Denis,

Right now the car is at a repair shop to have the cylinder drilled out and the lock assembly replaced. I should have it back on the next two days. In the meantime, I am driving a rented Dodge Intrepid, a real boat of a car. :eek:

This is easily the most nightmarish problem I've had with my car, but at least it is being taken care of.

Considering how easy a preventive solution is, perhaps Mercedesshop should post a sticky on the main page (like the crankshaft balancer one) warning people to replace their cylinders at the first sign of jamming. I think it is that critical. Most failing systems in these cars give you months of advance warning, however this was very abrupt, failing about a week after I first noticed key stickiness.

I agree about the sticky. After reading your posts, I ws reminded to remind my father about this. If any MB ignition tumbler feels wrong leave it in position 1! It may be your last chance.

yes
 

Eric, make a new post addressed to thge moderator of the diesel page.
Yours is a good idea!!!!

Not a cure-all, but get a new key cut. It will definitely help with this problem. Also, lube, lube, lube.

Also, don't suspend a lot of keyes from your ignition, it is a well known cause of auto ignition lock failures.

Haasman

Also, the Mercedes Roadside assistance person I spoke with when the problem initially occured said that they are seeing an increasing number of 1989 era locks beginning to fail. His exact words were, "the 89's are starting to go."

Come to think of it, I recall one or two occasions many months ago when the key would stick just a tiny bit, but I passed it off to dirt since I could see some residue on the key. Apparently, the famous Mercedes "one year or so warning before failure" system was at work then, only I did not recognize it.

But never again will I neglect even the most minor odd behavior since it is so easy, and cheap, to correct them when caught early on.

Yes I can vouch for that - I changed mine in Nov 2002 (at the first hint) - I drove straight to my Indy who replaced it there and then with a spare while I awaited the key matched tumbler from MB.

It was thanks to this forum that I was aware of the significance and consequences of this wee problem.

I too think it is a real good idea to have a sticky on this subject.

230 TE (W124) 1989 with 147,000 miles on the clock - hoping for at least another 100K

Well, it's fixed. The new ignition switch, steering/ignition lock, bezel etc. plus drilling out the old stuff came to about $480.00. Add $100 for the tumbler & key I bought.

I used one of the recommended ShopForum shops -- Silver Star Motors in Vienna, VA. They seem to receive nothing but praise, and I think they did a very good job on the ignition. I was not happy, however, that they broke my drivers side window switch in the process, and would not admit responsibility beyond an offer to install a new switch if I brought it to them.

I also thought it was unusual that they did not question the fact that my key does not work in the door locks -- because they both have an accumulation of graphite lubricant powder that needs to be cleaned and, ironically, was to be my weekend project before the ignition failed. (There is a good thread here on how to do that. Also, contrary to popular belief, it is not a good idea to introduce any liquid or solid into a lock.) Perhaps Silver Star thought I would blame them for it. Nonetheless, I think it is unusual that they did not mention it, and wonder if they will choose not to mention other obvious faults, which I am not aware of, should I take my car there again.

Finally, I got comments about a handful of things that were not done to "Mercedes spec" i.e. an odd wire, or some aspect of a repair or patch the previous owner had done, and which I have no compulsion to change if there is no good reason to. Perhaps I am being sensitive, but I am well aware of what is "wrong" with my car and don't need a critique. It leaves a bad taste in a potential customer's mouth, especially when that customer initially had such high expectations, and is now opting to stick with his own mechanic rather than consider switching to this new one.

On the bright side, however, they did narrow my rough idle and lack of normal pep to a fuel system component -- air/fuel mixture, fuel accumulator, fuel filter, or O2 sensor -- and ruled out air and electrical issues. Identifying and fixing the culprit(s) should be sraightforward for any tech to do, and will restore the car's performance to optimal.

Glad YOU ARE BACK ON THE ROAD!!!!;)

clean and lubricate
 

Similar event occured to me several weeks ago.
The old Benz was sitting for over ten days without any exercise..

Upon inserting the key, I found it would not turn. About 20 minutes of jiggling, cleaning, lubricating, over and over, were necessary, and now - no trouble at all.
IMO, a very small amount of "lock oil" is OK, better yet is to keep it clean.. I use some electronics parts cleaner spray.:D :D :D

Tooter

Yip - you got away with it - you probably will not next time better $70 prevention than $500+ cure - you have had the warning from your tumbler and this forum - so it is up to you!

tooter

At a minimum, get a new key cut.

It helps with the old worn tumblers.

Best $20 you will ever spend on your car.

Tooter,

From what you describe, you sound like you are on borrowed time. Twenty minutes of jiggling is bad news. The next failure could be permanent. Spend the $100 on a new tumbler, while you still can.

when I started to have problems with the ignition on my 81 SD I took the whole assemble out removed the the tumblers and little springs from the cylinder the reinstalled the cylinder.The key still works fine in all positions and can be removed. Granted that the car could be broken into and any key that will fit the slot will start the car but where we live and where we go that is unlikely and should I loose my key I'm not up the creek...........
William Rogers.......

Similar problem
 

I have a '91,190E, 193,000 miles on it and my ignition locked up on it yesterday when I shut it off. I tried jacking the car up from the front to take the load off of the front wheels. Should I have jacked up the back end to take the load off of the of drive train?

The problem is in the ignition - has nothing to do with either front or rear wheels.