Even if you have the most recent vehicle on the market, you can still
experience a problem with your ignition cylinder. This is just a
reality that many motorists have to accept. You hop in the car, turn the
key but there is nothing, when you try to start your car. We’ve seen
this happen plenty of times at 24 Hour Holly Springs Locksmith.
When something like this happens to you, the first thing you think is that you will have to replace your ignition cylinder
or that your key has broken off inside the ignition. If this is what
you are experiencing or have experienced it in the past, continue
reading. This information may be of value to you. Perhaps the key is
stuck in place or you may be able to help someone else who is
experiencing this same problem.
Provided the type of car you own, you may be able to
handle this problem on your own. There is no one solution that will
remedy the problem for everyone because the types of cylinder designs
vary based on the type of car you have. In some instances, you may have
been advised to simply wiggle the key while wiggling the steering column
back and forth. Even though this hasn’t been verified to be effective,
we have actually seen this technique work for many of our customer’s.
However, this is again dependent on the type of ignition that you have.
In some case, applying the wrong pressure in the wrong places could rip
them into pieces.
The one thing we want our customers to consider is just
how easy it is to snap off the key, causing a problem that is already
bad to go from bad to worse. If you are patient enough to wait on one of
our professional service technicians, you can avoid this from happening
to you. Cars built today are built on an assembly line by robotics and
have small parts. This makes it easier to damage the parts of your
vehicle when repairs are adjustment is being made.
A problem that you had, which may have been very minor,
can quickly turn into a more serious and expensive problem. it is only
advisable for someone with the proven technical experience to make any
needed changes and repairs. When a friend or family member suggests that
you allow them to handle the job to save you money, consider the
problems that can be caused if they do not have the technical experience
needed to handle the job.
They will not be responsible for anything that happens
as a result of their efforts. This will cost you more money in the end.
However, if you’re willing to assume responsibility for attempting to
make resolve your ignition problem, here are some things you can try:
Parked Position: One of the easiest
things for you to do is to make sure your car is in the ‘park’ position.
If the gear is still in the ‘drive’ position or any other position
other than ‘park’, the safety lever will not enable you to remove the
key. Apply pressure to the break and place your car in ‘park’ if isn’t
already. This should fix the problem.
Dead Battery: Sometimes we don’t
consider the most logical things when we find ourselves in an unpleasant
predicament. Some key release mechanisms are electronically powered.
This means that if you have a dead battery, they will not work. The way
to check to see if you have a dead battery is to turn on one of your
cars electronic mechanisms, such as your headlights. If the lights do
not come on, you might even consider checking your emergency light.
Still no luck, you likely have a dead battery. Charging your battery
should resolve your problem.
Steering column: As was mentioned
previously, you can sometimes release your key from the ignition by
wiggling the steering column back and forth. The key to its success is
doing so gently. If you do not, you could easily break the key off in
the ignition. This is somewhat risky so you may decide to wait for a
professional technician to handle the job. If you have done this before
and feel quite confident, go for it. Just remember that this could occur
again so even if it works, you should still have the problem checked
out by a professional later.
Thermal expansion: You might be able to
expand the cylinder slightly by applying the law of thermal expansion.
In this case all you need is a hairdryer. Apply heat directly to your
cars cylinder and see if it doesn’t help to expand it and release the
key. You’ll need to also apply is to the exposed piece of the key in
order for it to work effectively. You could also try applying heat to
both the key and cylinder to see if it softens the metal making the key
easier to remove. Just be aware of the fact that the key can become
warped from the heat. Be careful!
