Hi guys,

My ignition tumbler is getting really "sticky", as in the tumblers do not seem to always like tumbling. I sprayed a teflon based dry lube in there and the position I and II tumblers became super smooth, but the III is still very stuck. I'm worried that I tried this too late and my ignition wore out as a lot of the time trying to get it into III feels like my key just smacks into a wall.

I saw some instructions on cleaning out the ignition tumbler somewhere a while ago, and I didn't have the foresight to save the article. I'm really hoping someone will know something about doing this, cause I can't afford a new tumbler right now ($460). After lubing it, I definitely have some black gunk coming out of the tumbler. It looks and feels a lot like a graphite based lube, but I realize it could really be anything.

Tonight I am going to lube up the key and try starting it. It usually moves into III if I haven't run it for about 24 hours, so I'm hoping it's just a case of getting the lube into the right spot. Even if this works, I should probably clean and re-lube the thing for longevity, right?

Edited to add: I was looking for the gear selector interlock cable to try and lubricate that, and I could only find a metal rod. I'm starting to think I should go hunting around again for that cable...

 

I have a lube that is made just for locks, I think its graphite?? might be worth a shot

 

Thanks for the input. I didn't bother updating as my post didn't get much attention. I ended up shooting this Teflon based dry lube into it a few times: Dupont Teflon Dry-Film Lube | Canadian Tire.

It was recommended to not use graphite on a couple of other car forums due to the graphite often causing wear on the tumblers that will further damage them. I'll admit that I'm still a little confused about that as pretty much all lock lubes are graphite based... It prolonged the use of the lock by about a week. I think I'll try some graphite based lock lube since I'm not having any luck getting the shear bolts off of the old tumbler. The original and 16+ year owner was a heavy smoker. Everything within the cabin is now stuck together.

 

There is a fix for the ignition tumbler when yours inevitably becomes finicky. http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...hp?f=1&t=67531

I know how you feel. The last owner of mine was a heavy smoker as well. The coin tray is melted... I got most of the smells out, though.

 

I'm super lazy, so here is a long overdue update!

The tumbler was just done. I'm not sure what happened. I don't remember it being sticky when I got it, only starting a few weeks after. It may have just been age, or it may have been the fact that I always pull myself out of the car by pulling on the steering wheel - a practice I've since stopped. So, lesson learned. If you pull on your steering wheel too hard, it can break part of the tumbler.

I ended up opting for the Pick n Pull fix. I've been rocking an 18 y/o tumbler from there for a few months and it's been great.

I also happened to read about the ignition switch, so I had gone ahead and ordered one of those based on my symptoms. I was really, REALLY hoping that would fix it so I would have a cheap fix. That didn't fix it, but when I took the old one out, a couple of the prongs were black and the rest yellow from high heat exposure. The little 1"x 2" metal plate on the bottom of the original ignition was also yellowed from heat. In retrospect, the signs were there. I had no idea your key shouldn't heat up after sitting in the tumbler. If the ignition switch had been returnable, I would have taken it back and not figured out that there was such a serious issue with it. Once I finally got the new tumbler as well things were working great. I didn't take any pictures during the installation process as there are a lot of detailed guides available already. I'll link the ones I used and add some photos of my heat damaged stuff sometime later this week so that anyone with similar issues will have the same resources I had.