My Key Wont Come Out

[Menace]

Well I have a problem. My key wont come out of my ignition. It will turn all the way on and to the point that it runs off the battery but wont come all the way off. I just unplugged my batery to try to reset the carputer. Whats going on here?

[cherrington17]

did you do any console mods?
-And-
(de de de question) is the car in park?

[Menace]

I was working on my console a bit and my car is in park.

[Str33tRacer]

wait.... you're cars key is stuck in the ignition right now?

[cherrington17]

ok, simple to fix, go back out into the car, and lift up the center console part. The console part where the ashtray part meets the radio bezel.

left that up like .5" (just pop it up a little) then your key should come right out.

EDIT :

Wanted to post that for you to read before i gave my story... lol

i had this problem like 8 times, before i got pissed and sat there, checking EVERYTHING trying to figure out wtf is wrong w/ my car. I always figured it was a fluke thing, because if i messed with it, it'd let go of my key.

The problem is there is a small guy wire sensor next to the shifter... if you push that console part back down to hard, something hits that wire and doesn't allow it to go all the way back against the sensor, telling it to disengage the key.

[Menace]

lemme go check

[Menace]

Didnt work

[King Asoka]

It's an easy fix, when you reinstalled your shifter you must have installed it too low.

When the shifter is off, Im assuming u have an auto, you can see the black metal and the white plastic part of the shifter. When you reinstall your shifter handle and it is pushed down to far it will depress the white plastic piece, which is the shifter. If this is pushed down it will not let your key come out of the ignition, its a safety feature.

So when you reinstall it make sure it is just sitting on it and not depressing it.

I dont know if you can follow what im saying, so let me know and ill try to clarify.

[Menace]

Yah I understand what your saying but that wasnt it. Tried it already and just took off the whole shifter. Nothing still!!

[Menace]

K just to put in some more details. The cars in park, the shifter knob isnt on to tight, the center console isnt to tight, the key wont go out of the battery thing. Like it wont even go to off.

[Menace]

My dad said its probubly my ignition switch. He said he thinks its just a plug and play type of thing. Is that right? Do we have a how to about installing it?

[AGT]

Did you install a new ignition switch? Did you try restarting the car and then shut off?

[Menace]

Didnt install a new ignition switch yet. Yes I restarted car but was the same.

[AGT]

The only other thing I could think is needing to put graphite lube in it but you can't do that with the key in there...I am gonna try something...BRB


okay...so does the key stop between the ACC and OFF position or ?

[AftermathAlero]

undoing the battery cables trying to reset the car.. will not take the key out. You prolly have a bent key. Just wiggle and jiggle it. If not.. u can buy a whole new key assembly. Its like 350 bucks from gm w/ a new key and all.

[AGT]

and make sure when you are trying to turn the key to OFF that its pushed in.

[Str33tRacer]

i know when i try and start my car its really picky... it has to be turned right before its fully put in. and when pulled out its just the opposite

[King Asoka]

it could definatly be the ignition switch, I had the same problem. Mine was fried. To get at it you have to remove alot of the dash. If your a do it your selfer im sure you can do this. other wise take it to a pro. the switch is cheap, its the labour that will cost. Im guessing $200 or so.

[Menace]

I brought it to the olds dealership and told them it was my ignition because I was sure of it. 141 dollars later im right :)

[ThePrettyPhysicist]

Originally posted by cherrington17@Mar 13 2006, 06:53 PM
(de de de question) is the car in park?
Quoted post

i just want to say that that makes me laugh because 3 or 4 months ago, I did that. I must have called my entire family to see why I couldnt get the key out of the ignition (I was at work). It was the same day that my fiancee was getting my Fiero towed from school because the fuel pump went, so he was irritated to begin with. Needless to say, he stopped by and came into the store with my keys and simply said "hey dumba$$, you didnt put it in park". i felt like a jerk. i can blame it on being blonde though 0:)

[exnine@gmail.com]

I had that happen, It was my "neutral" switch as my friend called it. A little tiny switch underneith of the center console about 5 inches from the stick on the left was pressed down. We released it And It let me take my key out.

Good that you fixed it.

[alero440]

Originally posted by Str33tRacer@Mar 14 2006, 12:08 PM
i know when i try and start my car its really picky... it has to be turned right before its fully put in. and when pulled out its just the opposite
Quoted post


Mines picky too and Im the only one that can get it on the first try. Everyone else thinks theres a problem with it, but they don't know the trick.

[brsexton]

Originally posted by ThePrettyPhysicist+May 30 2006, 09:11 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ThePrettyPhysicist @ May 30 2006, 09:11 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-cherrington17@Mar 13 2006, 06:53 PM
(de de de question) is the car in park?
Quoted post

i just want to say that that makes me laugh because 3 or 4 months ago, I did that. I must have called my entire family to see why I couldnt get the key out of the ignition (I was at work). It was the same day that my fiancee was getting my Fiero towed from school because the fuel pump went, so he was irritated to begin with. Needless to say, he stopped by and came into the store with my keys and simply said "hey dumba$$, you didnt put it in park". i felt like a jerk. i can blame it on being blonde though 0:)
Quoted post
[/b][/quote]


Don't worry, I have done that before also. It can very unsafe leaving the car in gear though. I sure hope your parking brake was on while your car was setting in the parking lot in Drive. :eek:

[ThePrettyPhysicist]

Originally posted by brsexton@May 31 2006, 08:28 PM
I sure hope your parking brake was on while your car was setting in the parking lot in Drive.

yeah, luckily i'm not that stupid ... lol. I always use my e-brake. after one of my ex's forgot to put his on and his car went rolling down a huge hill, hitting 5 cars - i learned ;)

[ImSoBored]

If you were to open your center console where the shifter is(its in all the black mechanical crap in there., you would have seen a small silver ball and joint type socket. If the ball has come out of the joint, then your key will not come out. Just click it back in place and your good to go. I think you just lost $141, yeah its an "ignition" problem