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Thread: BMW E39 Ignition Switch stuck on and will not turn off, try this first: DIY

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    San Jose, California
    Posts
    28
    My Cars
    1998 BMW E39 528i 4Dr

    BMW E39 Ignition Switch stuck on and will not turn off, try this first: DIY

    FYI: I changed the Title so this DIY topic can easily by found by BMW E39 owners in a Google Search.

    Two days ago as I parked by BMW E39 at about 10.30 pm my Ignition would not turn off, and the key came out of the Ignition Tumbler. I let it run all night so I could drive to the BMW dealership, and sat outside a Starbucks all night using their internet to find forum posts and You Tube video's on the topic and how I can fix the issue, after later watching this You Tube video on how to remove the Ignition Tumbler, I bought bobby pins in the morning and tried using them as to remove the ignition switch, but could not get it to come out, although I did find the correct spot and the bobby pin went in most of the length.

    BMW Key Problem (Spinning Ignition) - MillerTimeBMW - DIY 5
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tETEtb5Yr_o

    After driving to the BMW dealership in the early morning I removed the fuel pump fuse, and waited till the engine died from lack of fuel before disconnecting the battery ground, I pulled the steering wheel column apart yesterday, it the ignition rod was barely turning, at first thought it had broke or it was my Ignition Tumbler. My local BMW dealer in Mountain View, Cal, wants $260 for the steering lock assembly, $240 for the coded Tumbler with a 2 week ordering time from BMW Germany, and apparently the rod is not sold separately. I also found another You Tube video showing how his Ignition Rod broke in half on his BMW from normal use, and feel BMW should have made it from steel not cast aluminum, my guess is a lack of lube by BMW owners is the root cause of failure.

    After watching the video where the BMW owner had broken the ignition center rod that the Ignition switch tumbler turns and also turns the Ignition Switch and locks the steering wheel, I thought that was I would have to do.

    Bmw E36 93 Replacing ignition shaft and Removing Tumbler with axe saw
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ptRulRzQaM


    Yesterday, after reading a BMW E36 forum post on the same issue, I decided to try his suggestion by playing with the Rod that turns the Ignition switch and locks the steering wheel, and it popped back in place just like he had pointed out, and is now working again. Thank you for the post, it and a few others gave me the confidence to try it myself. I am going to order a extra ignition tumbler in case this happens again and find a good used ignition rod and steering wheel lock in case it ever breaks in the future, my local BMW Dealer in Mountain View wants $240 dollars for the ignition tumbler and it takes to weeks to get a car coded one from Germany, I was so stressed out when this first happened, my best guess as to the root cause is a lack of lubrication at the wear points in the rod and steering column bracket, and ignition tumbler housing, and some one should make a You Tube video on how to properly lubricate the steering column components.

    DIY: BMW E39 Ignition Switch Replacement
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQPiShdsa_U&t=230s


    BMW E36 Ignition Lock Cylinder Replacement
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FmnsEoHsE


    Thank you everyone for your posts on the E39 they have been very informational.

    Jose F. Medeiros
    www.facebook.com/josemedeiros007


    Quote Originally Posted by fishfeet View Post
    So the other day I posted this thread regarding problems I was having with my ignition:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ousing+tumbler

    Cliffs: Ignition stuck in "on" position. Using key I either get resistance to turning at all, or with some wiggling, the key will spin 360.

    7. Turn the shaft of the tumbler CLOCKWISE. It will pop back into the housing once turned enough. NOTE: in this picture the shaft has already been rotated and popped into the housing.




    At this point re-seat the ignition switch and tighten the screws. Give the car a test start and see if it works. For me it did.
    However, if it still is broken you can at least start the car as noted in #6 while you wait for new parts, etc.

    Replace covers and go about your way.

    From my research it seems that this fix may just be temporary. I do not have any long term data to back that up as I just completed this fix today. However, for now, I can start my car normally and will return the $170 housing I bought.

    Hope this helped someone else!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    San Jose, California
    Posts
    28
    My Cars
    1998 BMW E39 528i 4Dr
    FYI: I changed the Title so this DIY topic can easily by found by BMW E39 owners in a Google Search.
    Last edited by josemedeiros007; 09-16-2017 at 04:30 PM.

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