Key stuck in on position!!!

[brianblack138]

I was wondering if any of you could help me figure out what I need to fix. I have a '94 K1500 with a 6.5L TD engine and an automatic transmission. I parked my truck this evening and went to turn the key off and the key wouldn't budge. The engine stayed running, the steering wheel would not lock and no matter what I did (moving the shifter into neutral, making sure it was firmly seated in park, switching to drive, reverse, then back to neutral and park) i could not get the engine to turn off or the key to come out. I put it in park and ended up removing the battery cable to shut the engine off.

Anybody know what problems could cause this and what kind of fix i'm looking at? I was hoping to drive my truck out of town tomorrow evening but it looks like i'm taking my car unless this is something i can fix myself from the local autozone or napa.

[Robyn]

The tumbler mechanism has probably gone south.
The only way to get at this is to remove the sterring wheel, turn signal switch and the tilt mechanism to get at the little rack and pinion setup and to be able to remove the key and lock assembly.
Its not terribly hard to do but will chew up a couple hours.
At least you dont have to screw with an air bag. :eek:

[sturgeon-phish]

I had a similar thing happen with a Dodge Caravan. A locksmith was able to fix it with out removing the steering wheel. Removed and replaced the lock and used the original tumbler sequence i.e. keyed the same as original. They took all of 15 minutes. The lock mechanism can be removed easily if you know what to do, like a locksmith or thief.
Locks keep the honest people honest!
Jim

[DmaxMaverick]

The lock cylinder can be removed without pulling the wheel. Unless you (or someone doing it for you) have been inside a few times, I don't suggest it. Removing the wheel and components isn't hard, and will make it easier to not damage any parts. The lock tab on the cylinder is hard to get to, and if you don't know exactly where it is (you can't see it with the wheel on), you risk damaging several expensive internals, including the lock cylinder. With the wheel off, it's easy to see and do. If you remove the cylinder, a locksmith can easily repair it, or rekey a new/used cylinder to the same you have now. If the key won't turn, is hard to turn, and the key won't come out, you likely have a broken pin, pin chanel, or spring. Pins/springs can be replaced, the chanel can't. If you order a new cylinder from the dealer, you can use the original key code (# on those little punch-out tags that came with the original keys) to get the cylinder already keyed. If you need cylinder parts, let me know. My brother is a locksmith and I get parts at cost (I think we can drop-ship). A locksmith's retail markup is usually 1000%, so little jobs can get expensive fast.

[Turbo Al]

Our body shop does a lot of repairs of this sort because of damage due to attempted theft or theft. So yes most any decent body shop or locksmith should be able to do this.
Al