My 22y/o ignition cylinder has become fairly loose lately and has caused me some concern to the point that I'm thinking that I may have to replace it soon.
Has anyone had this issue?
When replacing the ignition cylinder with a new/used; Do they require re-keying the pins/wafers to accept my original key?

​​​​​Thanks for any info or exprience you can share.

 

The part pictured below can be swapped without any re-keying or programming providing this is likely the source of your concern? These things are known to create havoc with buildup over the years, loosing connection and causing weird electrical gremlins. Mine was so bad the car would die out while driving, would have the cycle the key to get it rolling again. Best of luck solving your issue!

 

My bad.
I should've at least taken the steering cladding off the column to make a visual inspection before posting (It's a work time/schedule related issue...).

But the outer silver key insert "barrel" seems to be getting pretty loose and giggles. Otherwise the car has no problem starting and no electrical issues. It's more of a physical integrity concern.
Ive also noticed inserting and removing my key seems to have a bit more "drag"/ friction than I recall...
I'll spray some graphite in the key hole for the time being to see if it helps for that part of the issue.

I'll report back when I have time to dig into the colum to get a better idea of what might be the cause for the looseness.

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Done mine here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-question.html

Some people clean them and they come back to life.

 

Ah yeah, the actual key barrel itself is not interchangeable. These are often sold on ebay, with the key inserted so one could install a used one, provided it has the key.

Unsure if BMW could actually get you a new barrel as were on the cusp of 20yrs old. I believe they can only provide new keys for 05-06 models which im sure is about to end also.

Best of luck, hopefully you find an easy fix!

 

Good to know!
*I had a heck of a time trying to contact BMW/MINI dealers in effort to find one that could program new/aftermarket replacement keys for my 2004 R53 - to no avail = "The car is too old".

In the past; I've successfully re-pinned/re-keyed several lock cylinder's to match my original Mini key.
I'm hoping I might be able to do the same with the ignition barrel. If they are similar in construction.

 

this stuff works well on locks

Houdini Lock Lub

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Houdini-L...SABEgKCtfD_BwE

 

Houdini is excellent - if you truly need a new / good used tumbler, move your EWS chip to the new key if you are getting from eBay / dismantaler.

 

Thanks.
Hopefully I won't need a new/used barrel. I would prefer not to have to re-pin my outside door lock if possible. Pretty easy but a PIA to have to do so.

@ECSTuning I can't seem to find the diagram you'd posted a link to. But I have the Bentley - when the time comes.
Thanks @ssoliman - I haven't found any info on Houdini.
Any Idea if it's graphite based? I've been told by locksmiths to only use graphite.

Regardless - Your recommendation is highly appreciated and I can get Houdini here locally at ACE hardware.

 

Hello,

Updated that old link photo to link realoem what i was talking about. Thanks for the catch.

 

Hey, thanks for uploading that diagram....

It helps to see;
#4 = ignition switch and #5 = key lock cylinder are 2wo separate pieces.

 

not sure. i know it works well. its a dry lube i think thats what they call it

 

Thanks.
I stopped by ACE - They don't carry it in store but I can order it.
Although I found it easily on Amazon - Houdini states that it's "graphite free".
I've got a list of items already in my Amazon cart. Inexpensive enough; so I dropped a can of it along with some graphite lock power into my cart. Just as an option. Always nice to have options on hand for when unexpected things arise.
Thanks again!