lock cylinder housing reinstallation

[widebody_bimmer]

ok guys so here is the long awaited pics of how to reinstall everything...


ok so in this first pic I have just taken off the lock cylinder housing and put the other one on...

[widebody_bimmer]

next after you have the housing seated where it should be you wanna take this ring that I am holding and put it on the little groove, mind you it is a pain in the ass...I used a flat bladed screw driver to work the ring around the shaft....once thats done

[widebody_bimmer]

you take this other ring...the solid ring(it has a groove on the inside of it , so that how you know its the last ring to go on)put it over the "broken" ring that you just put on , that solid ring makes sure the "broken" ring doesn't come off...

[widebody_bimmer]

in this next pic... it is showing the location of the sheer bolts that need to come off in order for the housing to come off... I used a chisel to work the bolts off....tip: don't hit the bolts directly on, hit them at an angle to work them loose...when I reinstalled the bolts I left the sheerable heads on so it would be easier for remaoval again if need be.... the bolts are the two black things that are on "wing" like mounts...next to the "P"

[widebody_bimmer]

ok here I am showing the location of the ignition switch ....its is the red looking unit on the housing....to remove the ignition switch you need to look directly underneath where the switch is located and find 2 little blobs of red waxy stuff.. remove the red wax and there should be two grub screws one on each hole....they use a small flat blade screw driver to remove them.....once the grub screws are removed you can pull the switch out

[widebody_bimmer]

in this pic I am showing the housing that is fully put on and I am reinstalling the turn signal switch, cruise control switch, and the wiper switch...the black piece you see on there is what hold all those pieces on

[widebody_bimmer]

ok so once you get the all your switches put back on then you start to screw everything back on, like the dash underpanel and the steering colum surround....once you have those reinstalled then you can put your steering wheel on and of course your airbag.....unistallation is basically the opposite of what i just described.....sorry I wasn't more detailed but I didn't take pics untill after I had taken everything apart....

[widebody_bimmer]

here is a pic of what the lock housing looks like completly off....

[widebody_bimmer]

in this pic I am showing what piece broke off inside the lock housing....when you put your key in the lock cylinder and turn it, that is the piece that turns the little shaft inside the lock housing which in turn turns the ignition switch to either start the car or turn it off...

[widebody_bimmer]

this is what it looks like inside the lock housing when the piece breaks off

[widebody_bimmer]

and this is the what both pieces look like next to each other

[widebody_bimmer]

ok in this pic you can see the little pin hole(that little notch to the right) on the lock cylinder in which you need to stick a little rod of some sort into, in order for the lock to be released so you can get it out of the housing....I used a cotter pin to do this job...now when trying to remove the lock cylinder you need to turn the key to the 2nd position and insert the little pin( you will be able to feel for the openeing in the lock cylinder, just keep the pin in there and turn the key untill it goes in..)now with the pin in I used a little hammer to hammer the pin in alittle more and that did the trick as to getting the cylinder out....

[widebody_bimmer]

let me know if anyone needs anymore help in either unistalling or installing anything....


Derek

[Crazy Dave]

Very cool writeup man.

I do have to ask...is this in regards to the squeaking of the steering wheel in a lot of E36's? If so...looks like I'll be following this.

[widebody_bimmer]

no actually this is in regards to the key spinning in the ignition...where in most of the cases the car won't shut off....

[pangris]

Hmmm. Is this problem in any way indicated by the car not starting sometimes when you turn the key all the way - nothing happens about 1 in 20 times for me. Simple fix, take key out and try again, and it works... but I worry it will get worse. I know ignition switches aren't cheap ($700+??)

Paul

[widebody_bimmer]

actually the ignition switch lists for like 80 bucks but the dealer actually gave me a deal....first time....for 65 bucks and the lock housing list for 144....I got it for 114...I also bought the lock cylinder which lists for 80 I got it for 65 also so it wasn't too expensive but they said that the dealer charges around 700 bucks for parts and labor...so I saved roughly 500 bucks by doing it myself...as far as the car not starting sometimes....it could be realated to either the lock cylinder, lock cylinder housing, or the switch ....I would most suspect that the switch may be going bad...if you decide to change the switch you might as well just replace everything so you don't have to take it all apart in the future...

[Balthazarr]

So after no significant problems with my M with several years ownership, I put the key in the ign turned it and entered the code.
The key spun and I noticed as has happened in the past that it wasn't fully inserted so I pushed it in all the way.
Ck engine light is on as is the battery light and service interval Led's.
Fortunately, this happened in the driveway at home and I didn't get stuck on the road, but i am missing my hockey game right now. Dammit!
I disconnected the battery and entered time and date.
Fine all the lights mentioned above are still lit.
Looks like the conclusion is inescapable unless there is something I'm overlooking.

Key will not turn at all.

[stupenal]

this is by far probably the worst maintenance bill for me to pay - EVER. You spend so much money to get the suspension fixed, engine tuned, everything all falls together. And then wait - you cant start the stupid car because the IGNITION of all things is broken?? I was beyond pissed but had to fork out $370 for parts and labor plus $70 for towing. $450 in mod money that I could've had.

[Balthazarr]

Yeah, $K on mods and then this.
The irony is that this weekend i decided to use my bike for a couple of days and give the M a rest.
As soon as I start to leave for my game tonight, bam, ign lock spins and now won't turm at all from the off position.
So how do i get the assembly off? Preferably just the lock cylinder, but I can only remove the ring antenna and the lower trim from the steering column.
The upper piece is loose, however, there is a fastener of some sort on the top and I can see it throught the windshield.
I broke the head off as it's plastic and there is one just like it at the bottom of the
housing holding what looks like a connector.
They seem to be directly opposite one another.
Before I plonk down $$ I want to make sure I can get the damn thing off.

[widebody_bimmer]

just take a look at the pics.... basically in reverse order from what I posted for removal of the lock cylinder housing...as far as that other column surround on the top that won't come off...there is a plastic screw that hold that in place directly on the top of it...you need a shorty screw driver I believe...phillips to be exact. let me know if you need anymore help

[Balthazarr]

Shorty philips will not work as there are no mesh points.
Anyway, reversing what you have shown will not get the assembly off on mine.
I can't turn the key from the off position so extraction of the lock is defeated.

[Balthazarr]

^

[widebody_bimmer]

if you are trying to get the lock cylinder housing off you do not need to remove the lock cylinder... basically just follow the pics from the down....up, that last pic of the column just shows everything on the column installed...its just easier to remove the lock cylinder housing without all the switches on the colum..

[widebody_bimmer]

oh and as for the shorty phillips...it worked for me....maybe try an angled screw driver