please help...snapped key/ignition..

[mkcman17]

Haha..ouch. The mechanical pieces don't have to be any good, they just have to be gone.. drilling can be a bitch!

So...if I keep drilling and destroying the cyl will eventually come free?

Ed, i'm beyond tweezers, but if you have a powerdrill and some bits...my dad had to take his drill back.


Clusterfuck:

[harm]

From your description I figured you/your dad had drilled out a LOT more than that. At this point there's no chance of your key working.. so keep drilling. So long as you don't drill too far (Up to as deep as the key enters is still plenty safe) or wider than, say, the silver face of the ignition plug.. you're fine. Keep an eye on the angle you're drilling at, too.. that can cause some fun problems.

With some luck you'll actually torque the cylinder through the start/run positions with a bigger drill bit.. and with some more luck, the cylinder release through that pinhole at the bottom will still be working.

I definitely recommend marking the 'safe depth' on your drill bits by wrapping them with tape. You don't want to destroy any of the column or the electrical switch itself.

Don't forget to have some fun.. how often do you get to destroy something that is pissing you off?

[immajackuup]

needle nose pliers

[b*saint]

Dude its been days. Is this fixed yet?

[bernzpeed]

i would have paid a locksmith already to avoid this aggravation.

[mkcman17]

do i really have to explain this again? i'm obviously far beyond the point of pliers, and to be honest it was the first thing i tried. so thanks for the attempted advice. i'm a full-time student in the middle of midterms, so i only have half-an-hour or so a day to look at the car in daylight. further more, as i have said before, AAA won't touch my car, and the only locksmith i've found on the west side that doesn't charge for an estimate wants nearly 3 bills. i'm only out $40 so far, and the only obstacle i face is getting the cylinder to unlock. sorry this isn't happening fast enough for you guys, but i promise you that i've exhausted the obvious ideas and am trying to make it work in a timely fashion.

harm, thank you for being helpful. i'm hoping to get a chance this weekend to sit down for an hour or two and really work at getting the cylinder out. the new one came in from BMA today, so everything else is ready to go. the keys are huf.

[b*saint]

excuses excuses. cut that bitch.

[mkcman17]

Old cyliner out, new cyl in. got it to crank once, but the accessories dont work and the starter just clicks most of the time. The plug on the opposite side got yanked out in the process and is causing problems.

[mkcman17]

[Dominic49]

wtf? why drill that way?

[mkcman17]

wtf? why drill that way?

Couldn't force it to turn over to release the catch, so I drilled through the catch and pulled the cylinder out. However, the switch fell apart and I'm not sure how to put it back together now.

[harm]

Ooooohh.. that's actually.. aside from the switch breaking, a nice last ditch way to cheat the cylinder out of the housing. How did that happen? At least out in California there are parts cars around.. and more than three e30's in town. Slapping that ignition switch back together should be fun..pretty sure you've got all the pieces still?

Ha - sitting on the seat there - that looks like my dad's old trusty Makita drill. All the newer/better drills he has ever bought to 'replace' it have broken.. it's still running.

[bernzpeed]

Now this will cost you more than $100 to fix. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You should've paid the $100 for a locksmith if you don't know what you're doing. I've got the whole part you need to replace the thing you drilled into to get that ignition out.
Lemme figure out how to take it out, if you are interested, let me know.

[mkcman17]

Ooooohh.. that's actually.. aside from the switch breaking, a nice last ditch way to cheat the cylinder out of the housing. How did that happen? At least out in California there are parts cars around.. and more than three e30's in town. Slapping that ignition switch back together should be fun..pretty sure you've got all the pieces still?

Ha - sitting on the seat there - that looks like my dad's old trusty Makita drill. All the newer/better drills he has ever bought to 'replace' it have broken.. it's still running.

yup, it's my dad's makita from the mid 90's. that thing is a BEAST! thanks for all your help man, it was truly invaluable through the process. i picked up a spare ignition switch from a guy in socal tonight for $20, plugged it in and she clicked right on! i really can't complain, because despite the week of headache i now have a crispy new cyl and key, plus some know-how for the future. total tab was $61 in parts, a negligible hole in the ignition housing, and a few frustrating hours. i just finished the most enjoyable drive to ralphs EVER!! hahaha


bernzspeed, i'm not sure who gave you the privilege to act like such a douche, but it really goes without saying how much of an ignorant asshat you are.

[e30trooper]

good to hear you got it all back in dude!