help!! can't remove ignition lock cylinder

[threes4me]

check this out ! if you buy the tumbler with key...just switch key chips & away you go. worked for me, anybody else ????

[hursh328ic]

theres a really great vid for this on youtube. i watched it 2-3 times and had the lock cylinder out in under 5 minutes. you dont just stick the wire in. you turn it with the key and it releases a tab that allows the cylinder to fall out.

Watch the vid on utube I struggled for hours with the only result was me hitting the stearing wheel causing my chech engine light bulb to break
but thats another thread. vid helped me

[sevintx]

So this is what my story and what I did:

One day coming home, I went to shut off my 1998 BMW 323IS. The ignition stuck in the AUX position, and the key slid out. It would not turn forwards or backwards, so online I went searching.

I read a lot of things stating that it was the ignition cylinder (where the key goes in) that has a tab that broke off and would not allow the ignition to spin. I would need to replace this from BMW. I did get the cylinder out, but I was not convinced this was the true problem. Without the funds to fix this, I kept looking. I read many things that could be the problem, but none worked. I watched many videos and finally seeing one on how to bypass the switch I decided I would go this route (for money reasons).

On the bottom of the steering column I removed the two screws with red on them. The ignition switch slid right off. I noticed on the inside of the switch there was a white plastic piece that turns from a metal shaft coming off the column. That metal shaft was stuck out. I gently played with the shaft a little bit (turning it/pushing it) with a pair of pliers and it popped back in! I put the ignition switch back on, put the o-ring over the cylinder, put the (antenna?) round black piece with two wires over the cylinder and presto -- the ignition works every time now. If I could have found this somewhere it would have saved me a lot of time and aggrivation. No parts were needed to complete this....

Not saying this is the right solution to the problem every time, but this was my issue and worth a shot before replacing parts. Hope this helps someone else.

Happy travels.

[flyfishvt]

I hope that it stays fixed. How long has it been? My experience with this has been the shaft that connects the tumbler to the switch can break. Unfortunately you may find yourself right back at the same place you were at before if the rod is broken. Normally when the rod breaks the tumbler works correctly but the engine doesn't turn off even if you turn the key back to position 0 and pull it out. Replacing that shaft requires you to replace the entire housing that the switch and tumbler go into.

The other thing that can happen is exactly what you were origianlly told. that white plastic tab can get worn or break. Once again...you may find yourself right back where you were before.

I hope it really is fixed.

[bigMphan]

I found that my *very* worn master key would screw up the ignition tumbler. I've been using a fresh valet key and problems have stopped. May have to send away to the Fatherland for an extra Master Key.

[flyfishvt]

You should never have just one key. First thing I did on all my e36's was make sure I had at least two keys.

Ever had a bad day? These cars can be surprisingly difficult to break into if you lock your keys in or forget it somewhere or if it just stops working.

[GG///M3]

So this is what my story and what I did:

One day coming home, I went to shut off my 1998 BMW 323IS. The ignition stuck in the AUX position, and the key slid out. It would not turn forwards or backwards, so online I went searching.

I read a lot of things stating that it was the ignition cylinder (where the key goes in) that has a tab that broke off and would not allow the ignition to spin. I would need to replace this from BMW. I did get the cylinder out, but I was not convinced this was the true problem. Without the funds to fix this, I kept looking. I read many things that could be the problem, but none worked. I watched many videos and finally seeing one on how to bypass the switch I decided I would go this route (for money reasons).

On the bottom of the steering column I removed the two screws with red on them. The ignition switch slid right off. I noticed on the inside of the switch there was a white plastic piece that turns from a metal shaft coming off the column. That metal shaft was stuck out. I gently played with the shaft a little bit (turning it/pushing it) with a pair of pliers and it popped back in! I put the ignition switch back on, put the o-ring over the cylinder, put the (antenna?) round black piece with two wires over the cylinder and presto -- the ignition works every time now. If I could have found this somewhere it would have saved me a lot of time and aggrivation. No parts were needed to complete this....

Not saying this is the right solution to the problem every time, but this was my issue and worth a shot before replacing parts. Hope this helps someone else.

Happy travels.

I'm having the same problem. How far was the shaft stickout?

[RTDM]

Figured I would give my 2 cents on this as well...

I had the same ignition, and I ended up dismantling the steering column to remove the steering lock housing etc.

Turned out that the actual tumbler had totally frozen, when turning the key the whole tumbler was turning, thats quite common. The problem is when you turn the key, it has to be turning the inside of the tumbler, but not the outside, and the tumbler has to be in the correct position for the pin to go in properly! If your tumbler has gone to the point where you cant get it in to the right position, your are going to need to dismantle the steering column and remove the security bolts as mentioned above.

The only reason I know all this....is because I took a dremel to the old steering housing once it was out of the car, and got the tumbler out, it was absolutely knackered, no chance of re-using.

