Ignition Cylinder Replacement? On a 95 SE

[CKtour98]

Long story short, wrong key was inserted into the ignition (98 Contour key inside a 95 SE ignition cylinder)

Key went all the way in, but obviously wouldnt turn either way or come back out. Tumblers not matching the key perhaps?

Tried pulling, wiggling, etc and BAM, the key broke, so now its stuck in the ignition. Called a few locksmiths, but only one said he can MAYBE fix it, its a 50/50 chance, but its $75 either way before he even looks at it.

So i figure just replace the cylinder....so...its a 1995 SE ATX V6. What would I need to replace it so it will work? I am guessing theres no way to get the car started by bypassing the cylinder so this would be my only option..

- Ignition cylinder
- key

Anything else? No PATS correct? Since the cylinder is also "locked" i cant rotate it to the ACC position, so Ill need to drill it out thru the top hole right? Any tips? Or what size drill bit?

 

[CKtour98]

also, is it a better idea to get the parts i need from a scrap car in a yard, or should i just buy it new from Napa/whatever store?

 

[greasemonkey1489]

You'll have to drill it out till you get to the lock bar. Then remove the lock bar and you can turn it to the ACC position to remove the whole cylinder. No PATS on 95's. Use a good set of drill bits and start small and work up to 3/8". That should get the lock bar out.

 

[CKtour98]

You'll have to drill it out till you get to the lock bar. Then remove the lock bar and you can turn it to the ACC position to remove the whole cylinder. No PATS on 95's. Use a good set of drill bits and start small and work up to 3/8". That should get the lock bar out.

Ok thanks, so once it get it out, i have a new cylinder for the car. Easy as just putting it in and making sure the ignition switch is plugged in the back?

 

[greasemonkey1489]

Should be as easy as putting it in in ACC, and it will click into place

 

[CKtour98]

Ok cool, thanks! For drilling now, since its stuck in the normal position, I drill top to bottom thru the top tiny hole? Or drill into the keyhole until i can move it?

 

[CKtour98]

so far, no luck. I drilled into the cylinder pretty good and it still wont turn to ACC or to anything for that matter. The silver ring around it spins, but the key part does not move. Now what? Keep drilling right through? Or do I need to drill a different way to allow it to turn to ACC ??

 

[greasemonkey1489]

You need to be drilling basically to the right of the key slot. when you get far enough, there is a piece of metal about 1/8" thick and about a half inch long that has to come out in order for the cylinder to spin freely of the outer ring that it normally locks to.

 

[blu_fuz]

It only needs to be one click forward, not both clicks. We tried drilling out a key cylinder before and it just wasn't going to happen. There is a really strong C shaped clip around the key cylinder inside the column. We couldn't even pull the cylinder hard enough with any tools we had to bend that clip.

You are correct, no pats, no other stuff to worry about but just having the replacement cylinder with a key that fits it. Key cylinder probably has to be from a 1995 though because the position of the cylinder in the column is different on a '95 compared to a 98+. Probably different on the 96's too because that was the first year of the tilt column.....


It's really going to be a ••••• to get it out no matter what and you might damage the column :-/.

 

[CKtour98]

Well, got the job done lol. What a b*tch!

I ended up finding the instructions online for drilling out a Ford Focus cylinder and that helped a bit. I ended up drilling straight into the cylinder and made a huge effing hole right thru till the back, where it broke free from that locking ring and the drill spun the cylinder into ACC position, so I could remove it and install the new one I bought from a local parts place ($38, 2 keys included)

Never want to do this job again lol, so I'd advise to never put the wrong key in your ignition!