Right, I have tried the wire and tried to grab the snapped part of the key, to no avail! I dont even think the wire is going down the sides of the key, ill thin the wire down tomorrow, or nick a couple of our lasses combs with thin metal handles, and try again tomorrow.

Still after ideas etc. To try.

Thanks in advance.

Phil

 

you could try using the old part of the broken you have to try turn it to position 1 to try remove it (although iirc it needs removing to reset it to put back in then turn to p 1


may sound stupid but a little very thin superglue on the end of the snapped bit you have then hold it in place hopefully gives enough hold to pull it out

 

I would recommend undoing the two security headless bolts, often you could use a sharp pointed object and small hammer to turn these screws (undo) and the whole lock could be taken out without any damage and then the key tapped out and reuse the same lock again, use new bolts or even the same ones if you could make a slot in them and tighten up with a screw driver.

I did this on my Calibra when some culprits tried breaking into it, they couldn't undo the steering lock hence I was lucky, they could not steal my car, besides they wouldn't have been very lucky as it is immobilised ignition, still they tried! So I managed to remove the old lock by undoing the bolts using a sharp pointed chisel like tool and turning the screws off. They screwed up my barrel so I needed a new set from someone breaking a Claibra. For both front doors as well as the boot.

 

Thanks for the replies.

What screws are you talking about that hold the barrel? I can not see any bolts holding it on, do you have a diagram/pic?

Dont want to try the superglue as dont want to damage the barrel, I have read stories of people rendering the barrel useless! I have ordered a "broken key" tool kit that should be here friday so hopefully that will work.

On reassembling I have noticed 2 little parts that have come out of the left side of the ignition, where the wiring plugs in, they are a different size and I am assuming these are the contacts that give power when ignition is turned, any ideas how they go back? They are both a different size but very small.

Thanks once again

Phil

 

Tried using broken key to turn ignition but to no avail

 

Here are some pics of the bits:

20141106_164617_zpstsjv8uqa.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141106_164659_zpsi94u4e9m.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141106_164739_zpswn5lx3aw.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141106_164635_zpspkkhtpue.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141106_164720_zpsg9wvyusy.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141106_164747_zpswehmjuzv.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

Hope this can help

Phil

 

On studying the pics I have taken with those in the haynes manual it seems I have seperated the ignition switch, as opposed to removing the wiring block, could someone confirm this is what I have?

And can it be rectified/put back together?

I have ordered a new switch just to be on the safe side but I am now not sure if the switch should be seperated, if in fact that is what I have done!!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Phil

 

Yes you are going to need a new switch element, which should snap on and locked with a screw I believe, your switch is pieces and I wouldn't advice to reuse it as ignition switches are quite important as far as accidental switching on or cranking while the car is unattended.

Thew two bolts I am referring to are the ones that screw the whole locking housing or body that wraps around the steering column, the bolts may be screwed from top to downwards and you may notrice they are called shear bolts, that is when the bolts have reached a locking torq the heads snap off so that they cannot be undone ordinarily, but can be drilled out or turned to undo by a striking a sharp pointed tool that engages with the edge of the remaining bolt head to make it turn.

 

unfortunately on the mk4 astra vauxhall decided to make it a little more complicated to change the actual ignition lock unit

to remove the switch thats still stuck in place you need to remove the ignition barrel with the key

once its removed there are 2 clips can see one in the picture then it would slide down

now to remove the full ignition lock unit there is a pressed pin on the top centre you need a punch and knock it threw from the right hand side to remove

you also need to remove the steering wheel and there is a circlip holding the shaft bearing in place all that slides towards you and it should remove it

but steering would need to be unlocked ill try take pictures

 

unfortunately on the mk4 astra vauxhall decided to make it a little more complicated to change the actual ignition lock unit

to remove the switch thats still stuck in place you need to remove the ignition barrel with the key

once its removed there are 2 clips can see one in the picture then it would slide down

now to remove the full ignition lock unit there is a pressed pin on the top centre you need a punch and knock it threw from the right hand side to remove

you also need to remove the steering wheel and there is a circlip holding the shaft bearing in place all that slides towards you and it should remove it

but steering would need to be unlocked ill try take pictures

Thanks for that Gilly

I have managed to get the rest of the switch out, new one is on its way.

My "broken key" extractor came this morning, I have spent the last 5 hours wiggling, jiggling, pushing, pulling & cursing, the feckin key is still there! Looks like im gonna have to drill it.

Will it be best to remove the whole lot, as advised above or should I do it in situ?

If I do take the whole lot off can I re-use it or will I need a new 1?

I have never drilled an ignition barrel before, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

On another note......now I have removed the switch is there any other way to get the barrel out with the switch removed?

