Ignition lock cylinder problem

[tjohnson97]

I have an '89 325iS. The car starts and runs great, but the ignition cylinder is not staying in the on position. When I turn the car on and let go of the key the car shuts off. Only if I hold it on for a while and then slowly let go will it stay on. So I am curious as to if this is an easy fix or if I need to get a new ignition lock cylinder. My main concern is that I'm going to hit a bump and the cylinder will turn back just a tad and shut the car off. It would be annoying to have to keep restarting the car driving down the road. Thanks in advance for any help.

[aaverhulst]

I would spray with a spray can of some type of cleaning lubricant before doing more. The cylinder does pull out by sticking a paper clip into the hole close to where the key inserts but it is really tricky and took me many trial periods to do it. My lock wasn't activating the unlock steering wheel rod. I found an old time auto locksmith who was familiar the this BMW problem who said he could drill something out to make it work. If I brought the car in, it would be $85 but I was able to bring the car in and pull the cylinder so he charged me $15. I didn't want a new lock as then I would need two different keys, one for the ignition and one for everything else.

[tjohnson97]

Thanks, I didnt have any cleaner on hand, but I did have some graphite and sprayed that in there. It seems to work for now. Hopefully it stays that way.

[RomeoMike]

Somewhat helpful thread if you ever have to replace the ignition lock cylinder down the road:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...r#post27868543