Brian Chase wrote:
Haven't gotten any response to my post questioning whether the ignition
locking problem is caused by the tumbler as opposed to the locking
mechanism in the column, but I must continue to question that. It seems
that everyone is convinced replacing the tumbler will solve it, but
could it not be the locking rod? (forgive me if that is the wrong name
for the part, but you get what I'm referring to). My tumbler is lubed up
and works quite nicely, and I have removed and replaced it several times
(in fact tried to install the new one I bought from the dealer, but it
wouldn't fit), so I am becoming familiar with the whole deal, and it
seems that the problem does not lie with the tumbler. Enlighten me.
All of the tumblers eventually will wear out and they occasionally also
break. Often in cars that were largely city driven (<10-15kmi/year) with
less than 10 miles driven for each start they may fail by 150kmi. Cars
that are run many tens of miles between starts are less likely to wear
out during the life of the car (as long as you don't use a brass
aftermarket key that will wear them out MUCH sooner). The steering
column latch pin will seldom wear out, but CAN be damaged if forced.
Tumbler failures are FAR more frequent, but column latches CAN fail. I
know of maybe half a dozen latch failures vs several hundred tumbler
failures.
Marshall
--
Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions)
"der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
'87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5
turbo 237kmi