Gilly, have I understood correctly that in order to remove the whole thing I would need the steering lock disengaged? If so is it just a matter of snapping the lock "old skool" style?

Thanks again for the help so far guys

Phil

 

Damn, I have just re-read your post Gilly........are you saying I need to remove the cylinder lock, that the key is broken in, before I can remove the whole unit?

Cheers

Phil

 

If your steering wheel has locked into place yea mate afraid so.

There is a small hole. Key side of the barrel. On the plastic.near the centre of the column that's the hole you.use to.free the ignition barrel. Might he worth trying a screw driver or nail and hitting with a hammer it.might break the wee tab that holds the barrel in place

 

Ye its locked mate, so that solution is a no no without breaking the steering lock, damn!

 

Before drilling out the barrel, think of the consequences of then having to have two keys one for doors and one for your new ignition barrel, or otherwise change all door locks, or go to some locksmith and ask him to match your new barrel to your old key, often the bits inside the cylinder can be manipulated around to adapt it to your old ignition key , a bit of ingenuity can do it.

However, on my Calibra lock there is a small pin hole facing the driver, in which you insert a small hex or a small drill bit about 2mm diameter and pushing it in releases the barrel, which can then be removed, but this only works when the lock is in position II, and the key inserted, if you can turn the ignition barrel with your other half broken key to position II, wiggle the steering wheel a bit as it may have locked up and so turning the key to position II difficult, as sometimes even with a proper key you cannot unlock steering lock unless you wiggle the steering wheel back and forth, once your cylinder comes out then it should be relatively easy to knock the broken part of the key out, when drawing it out; keep both parts of the key in the cylinder to facilitate its withdrawl.


EDIT: further comments added:

On your Astra this tiny hole may be located elsewhere as gilly-06 suggested, so look for a small hole on the barrel body/housing, and try and insert a small steel pin inside it, like a drill bit, or a small nail, whatever you can find of the right size to push in, and follow the procedure gilly said and if this comes off you have saved yourself a lot of hassle, once the barrel is out the broken part of the key should come out easily.

 

Iv thought of the consequences, long and hard, and if I do drill the barrel it will be the very last resort! I have keyfob locking/unlocking/total closure, so that would only be a problem if my alarm failed, but drilling is a last resort.

The steering lock is on, I have tried inserting the rest of the key to turn ignition to position 1, wiggling the steering wheel etc. but it just wont budge.

I have even had the extractor tools down and gripped on to the broken end of the key but it wont budge, I think the end of the key got jammed in the barrel cos it is not moving at all.

Im going to keep trying in the morning and I will try Gillys method as well, but if no go then im gonna have to drill it.

New switch, barrel and key ordered which should be here Monday.

Any advice on drilling it out if I have to? Was just thinking usual, start with say a 2mm bit and work my way up bit size till its done?

Thanks for your advice so far

Phil

 

I think 2mm drill would be too small and you risk it snapping inside which could then cause more problems, so a 3mm minimum and gradually going bigger, I would try and smacking the housing with a rubber mallet to shake the broken part lose and then try your extractor tool or try it while you are smacking the lock from various sides you can access, or only a suggestion, why not drill out the clamping bolts, and remove the whole lock and save drilling out the barrel, but end of the day you got to do what you think is best for your particular circumstances and what is at your accessible to you, tools and resources etc. You have got the idea, just do what your mind thinks is best.

If you do not have a rubber mallet, you may use a piece of wood between the hammer and the lock to avoid damage to barrel housing (lock)

 

Thanks for your advice MSG.

I have tried hitting the barrel with a rubber mallet while trying to extract the key but it still isnt budging.

Where are the bolts located you are referring to? I have had a good look round, even taken pictures of parts I can not properly see, and I cant see any bolts/screws etc. holding it on.

Any chance you have a picture of the bolt locations you are referring to? As I dont really want to drill the cylinder or even break the steering lock.

Thanks again MSG

Phil

 

I can only give you a picture of a Calibra lock, most are typical like it, the whole lock housing made of die-cast aluminium is made like two halves and clamp around the steering column, and the clamping bolts are what is known as shear bolts, meaning their heads shear when they reach the right torque and so the bolts are tightened and the heads snap so that thieves cannot undo these bolts unless they take a longer route of drilling the bolts out. which is what you may have to do, on my Calibra the bolts are inserted from the top and threads are in the lower housing, so drilling these can be a problem as the dashboard may come in the way, so one then has to remove the steering column to get to these bolts.

