noob questions: how far does your key spin in the ignition?
He guys, I've had my ti for a few months now, and it always struck me that I seem to have to turn the key too far to get it to start. Specifically, my ignition won't turn on until I turn the key more than a quarter turn (so that the flat face of the key is parralell to the ground, if that makes sense). I can barely twist my wrist far enough without changing my grip on the key. Does this sound normal? Also, today the car for the first time cranked slow. I wonder if I have an ignitiion switch that is going out. ANy advice would be great.
It's a common problem on all e36's. The ingition cylinders have a anti-theft/ingition tampering device that wears out over time and allows the ignition to spin freely. Basically there's tiny pins that shear off allowing the ingition cylinder to spin and preventing you from starting or in some cases turning off the vehicle. I found a helpful video on youtube. Search "e36 ignition cylinder fix"
Thanks so much. Actually, the video answered my question. My lock isn't spinning at all, and is really acting as it should, its just that it seemed like too much of a "throw" to get the car to start. However, I noticed that when the guy in the video started his car, he too had to kind of contort his hand past what is natrual to get the car to start. I think I'm fine. THanks again!
What you described Scott is the exact same thing the ignition in my fathers 318i is like. i usually turn it a quarter turn and change my grip to get the rest of the turn in without twisting my wrist like a contortionist.
So Jess, on that video, is he saying to put in that set screw if you are not buying a new tumbler? Is the screw a step you skip if you buy the new part?
So Jess, on that video, is he saying to put in that set screw if you are not buying a new tumbler? Is the screw a step you skip if you buy the new part?
Sorry Neal, I missed your post. To be honest, I never had to tackle this repair so I wouldn't know. I'm assuming the screw would be a temporary fix for a broken cylinder, but it seems like it would be a nice way to reinforce your new lock cylinder to ensure it doesn't happen in the future.
Most cars have some sort of ignition tamper proof security device, but car theives still manage to find their way around them. As for ours, well, that little hole that he stuck the bobbypin in is pretty much the way to get around our tamper system. However, I still don't know how they do it because the EWS system is a pretty tough system to crack unless you have some expensive tools and good working knowledge of the e36 wiring