Ignition Lock - 93 Dodge Caravan

Depending on the amount of damage, it may have to be totally replaced.

If only the cylinder is damaged, you'll just have to use the key (If operatable) to turn on ignition. Then depress the retainer & turn cylinder back & remove key. The cylinder will then be removeable.

If key isn't working, you'll have to replace the whole thing.

This'll entail removal of the shroud, then removal of the torx screws to remove the ignition housing and cylinder.

A spceial torx tool will be needed.

Then you will have to have the lock cylinder re-keyed to the doors before installing it into the housing.

Re-installation of the complete unit is a straight forward job. Only the keying will be your problem, unless you're a Locksmith.

Newnsie

Thanks for your response.

Actually, there is no cylinder in the housing. The cylinder was pried out when the folks who broke in tried to steal the car. What's there now is a hole with a spring at the end of it where the lock used to be. Some of the plastic around the housing and the lock area is broken.

you need the lock HOUSING, which is the electrical switch- trip to the auto parts store OR dealer, but you need an UNKEYED ignition lock... some locksmiths keep them... (35 or so choices for Chrysler now) so you might call and see...dealer does if no one else around has in stock

--Shiva--

I sympathize with you sgana. When I bought my first car many years ago after polishing it for a week someone decided they wanted it. I'm guessing but at the time if I remember right it was a total amateur job of stealing it a ford escort. Basically if my memory serves correct it looked like they used a flat head screwdriver or something similar to open the door ripping out the cylinder lock. Then basically ripped the plastic under the ignition block off and I assume some half hearted attempt to hotwire it. Which obviously failed, so they decide to completely wreck the interior probably out of spite or just frustration or vandalism.

Its a nightmare when it happens sometimes it cost me a fortune to get it all sorted.

Like I said sorry to hear about your probs hope you can sort it out.

souls

Yeah, i got the same problem, more or less.

I'm a wrecker driver who lurks on this group.

I towed in a perfectly good Dodge Neon, 1995 i think, stolen-recovery, and found *exactly* what you descirbe.

Its not the steering column or swithc housing thats messed up. In fact, it looks perfect. Somehow, the bad guys managed to get the tumbler out of the lock housing without the normal catastrophic damage to the column. When I caught up with the car, I was able to start and drive it by rotating a large, flat blade screwdrive against some moveable feature in the housing.

In my case, they left the tumbler too, which also seems to be undamaged.

I'm not certain how the whole mechanism works, or how (if?) the tumbler can be reinserted into the housing, and I dont have a whole lot of time to look at it. We'll probably sell the car "as is", and throw in a suitable screwdriver.

But I know what you're saying. No damage to the lock housing, no electrical disruption, minimal damage to the plastic fins around the housing. And the spring in the center.

Somebody told me you can buy tumblers with keys from dealers for 10-12 bucks. I never bothered with that because my difficulty would be getting the old tumbler *out*, without a key. Seems like maybe *somebody's* got it figured out, though. lol.

Terminology glitch, there.

A "tumbler" is one of the pieces which has to be moved to the correct position by the key before the lock will operate.

The cylindrical piece that houses the tumblers and rotates only when the tumblers are correctly positioned is known as the plug.

There is usually a way to release an automotive lock from its housing for repair. Generally there is a mechanism which prevents that from happening when the lock is in the locked position, for obvious reasons.

Depending on how the lock was disassembled, it may in fact be possible to reassemble the lock and have it all work properly. If they forced something, there probably _was_ damage. A locksmith can probably examine it and tell you whether it can simply be reassembled or needs to be replaced. Up to you to decide whether it's worth investing in repair and hoping to get a better price, or just unloading it and letting the buyer pay for fixup.

IIRC an ignition on a 95 neon will probably self destruct if you attempt to disassemble it unless it had already been changed as the original equipment design is spinwelded together and the replacement style has a retainer pin.