If these bolts can be unscrewed using a sharp pointed chisel like tool, and hitting the perimeter of the now the rounded head bolt as the hexagon part has snapped off, one can turn it lose if it hasn't been tightened too much, I remember on my Micra it undid with absolutely no sweat as that car was also broken into and its steering lock all smashed up, but again it was my lucky day and the bastards couldn't start the car as there was no battery in it! Next time iof they want to come and steal my car they will have to come up with a good charged battery !

A typical calibra lock is shown for sale on Ebay, type this on ebay and see the picture, which is showing one half and is not showing the clamp half , Vauxhall Calibra Steering Column Lock Housing -Part No 7844260

On your Astra it may not be a two part clamping type, it may be a single part with one clamping bolt for tightening, so it cannot be removed unless one takes the whole steering wheel off etc (not 100% sure on Astra)

Why don't you go to ebay and have a look what sort of locks are available for sale and let me have a link or item number so that i can see what you have on yours.

 

VAUXHALL ASTRA G MK4 STEERING COLUMN/LOCK RACK FITS ALL MODELS | eBay

This is my steering column, the barrel, switch etc connect to the black frame at the front, this is the same as gilly has provided above, there is only 1 pin & a circlip holding this on though, if I could get this off the removing the key should be simple, but you need the steering lock off to get this removed!

I spent the whole day yesterday trying to extract the key, seeing if there is another way round it, but to no avail, so nearly 1 week in I think its time to get the drill out.

I have been looking for advice on drilling and it seems some cylinders can just be drilled to remove the bar that holds the cylinder in, is this the case here or do I just need to start drilling the broken key?

Thanks guys

Phil

 

Did you try to smash that pin that retains the barrel in, pushing it out through the other side, as gully suggested ? sure that may damage the housing a little as it pops through the opposite side, but this could be patched up with some plastic cement as long as it is not in a critical area which might throw the locking mechanism in whilst in driving position.

 

Didnt try this as I didnt want to risk damaging any other components &/or damaging the steering lock, I have drilled it out today, only took about 30 mins, wish id have done this initially, it would have saved me 3 days & £10! Lol.

Pictures to follow

Phil

 

the plastic housing is only covering for the ali housing underneath the plastic coating

again one thing you could try is where you put a pin in the hole to remove the barrel is hitting the pin with a hammer to see if that would release it it may work

 

So I ended up drilling the barrel out, only took 30 mins or so, started with a 3mm bit and worked my way up to a 13mm bit, cylinder came out then I just popped the pin and hey presto, the little fcuker is out, finally!

20141112_151312_zpst3rmfitp.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_145542_zpsf25stpl2.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_145418_zpsuwqbhisk.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_145211_zpsakycrsfp.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_145135_zpsfpsez2xo.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_145117_zpszx25t1ms.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

20141112_152239_zpstfzr0zgg.jpg Photo by Boris_Blade | Photobucket

Not sure what order they are in as im not sure how to upload pictures direct to the forum, but you get the gist!

So the rebuild!

Is it barrel first, switch second?

Thanks again for all the advice

Phil

 

Oh well you had no choice other than to drill, as the broken part of the key would not budge out, and even if you did access to that pin hole to push a steel wire through to release the barrel, you would have needed to have the barrel turned to position II so ultimately that is what you had to do.

As for posting pictures all you need to do is copy the URL address bar and paste it here but adding square brackets as such shown here;

I have done one picture of yours for you below

[/URL]

in this example if you remove the xxxx after the firts bracket and xxxx before the last bracket and copy url from photobucket and paste this on Migweb, then all you need is those square brackets with the exact letters written in each bracket. ignore the xxxx I had to add otherwise that example would become a photo. Also note in the last square bracket there is a forward slash " / "

 

Thanks for that MSG, I will do that in future.

Anyway back to the barrel.....all back together, chip changed over & everything working normal, apart from the airbag light has come on, think I may have wound the contact unit the wrong way as when I put left hand down the steering jammed but then I heard a click and steering was fine but airbag light then came on.

I will stick it on opcom tomorrow, make sure it isnt something else, then ill have to whip the airbag & contact unit off, check for damage & wind it up the other way!

I will start a new thread if I run in to any problems.

Thanks for all the help again guys, appreciate it.

Phil

 

my post is too late, but wanted to say, a strong neodymium magnet may have pulled the key out

 

indeed neodymium magnet can work a treat, one can even attach it to the broken part of the key whereby the magnetic fields extend through it to the other broken part and attach itself to the broken part and if there isn't too much friction or other internal spring pressure the broken part can indeed be withdrawn, perhaps a few tries may be needed bit by bit. Most hobby shops sell these magnets or one can buy from ebay, and they are not too expensive, they are the strongest magnets on earth.

 

ahh glad to see you got it sorted eventually mate