87toyy

went to go to work this morning and my key wouldnt turn in the ignition i figured it was froze cause it was minus 20 this morning. anyways got home form work today and still wont turn its not froze you can feel something keeping it from turning. how do you remove the ignition so i can check it out or replace it?

84RNR

Is your steering wheel straight and not a little turned and locked? With the ignition off, if you turn the wheel a little it locks and it makes it hard or impossible to turn the ignition without turning the wheel a little. If that's not it, sorry I have no idea.

rock slayer

sawzall?!?!? hahahhaha try turning the steering wheel back and forth while turning the key
and in order to get that out you need the key in the acc position soo if the first suggestion doesn't work than sorry but i 2 dont know

87toyy

the steering wheel is locked now after i turned it all the way to the left when i was moving it back and forth but wasnt locked and was straight and the key still wouldnt move.

rock slayer

try pushing the key in and up when your turning it that worked in my old truck

rock slayer

did you take off the plastec around the ignition?? maybe something cought?!?!

87toyy

i've tried everything i can think off with the key and steering wheel and nothing worked. so theres no way to get it out unless its in the acc position? i think i'm screwed then. i can start it by turning the piece with the wires that goes in the bottom of the ignition. is there anyway to unlock the wheel?

rock slayer

not without breaking the steering lock i dont think

rock slayer

what if you align the "piece with the wires that goes in the bottom of the ignition" with the ignition switch back to where they should be???

87toyy

they are lined up and pretty sure they are in the right spot

rock slayer

huh?!?!? yeah i dont know... the steering lock is weak and can be broken with a big flathead screwdriver it literally breaks it tho so i would NOT recommend it but if you have an emergency and NEED to then thats how you do it

toyota4x4907

Dude dude dude dude...I had the same problem when it was -40 and colder here in January..... Heres what I did and it worked everytime

Get a lighter and a key (that works for the truck) that you don't care about too much.
1) Heat the key until it is hot to the touch
2) Put the key in the ignition and let it sit
3) If you can, use the lighter the heat the ignition cylinder itself (there was a plastic cover around the cylinder on my '93 that was removable, but not on my '88, so it may be different)
4) Take the key out and heat it again
5) Put it back in and try to turn it while jerking he steering wheel the other way.

It worked for me every time...but you might not get the same results.Its worth a try though

87toyy

i tried heating the key this morning with no luck. it turned mild after work so i really dont think its froze. it feels like there is something stoping it.

toyota4x4907

Heat it more? can you get a lighter under/around the ignition cylinder itself?

87toyy

yeah i can get a lighter on it,but like i said i really dont think its froze when it was plus 10 this afternoon it should have thawed out if it was.

84RNR

Sorry bro, I have no idea how to get the ignition cylinder out, since other ways to get it unstuck haven't worked. Hopefully someone else will see this who had the same problem.

75k5toy

Remove the plastic cover, on the top of the ignition housing is a pin, when you put the ignition on the acc. Position this pin goes down really easy...now. Since you have no key, you push that pin down, it will go like half way down, while pushing the pin, get a thin flat screwdriver and pry the ignition out, is kind of hard but posible, all you need is patience, done this way like 3 times. Good luck.

87toyy

the only thing on the top of the ignition that i think u might be talking about is the button to turn the key from acc to lock when u shut it off. if that it it doesnt want to push down very far at all seems stuck too.

87toyy

i finally messed with the key all day and got it turning. i put it to the acc and took it out. i found 2 ignition cylinders but they are different where the pin is located to pop them out. i'm guessing i would need one form an 87 or older?since both of these were from 88's.

Cwake

Your current key is probably old and worn? If so, just get a new key cut from it. Problem solved...

Do you usually have to jiggle the key a bit to get it to turn? If the teeth on your keys are worn down enough the key won't work anymore. From my experience anyways..