cannot turn the ignition key

[remigio]

quote "any luck with these solutions Remigio?"

don't know. on the road for 1-2 months; could strtch to three. at the mercy of former us army sgt now in school on whether he buys the triflow and try it on the car. thanks for all the advice guys.

remigio

[Coach House 911]

Any luck with this remigio?...
I am having the same difficulty it seems. When I put the key in the ignition it would not turn since the car last ran in Oct.
Tonight I jiggled the wheel left/right while finessing the key but its locked solid. Key comes out no problem -just won't turn.
Based on this forum the solution is Tri Flow?

[l_turn9]

re: using WD-40. FYI - Please remember WD is not a lubricant. It was developed years ago as a Water Displacing agent for the military - Air Force I believe - for one of their engines. But it is great at displacing moisture, there are many products that do a better job lubricating although WD will be slightly lubricative for a period following application.

Good luck with your P-Cars!

[911 SLANT]

I just had this happen to me a couple of times before I notice that my key only works one way. When it doesn't turn I flip the key and turn freely. No problem.

[ian c2]

Originally Posted by l_turn9

re: using WD-40. FYI - Please remember WD is not a lubricant. It was developed years ago as a Water Displacing agent for the military - Air Force I believe - for one of their engines. But it is great at displacing moisture, there are many products that do a better job lubricating although WD will be slightly lubricative for a period following application.

Good luck with your P-Cars!

There is also a Wd40 lubricant .now

[l_turn9]

Ian c2
re WD40 Lubricant. Good to know! Thanks!

So the trick here is to know what you need and buy accordingly.

Larry

[ian c2]

I’m not recommending it , just pointing out that it’s out there .
I’ve only ever used it at work once on a padlock .

[l_turn9]

Had this problem a few days ago - one day my key worked perfectly, the next day it refused to turn at all. After following the suggestions in this thread it now works great. I used brake cleaner sprayed into the keyhole (must use the tube) and worked the key in & out several times, wiping it each time - lots of black junk came off on my towel. A word of caution, make sure you have something on the knee pad, because the brake cleaner will leave light gray spots where it drips (BTDT) - I think I fixed the spots. After I cleaned the key cylinder I put a thin coating of a gun coating that is non-oily and now the key turns smoothly again. Helpful thread - Thx to all.

[Flojo]

Problem is: the cylinder is set horizontaly.
but it was fully lubed back then.
thus trying to clean it installed does not solve cleaning the gunk inside sitting top of the key.
spraying brake cleaner or WD40 will help cleaning the bits sitting bottom.

A proper clean will need to take it apart.

same issue for the door locks

[Long Nose]

OK, so it's crazy these days what lubricant works and what doesn't.

2010 Cayenne GTS - was having issues when I removed the key with the system staying on, i.e. not recognizing the key was out. Sprayed some WD40 into the mechanism, and its worked great since.

Electric Garage Door Opener with screw mechanism - used lithium grease to lubricate the screw - and the door actually seized up!!! Had to spray cans and cans of WD40 into the screw to flush all of the lithium grease out, door works fine now (phew!!).

1970 911 - Ignition key was a bit stiff, sounded like there was some sand or grit in the mechanism. Hit it with a shot of WD40 - lock seized! Won't turn at all now. Used compressed air to try and blow out the mechanism (computer cleaner can). Still nothing! Have tried two keys, and its seized. The steering wheels turn fine, the wheel lock doesn't seem to engage at all. Will try and use brake cleaner or something, and then I am not going to lube anything in my garage for a while (OK, we all know that's not true).

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by Long Nose

OK, so it's crazy these days what lubricant works and what doesn't.

2010 Cayenne GTS - was having issues when I removed the key with the system staying on, i.e. not recognizing the key was out. Sprayed some WD40 into the mechanism, and its worked great since.

Electric Garage Door Opener with screw mechanism - used lithium grease to lubricate the screw - and the door actually seized up!!! Had to spray cans and cans of WD40 into the screw to flush all of the lithium grease out, door works fine now (phew!!).

1970 911 - Ignition key was a bit stiff, sounded like there was some sand or grit in the mechanism. Hit it with a shot of WD40 - lock seized! Won't turn at all now. Used compressed air to try and blow out the mechanism (computer cleaner can). Still nothing! Have tried two keys, and its seized. The steering wheels turn fine, the wheel lock doesn't seem to engage at all. Will try and use brake cleaner or something, and then I am not going to lube anything in my garage for a while (OK, we all know that's not true).

Try TriFlow lubricant.

Their ad media should say Friends don’t let friends use WD40.

[T77911S]

push the key in a little harder while turning if its not the steering wheel.
my 930 does it sometimes.