock I think it's better to call a locksmith because if you take it apart and the whole thing lands in your lap (it likes to do that) then good luck putting it back together. It's not impossible but hard if you're doing it for the first time.
Also Bentley is your best friend.

[Gregs///M]

Your electrical problems are actually mechanical problems. Read the Bentley repair manual on how to replace the key lock cylinder, its not too difficult.

[StereoInstaller1]

and you had better hope it isn't the center section of the ignition lock, that is part of the steering column.

[almostacrayon]

Thanks everyone for the input, I was wondering how would I go about accessing the ignition switch. I cant seem to get to it because of the top part of the steering column shroud. How do I take that off to get to the ignition switch?

Hopefully its not that whole centre section, I don't need that type of headache.

[AndrewBird]

Try oiling the lock first. I've had key jam/get stuck and oiling the lock fixed everything. The wafers in the tumbler can get sticky and jam up.

I don't know if you have it in Australia, but Tri-Flow is a great product. Any light oil will work though. It's much easier to apply as well if it is in a spray can. I don't recommend using WD-40, but if that's all you have, it should at least get the lock moving again and tell you if it just needs oil or not.

[almostacrayon]

Try oiling the lock first. I've had key jam/get stuck and oiling the lock fixed everything. The wafers in the tumbler can get sticky and jam up.

I don't know if you have it in Australia, but Tri-Flow is a great product. Any light oil will work though. It's much easier to apply as well if it is in a spray can. I don't recommend using WD-40, but if that's all you have, it should at least get the lock moving again and tell you if it just needs oil or not.

I've tried oiling with Inox and while I was at it did all doors. The doors are all great now, esp. notice the change in the passenger door which sometimes stuck, but the lock still wont budge... Thanks for the try though =)

Anything else? I'd really like to fix this soon.

[almostacrayon]

So today after heaps of trying finally got the tumbler out in one piece. Unfortunately it isn't the problem... That shaft thingy StereoInstaller1 was talking about is snapped. Now what am I looking at to replace one of these and how hard is it to do myself?