98 4runner ltd




When my ignition key on my 98 4runner became difficult to turn, I ended up having a new key cut to my VIN. This was almost a complete fix, but that lock cylinder was still 300k miles old. I just had the dash apart to check some wires and decided to see if I could replace the worn tumblers(wafers). The same procedure could be used to re-key. As long as you can get the lock cylinder out and apart (not jammed or broken), the only thing that wears out is the key itself and the tumblers.

Remove the lower dash panel and snap out the black plastic ignition lock cover. The illuminated ring falls off after pulling the white plastic T pin. With the lock cylinder out of the car the first job is to remove the metal collar. There are two rivets/bosses and a single steel pin. The bosses are a soft alloy and only slightly mushroomed. I was able to shave material off the sides of these with an x-acto knife by holding the blade against the base of each boss and rocking the blade to shave upwards. Each time a tiny flake of metal is removed. It took maybe 15min to work around each boss until I could rock the collar up and down a bit and see that only the steel pin kept the collar from coming off.

The steel pin is knurled and not going to come out easily. I used a dremel tool with a tiny bit to create a slot in the soft metal next to the pin. A drill bit would also work. Once that was done I used the xacto tip to scrape upward on material to each side of the pin until the pin moved up about 1/16".

With the collar off, I used snap ring pliers to remove the circlip. Before you pop out the inner cylinder, put the key back in so those spring loaded tumblers don't pop out. With the key fully seated, those tumblers should not protrude from their slots. It was easy to see that the tumblers near the key slot were the most worn and most protruding. I removed each tumbler one-by-one by slowly pulling the key out and pulling the tumbler with pliers. There is a tiny spring on each one but it won't spring away if you move slowly. I kept the tumblers in order and wrote down the number stamped on each one. There are 8 tumblers but only 4 sizes for each. My lock had two anti-pick "split tumblers". These are obvious and the source of most jammed locks. Take them and their springs out. I left mine out, but there is another option below.

There is also a small square block of steel that is inserted up near the key slot. This block slides outward as a key is inserted and does two obvious things. It pushes on a lever that allows the lock to rotate, and also pushes the "key present" switch. It may also actuate the steering wheel lock. The important thing is the block must be properly inserted. The tip of the key pushes against a ramp on one face of the block. The actuation and wear pattern should make it clear how it should be inserted if it falls out.

I found no place online to get just a few tumblers, but a local locksmith sold me the ones I needed for a few dollars.
This place sells the TR47 pinning kits as well as a wide tumbler kit to replace the problematic split tumblers:
https://www.clksupplies.com/collecti...e-pinning-kits

To re-assemble, I popped in the new tumblers one-by-one while slowly inserting the key. The new tumblers should be flush with no protrusion. I replaced the circlip and collar. After testing the lock in the car, I popped it out and put a dab of epoxy on the bosses and steel retaining pin.