HI,

This is a great forum. You great folks have helped me solve numerous problems (Deserthonda, and others espeically).

It's a 92 LX

One thing left driving me nuts is my key cylinder in the steering column. Occasionally, when removing the key from the steering wheel and open the door, the beep starts indicating the key is still in the column. This occurs about 95% of the time.

I can thump the wheel and get the beeping to stop.

I put WD-40 in the column a few times, resulting in a filthy key and much wiping and cleaning. I tried graphite and still no luck.

I've been told it is the key sense wire in the cylinder.

Any ideas? Can a particular part be replaced, and if so what part, how much and can I do it myself?

Many thanks everyone!

 

something I would try is after removing the key if the alarm is going off try to start the car without the key in it... that will tell you if it's a problem with the lock and tumblers or if it's being registered by the sensor. If it's the sensor then I would assume that it's a loose wire or a bad ground which would require removing some of the steering column panels (not terribly difficult but I don't know how to do it personally)

 

Thanks Sir_nasty. I should have mentioned you and Lightshow in my kudos, sorry to not have done that.

I hadn't thought of trying that and I will. I have a Haynes (or Chilton?) manual for my car. Taking the steering column apart would be a challenge for my few skills.

 

I did some checking. With the key out there is no way to turn the cylinder. Like other cars I've owned this doesn't have the little levers to grip, so that was out of the question.

I did notice though, that sometimes when removing the key, I can hear an additional click. If I hear the click then the beep doesn't go on. It sounds like something is definitely sticking. I'll have to take it all apart and lubricate.

 

It sounds like the ignition is not going all the way in to the lock position. Quick fix, before you take the key out make sure you turn it down as much as possible so it locks down or turn it back and forth twice and see what happens. Sometimes the key doesn't turn down enough. Also try getting a new key cut and see if that solves it (dealer cut key). These things will be cheaper to try than replacing expensive parts. Besides this sounds more like an annoyance than a serious problem that requires serious money.

 

That's a good suggestion... if it comes to taking apart the column and you have a manual then I wouldn't be afraid to do it I'm sure you can... But defenitly try the cheap stuff first...

 

Also, I don't know for sure if the 92 models had air bags or not... I'm assuming they did... if you get to digging around in the steering column too much there's always a chance of setting that air bag off and popping yourself in the head... probably wouldn't feel too good...

 

My Canadian 92 lx doesn't have airbags, which is kind of nice in that accidentally deploying them won't kill me.

Perhaps the excessive lubing and graphite is helping. Everytime I remove the key now, I hear a click and the chime hasn't reoccured. We'll see how it goes and if it returns, it's dissasemble time.

 

That click could very well be the tumblers popping back into place. There may still be some sort of pressure on the tumblers so they have enough friction with the sides (or anywhere else) as to not move unless lubed (as you are doing), or perhaps they just needed a little help and are good to go. I am assuming this is similar to a normal lock and key/deadbolt kinda thing. Let us know if the problem is recurring and I'll try to recall what I used to know about locks lol.

Oh, and I think it's the tumblers for not just the clicking reason, but also you said you could thump the wheel and get it to stop. Do you hear the same clicking noise when you do that? I could be full of it, but it requires so little effort it's worth a shot.

 

I think you are right about the tumblers.

I can wiggle the key, release it and hear the click as it falls into place.

When I thump the wheel, I assume the click occurs, but because of the loudness of the thump,I don't hear the click.