Ignition Switch Mystery

[Pinch]

Question: if a Porsche dealer replaced the ignition switch in an '80s vintage 911SC would they have installed the new switch with breakaway bolts and rivets like it came from the factory? See the attached image.


I have 911SC with lost keys. Porsche cut me a new master key (from the VIN #) that opens the doors and glovebox, but not the ignition. I'm trying to figure out why the key does not work and if the switch has been replaced. From the image can anyone tell me if this looks like a factory installation? Is there anything else that would prevent the master key from working? Curiously, the steering wheel is broken - cracked right through- and that is something I've never seen before.

Thank you!

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by Pinch

Question: if a Porsche dealer replaced the ignition switch in an '80s vintage 911SC would they have installed the new switch with breakaway bolts and rivets like it came from the factory? See the attached image.


I have 911SC with lost keys. Porsche cut me a new master key (from the VIN #) that opens the doors and glovebox, but not the ignition. I'm trying to figure out why the key does not work and if the switch has been replaced. From the image can anyone tell me if this looks like a factory installation? Is there anything else that would prevent the master key from working? Curiously, the steering wheel is broken - cracked right through- and that is something I've never seen before.

Thank you!

Well, I'll wait until you discover that you didn't post a picture but, in the meantime, I'd say that a dealer would reinstall a switch like the factory to keep that bit of security intact.

[Pinch]

Yes, I forgot the attachment. Sorry

[RSTarga]

Those are breakaway bolts.
They did not rekey your new ignition switch. Thats awkward since you'll have to remove the switch to have it rekeyed.

[Pinch]

Thanks RSTarga. So rekeying means that a locksmith can modify this switch (lock) and make it so that master key will work? Is that right?

[Peteupnorth]

Hi Pinch,
I just had problems with my 73 Targa ignition switch. A friend of mine (here in the U.K.) who is a technical expert changed the ignition switch for me but in order to keep the same key had to drill out a very small pin to extract the key barrel. He then replaced the original key barrel into the new ignition switch. If you do that with yours the ignition switch will have to be removed again.

[javadog]

It would be much easier to re-key the other locks than to pull that switch and re-key it.

JR

[Pinch]

Oh boy.... it sounds like this is going to be a pita.

I can't believe the PO (unknown) had the ignition switch changed and then settled for a two key solution. If this was done by a dealer doesn't that seem unlikely? That's why I asked if anyone could tell if this looks like a factory install. To me the breakout bolts look different than those shown in Wayne's 101 Projects for Your 911, but that may not mean anything.

Is there any condition that would actually prevent the correct master key from turning the lock. I've turned the steering wheel a whole lot and with force while trying to turn the key but no lock.

Can a locksmith or Porsche unlock the ignition w/o removing the switch assembly? The biggest issue I have right now is releasing the steering wheel so I can push this car into the garage and out of the weather. I'm not sure the steering wheel lock can be separated from the switch w/o removing the switch assembly. Thanks again!

[javadog]

It's not unusual to see two keys. It was probably just a cost saving measure on the part of the owner. I'm sure the shop or dealer would have been happy to change all of them.

Chances are the lock has been changed. That's more likely than a failure of the lock.

No, you can't turn the wheel until the lock releases the column shaft.

Best way to move the car is using a floor jack under the front.

JR

[group911@aol.co]

Not exactly sure when they switched but that is a late style ignition switch.
If you are really lucky and a contortionist with a mirror and light, the tag with the key code might still be on the back side of the switch. It's a white rectangular tag that is usually found on the back side of the barrel between the main part and the steering column.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by javadog

It's not unusual to see two keys. It was probably just a cost saving measure on the part of the owner. I'm sure the shop or dealer would have been happy to change all of them.

Chances are the lock has been changed. That's more likely than a failure of the lock.

No, you can't turn the wheel until the lock releases the column shaft.

Best way to move the car is using a floor jack under the front.

JR

^^Agree with all the above.

You cannot re-key the doors to match the ignition until you get an ignition key which means removing the mechanism. Unless there's some special way a locksmith can pick that lock and record the pin pattern, he's going to have to remove the lock mechanism.

It's not as bad as you make out to do it yourself. The real delicate part is drilling out the breakaway bolts, but once that's done, the rest is relatively easy (though uncomfortable to get to) and many have done it on this board.

Just read Bob's post above mine. That is definitely worth the effort to find the code.

[Pinch]

> If you are really lucky and a contortionist with a mirror and light, the tag with the key code might still be on the back side of the switch.

Hi Bob,
The attached photo is not great but I do see a yellow sticker up on the switch with some alpha-numeric characters. I can't read all of it, but with a small mirror I think I can. Is this possible the key code sticker? In this case it is yellow.

Thank you!

[group911@aol.co]

No. That's the part number tag

[group911@aol.co]

Look at the top picture in this post and you can see a faint outline on the long flat part of where the tag was. Not even sure if replacement switches had one. Also, this is a picture of an earlier switch. Notice the extra ring around they key hole.
Ignition switch with Key

[ossiblue]

If this shows the location of the (now gone) code tag, he would not be able to see it without removing he lock as that side of the piece faces the backside of the dash--towards the driver--and wouldn't be visible from behind. I can't remember if there would be enough gap to slip a mirror up there to see the code.



I'd bite the bullet and remove the lock after checking to see if a locksmith would be able to cut a key without removing the cylinder. I doubt he could, but I'm no expert.

[group911@aol.co]

I've done it before. It helps if you know where to look to start with. I've also found the tag that had fallen off on the metal ledge just below the lock. Usually, 4 numbers on are the key code. Short of that, pull the switch.

Originally Posted by ossiblue

If this shows the location of the (now gone) code tag, he would not be able to see it without removing he lock as that side of the piece faces the backside of the dash--towards the driver--and wouldn't be visible from behind.



I'd bite the bullet and remove the lock after checking to see if a locksmith would be able to cut a key without removing the cylinder. I doubt he could, but I'm no expert.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

I've done it before. It helps if you know where to look to start with. I've also found the tag that had fallen off on the metal ledge just below the lock. Usually, 4 numbers on are the key code. Short of that, pull the switch.

So there is enough space to work in a mirror and shed some light? That's good to know. If the lock has been replaced, that may increase the odds that the sticker is still there, if it ever was, but those odds are long indeed. Hope he finds it.

[group911@aol.co]

That's where the contortionist part comes in. On a 964 and later, forget about it.

Originally Posted by ossiblue

So there is enough space to work in a mirror and shed some light? That's good to know. If the lock has been replaced, that may increase the odds that the sticker is still there, if it ever was, but those odds are long indeed. Hope he finds it.

[Pinch]

I managed to get a finger between the lock and the dash sheetmetal and I can feel a sticker right where Bob said it would be. I'll crawl under there tomorrow and try to read it. Thanks again!

[Pinch]

Well, I crawled under there and found the sticker right where Bob said it would be. Problem is the numbers are completely faded and whoever installed the replacement switch decided to write the code by hand over the original using hieroglyphs.

I photographed it with my scope and showed it to my teenage daughter who is my go-to person when it comes to reading CAPTCHA codes. Incredibly she can make out most of the characters but one of the numeric characters (there are four) is almost not there. She believes the code is

- IMXR or RMXR 8X88, 8X86 (X being the number that can't be read). That said there is a faint bit that leads my code breaker to believe X = 2, 7, or 0

I mention all this in the hope that these numbers may mean something to someone when applied to a 911SC. Otherwise I have to remove the switch and hope someone can dismantle it and rekey it. Thanks to all!