[bsonnega]

I spent 4 or 5 hours over the course of a couple of months before removing my ignition lock with a spinning ignition lock syndrome. I tried the bobby pin method for hours before purchasing the tool for $60 from BMW but still did not have any luck. I finally figured out that the problem was the ignition was stuck in the on postion and needed to be in Aux (radio) position. I removed the two small screws covered with red wax holding the ignition switch. I was then able to turn the ignition with pliers. Took less than five minutes after that to get the ignition lock out with the bmw tool. Probably the bobby pin would have been fine once I got it into the AUX position. With the ignition lock removed I can see where the tab broke off and why it was rotating freely. Should be simple to install a new ignition lock. Any recommendations on where to purchase one that is keyed to my existing keys?

Now I am wondering what caused the tab on the ignition switch to break in the first place. I broke it when I tried to park and I could not turn off the engine or remove the key. I played around hard with it until I got the key out, but then I could not shut off the car. Had to put into 5th and release the clutch to stall the car. So wondering if the original problem was with ignition lock, or worn key, or bad steering lock assembly. Don't want to replace more that I have to but dont want to go through this again.

does anyone know where to find this tool? also, it seems as though the tool/bobby pin/wire/allen key only work on pre 10/95 e36s, and I've got a 96. is there another step involved?

[vonB]

I just did it today on my early 98 e36 328i. I had to take the ignition switch off because it was stuck in the start position (engine was off), and the cylinder was prone to spin. I did not remove the housing just the tumbler/ cylinder. To gain access I removed the lower kick plate and lower steering post cover, and then the ignition switch, oriented the switch position and then removed inductive ring and rubber o-ring before getting the cylinder out. I made a tool from a metal piece that i found in an old ANCO windshield wiper, it was stiffer than the bobby pins, wires and paper clips I tried. I just bent it with pliers and used a bench grinder to narrow the end about the length of my key to fit into the hole. I tapered the end rounded it a little and I bent the last 1/8 of an inch up about 30 degrees, between that and 45 seemed to work for me. It's tricky but when you find the sweet spot and rotate the tool the tumbler just comes out. Here are pics, my drawing is from measuring what I made and can be made by eye. These dimension numbers are decimal inches, convert to the closest fractions or millimeters on your own! The only thing that dimensionally matters is the end configuration, but only approximately.

toolA.pngIMG_9029.jpgIMG_9025.jpgIMG_9022.jpgIgn Tool.jpg

[Pdwight]

I have been working at this off and on all day with no luck, I have tried a bobby pin and a piece of spring steel. I cant tell if my tumbler is in position 2 or not due to it just spinning. Any suggestions would be really apprecieated

[pwillikers]

I just finished replacing the ignition key tumbler on my '97 e36. I was able to get by with a lot less effort than some have described.

I bought a new tumbler from BMW for around $100 and followed the youtube video (search for: e36 tumber millertimebmw) with some shortcuts. I only loosened the knee panel under the steering wheel (removed the three screws but I didn't remove the panel) and pulled it down enough so I could loosen the black plastic steering column cover (removed one screw) and pull it down an inch or so, just enough so I could get the antenna ring off the old tumbler. I then used the bobby pin to extract the old tumbler

Here is the bobby pin tool that worked. I practiced on the new tumbler before trying to remove the broken one. The blue tape indicates the correct distance to insert the bobby pin.

BMW 328i ignition lock tumbler - bobby pin tumbler removal tool.JPG

- - - Updated - - -

When reinstalling the new tumbler, I ran into a problem I've not seen documented elsewhere. A tab had broken off the old tumbler (which actually is the problem that permitted the tumbler to spin) and was stuck in a slot in the tumbler housing. It prohibited installation of the new tumbler until I removed the broken tab with a pick. It is small and easily missed.

The new tumbler with the small tab intact (dead center in the picture):
BMW 328i new ignition lock tumbler.JPG

The old tumbler with the tab broken off:
BMW 328i broken ignition lock tumbler.JPG

The tumbler housing with the broken tab jammed in the slot:
BMW 328i new ignition lock cylinder jammed.JPG

The tumbler housing with the broken tab dislodged:
BMW 328i new ignition lock cylinder fixed.JPG

After removing the broken tab from the slot in the housing, the new tumbler snapped right in place. Then reassemble the rest.

After this experience, if I were on a tighter budget, I'd have tried to pin the old tumbler in place with a set screw to keep it from rotating instead of installing a new tumbler. You'll have to remove the panels completely to gain access to the tumbler housing with a drill and temporarily remove the old tumbler to make sure you drill in a safe place. I'd definitely give it a go if you are so inclined. It looks straight forward.

[swancerbee]

After 2 hours of unsuccessfully installing the ignition lock tumbler and started to search the internet to figure out why the new tumbler would not install. Found your post, thank goodness!!! Cleaned out the tab of metal and the tumbler snapped in like a charm!!!!!!!!! Thank you SO VERY MUCH