Paul, there is a link on post 383. good luck.

 

Hi , after having my ignition being sticky for nearly two years, it finally locked up, printed out the "fix", got my local locksmith to do the fix....... VERY happy now , no more problems.... cost $70

 

After drilling pin and assembling car bak together, car still wnt crank... Did any of you run into this problem? do I need a new ignition switch? and if so... does it need to be programmed?

 

Does the key turn or not?

 

Sorry about your problem. Did you reconnect the ring sensor around the keyhole? If not it'll crank n crank but never start. Its the reluctor ring around the ignition, the wire hooks into the skreem module. Its an easy item to accidentially disconnect/pop off.

 

I have a clicking switch looking thing that I honestly have no idea where it came from .... I guess I could post a picture of it... And yes the key turns but the car does not even crank.... lights dash and everything turns on, but the car wnt crank....

 

Long story short. My ignition did the Sticky Key. We can work it if we mess with it by messing with the wheel...but it's a pain... I'm sure it's the ignition lock assembly. I am not taking it to the dealer, but having my mechanic fix it. Until the part comes in, we just leave the key in and able to turn it all the way off...just don't remove the key. If you leave it in position one...it will drain your battery. So for now, we are putting in a sun fold in the dash window and hiding it internally so no one sees the key...It will get us by until the part comes in. ps...it helps if you have a spare key.

 

Exocet...
What did your locksmith do to fix the problem? Did he replace anything?

 

remove the spring and pin.

read the tutorial
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...key-fix_v2.pdf

 

First off, you guys are all my heroes!

I started having this issue months ago where the key locked up and wouldn't turn. I could move the wheel and key together enough and finally get it to turn. Then it actually went away for months. Now it's come back and is completely toast this time.

I'm reading the PDF and looking at the pictures - it looks like several of you have done this yourself. I don't know anything about my car outside of how to change a headlight or wipers. Still likely I could pull this off myself?

I was towed to the dealer and quoted north of $1700 for parts, keys and labor. Clearly that is out of control and not something I'm looking to consider if some of you have had locksmiths fix it for $70!

What's the longest it took anyone here to follow this tutorial and complete? I hate to be nervous about doing this myself, but I can't talk myself into parting with 2 grand just over my fear! Has anyone tried the tutorial and NOT been successful?

Thanks in advance!

Gwen
Fairfax, VA
04 xfire 100k mi

 

Depends on the situation. If you can get it to position 1 it's easier, if not grinding the pin down can be a huge PITA. I tried a drill on the street where it died with no luck, got it towed home and used a dremel and that did the trick. If you have to grind plan on taking a couple hours, even if it took you a whole day it's still worth it vs the dealer cost. It's not too complicated, positioning yourself in there to work on it may be the hardest part minus that evil pin.

 

Thanks for all the info on fixing sticky ignition- my boyfriend used this forum to fix my car today, it only took him about an hour, probably wouldn't have even taken that long if the key hadn't stuck again.. so glad I don't have to deal with it anymore! much appreciated!!!!

 

Hi CossFireBaby, rekcal answered perfectly, thats exactly what my locksmith did, but made a little easier as we could get the key to position 1, it may be cheaper than $70 in the States as $70 equals 1 hr of labour here in Aussie land. Thanks again for the forum, saved me heaps of moolah!!

 

This forum is great! I followed the step by step on the PDF posted in this forum and i have my Xfire back on the streets! For anybody who is having trouble grinding the lock pin down because your key won't turn at all i had no problem with the drill bit. It came off in a minuet maybe. I recommend pushing harder then you think. Hell i don't think i had a really sharp bit i just pushed hard. Once you get going you can feel it drilling off layers until it was even with the surface then with a little giggling and twisting i maneuvered it out took out the lock pin and spring. Then i reinstalled as the PDF said and it started right up.
I do have a couple questions and if anyone can answer the would be great.
First question: Ive had my alarm go off twice in two days, once while i was driving the car. Has anybody else had this problem after the fix and is it possible this is a related problem?
Second question: I also experinced an constant semi-loud beeping as i was driving and it continued after the car was off and keys were out. I tried everything to get it to quit. I finally disconnected the battery to get it to stop and havent heard it since which is only a day and a half ago?

 

Just finished fixing key ignition problem. Steps were very easy to follow once again this forum as saved me mula!!! thankyou

 

so I guess it would be best to not lock the steering wheel at all to avoid getting into this issue, am I right? I am asking because since 1 year I am dealing with every imaginable issue with my XF. Not only I have been going through Key Fob issue not opening the car twice (where Chrysler fixed probably something totally different than actually the issue) , because it happened again yesterday. Thanks God I have you guys here and after disconnecting the battery I could finally drive the car. My ex is right so. You should sell a new car after 2 years and get a new car again. That way you dont have to deal with all these issues.

 

Thanks, rekcah! You saved me a good bit of money and as a student I don't have much of it. We had to drill the pin; the drill bit didn't do much but the dremel got it down. Definitively lost some weight working in this hot Memphis humidity haha. I know NOTHING about cars but was still able to do this fix.

 

That explains why my Mom bought a new Geo Storm back when.. and after 6 months they finally replaced it with a new one!

 

Had carmax replace the ignition before I bought my crossfire last year. I started having problems again this year around March... Pulled up the PDF and just knocked this out in under an hour. Works like a charm now. Thank you for the great post!!!!

 

My ignition switch has just started to act up in the past few days, but I have managed to get it to work ok after struggling with it a bit. The car is in my garage right now with the spare key in the ignition switch, and it turns freely with no problems. I will not have time to fix this in the next few days, so here is my question: If I don't remove the key from the switch until I am ready to make the repair, will I be able to drive the car, turn it off, and park it without worrying about being stranded? I'd leave the spare key in the switch, and lock the car with the other key which is on my key ring.

I'd like to use the car this weekend for a 150 mile round trip. Do you think I can get away with it, as long as the key is not removed from the switch? I'd hate to need a tow to a dealer 75 miles from home on Memorial Day weekend.