I tried searching the forums..looked at the FAQ's..etc before posting.

My key won't turn on my 03 SLT Quad Cab. I put the key in the ignition and it won't budge. It started about a week ago and has become more frequent. Now it doesn't turn at all.

I've done a little research and came up with either put graphite powder in there or replacing the ignition cylinder.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

Turn your steering wheel one way or the other and try again. You could be locking it without realizing...such as holding pressure on the wheel while taking the key out and then releasing the wheel so it snaps back slightly.

 

Yeah, that was the first thing I tried. I've had the truck about a year..this problem started about a week ago. It would happen every now and again, now it won't turn at all. I tried jiggling the key, try moving the wheel around...checked and made sure it was in park.

Nothing worked. I'm going to try my spare key after work today. The key doesn't look worn out, so I doubt that will work.

 

Well, FYI...graphite powder can be a total mess. A mess now and a mess for a long time. Everytime you put your key in there, it'll pull out some graphite powder and you'll keep getting that stuff on your hands and on your clothing. I would spray lubricant in there before using graphite, just don't go crazy is all.
You may need a new ignition cylinder though.
One thing that does wear them down is excessive weigth on them like a lot of keys on your keychain...etc

 

I'll try some lubricant...just WD40? I'm retarded when it comes to vehicles....

I've found a couple places online that have the cylinder. One had the part for 140 and the other for 77 (Advance Auto/Autozone).

Hopefully that is fair prices.


As far as removing the cylinder, I've read that all you need is a paper clip to pop it out. I couldn't find any guidance after that. Any tips?

Thanks for your help.

 

Try some DRY lubricant. If not that then i would i would replace the ignition.

 

Thanks for the help...I just went ahead and replaced the cylinder...wasn't too difficult for a newb.