I replaced my tumbler today so I thought I'd share my experiences.
The Good news:
It's EASY! Easier than changing oil if you can believe it. You don't have to take the dashboard apart. The whole thing took me maybe 10 minutes. Here's how I did it:
- The chrome ring around the keyhole is the RFID antenna. It's just snapped into place and it can easily be pried-out using a small flat blade screwdriver.
Just slip the screwdriver behind the rubber flap (its attached to the antenna) and pry around the perimeter gently. It should pop right out.
There is a small gap in the chrome ring that will help you align it when you put it back together, so make a note of it's position. Mine was pointed straight down.
Also, you will have 6-8 inches of wire to play with so you can let the ring dangle down out of the way. Just be aware that the wire is actually a coaxial cable so make sure you don't pinch or puncture it with anything.
- Once the ring is out of the way, you will see a black metal casing around the keyhole itself. There is a flat spot on this casing in the 12 o'clock position.
Insert an ignition key and turn it to the first "notch" (position 1). Then find a suitable tool that can grab the casing (The procedure says to use some kind of special tool but I used channel-locks). You don't need to grab it very hard at all. In fact you could probably rotate it with your fingers if you had enough room to get both hands in there.
Gently rotate the casing counter-clockwise until the flat spot is at about the 7 o'clock position. You should feel it unlock or release when it hits the right spot.
- Grab your ignition key and pull straight out. The tumbler assembly, cap, and key should pull out easily.
- That's it! Reverse the procedure to reassemble it.
The BAD news: Replacing the tumbler assembly did not solve my problem so I am out $107.
So I'm writing this to hopefully save someone else some money!
My problem was that the locking linkage between the switch and the steering lock was sticking, so I pulled everything out again and lubed up the guts of what was still in the dashboard with a bit of lock cylinder lube and put everything back together again. Now everything works smooth as silk.
Other observations: Contrary to what I posted earlier, the Crossfire ignition tumbler is NOT PLASTIC. It is all very sturdy metal (even the cap) and will probably never wear out. You may have to replace the steering wheel locking mechanism or the ignition switch itself at some point but the tumbler assembly won't ever need replacing unless it has been badly abused.
Also, special thanks to Xfire2005! It was your .pdf that got me going in the right direction!