fraay

Sometimes..when I put my key in the ignition.. I have to turn it REALLY hard (it seems to lock up) to get it past the initial position... and the rest of the time it turns really easily.. is there some trick I don't know about?

I'm going in for an oil change tomorrow.. but I can't seem to reproduce it... so I don't imagine they'll do anything....

Dawn

fraay

So its probably user error and not a hardware problem?

skyhawk174

Hey fraay, you must be in the computer field right? A techie?

It's interestig that I have found that my steering wheel does not have a lock on it. Hmm, have to play with it some more.

fraay

That's right...hehehe.. was wondering who would pick that up.. yep.. im a programmer

Mazdaboy42

Fraay it is defintly the steering wheel lock, the same thing happens to me sometimes, just turn the wheel with a little pressure and it should allow the key to turn quite easily

fraay

Yep.. that's what it is.. user error.. happened at the dealership and I just gotta turn the wheel.. I've never had this happen on any other car I've had.. but those were crappy cars, so maybe it just didn't work properly

I figured I was just doing something wrong.. big surprise

Dawn

hihoslva

It probably does have the lock (I mean - they ALL do, right?) - but occasionally, if you don't have the wheel in the right position when removing the key, it'll still more a little bit. Turn it too much, and it'll hit the locked position and it won't move after that.

Kinda funny that this crazy anti-theft thing from, like, the 50's is still used on cars today. It was meant ot stop "hot-wiring" thieves, because they'd still have to turn the key to unlock the wheel - what good is car that can only drive straight?

Strange that it is still used - in the day when anyone who wants to steal a car just pounds a screwdriver into the ignition and away they go....

~HH

fraay

Is that seriously what its for? I can't imagine that stops anyone.. Why do they even bother... I thought it was just so you didn't dry steer.. or whatever its called..

Dawn

hihoslva

Well, that's definitely what it was intended for - security. I suppose the dry steer thing is a benefit also - but it was originally intended to stop "hot-wiring" from being an effective means of car theft. And I guess it still works that way - for the thief without a screwdriver

~HH