Ignition switch removal?

[otatken]

Okay gurus, I'm stumped. My ignition switch crapped out on me so I go to replace it...easy peasy, right? No, is this thing riveted in? Are there nuts on the back side so I need to disassemble the entire column? Should I do a rain dance and three hail Marys?

http://imgur.com/gallery/5Mr7ylM

[87GrandMarq]

They look like hex heads but slightly rounded.


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[kishy]

Okay gurus, I'm stumped. My ignition switch crapped out on me so I go to replace it...easy peasy, right? No, is this thing riveted in? Are there nuts on the back side so I need to disassemble the entire column? Should I do a rain dance and three hail Marys?

http://imgur.com/gallery/5Mr7ylM

Welcome!

First suggestion: as Imgur is not primarily an automotive community I would recommend not "posting to the gallery", and instead only uploading your photos within your account where they aren't publicly indexed (but are publicly viewable with the link). Note that people are commenting on your photo wondering why it's been posted there lol.

Second suggestion: the two rivet-looking things are actually security screws. They are a normal common thread but I don't know what it is. They have threadlocker on them. To turn them, you may have success gripping them with vise grips or similar, or you may choose to drill or cut into the head a bit to give you something for a screwdriver to grab onto. Do not fully drill out the screws as many replacement switches include replacement screws which fit the original hole but have a normal head.

I have been able to make them turn out with vise grips and not needing to hack anything apart, so with any luck you may be able to as well.

[87GrandMarq]

Ah yes they’re security torx bits I forgot. Good catch.


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[otatken]

No, they have no head on them whatsoever. They look just like rivets, domes with a stud in the center but they are solid. They are a type of security fastener that I have never seen before.

[otatken]

Welcome!

First suggestion: as Imgur is not primarily an automotive community I would recommend not "posting to the gallery", and instead only uploading your photos within your account where they aren't publicly indexed (but are publicly viewable with the link). Note that people are commenting on your photo wondering why it's been posted there lol.

Second suggestion: the two rivet-looking things are actually security screws. They are a normal common thread but I don't know what it is. They have threadlocker on them. To turn them, you may have success gripping them with vise grips or similar, or you may choose to drill or cut into the head a bit to give you something for a screwdriver to grab onto. Do not fully drill out the screws as many replacement switches include replacement screws which fit the original hole but have a normal head.

I have been able to make them turn out with vise grips and not needing to hack anything apart, so with any luck you may be able to as well.

Thank you so much, I kinda figured as much but didn't want to go all hackety-hack without some guidance. Hopefully I'll have the ol boat up and running tonight after work, I'll post some pics of it once I wash it.

Im super excited that I finally got my hands on this car, been trying for over 10 years now and finally I can call it mine.

[gadget73]

Vise grips, Dremel, or stud extractors if you have them. Its just a screw, just a stupid headless one. Make sure your new switch comes with screws. Some do come with security Torx, some do not. Last one I replaced I just took the originals to the store and matched up some small hex heads.

[otatken]

Vise grips, Dremel, or stud extractors if you have them. Its just a screw, just a stupid headless one. Make sure your new switch comes with screws. Some do come with security Torx, some do not. Last one I replaced I just took the originals to the store and matched up some small hex heads.

Nice, thank you very much.

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[Mainemantom]

I make a cut in those screws so a wide screwdriver can be used. It isn't the proper tool, but it works for me. I had a smart ass mechanic get all over me about that. I asked him to show me the tool he uses to remove those screws. He did not know what to use.

[bgreywolf]

I make a cut in those screws so a wide screwdriver can be used. It isn't the proper tool, but it works for me. I had a smart ass mechanic get all over me about that. I asked him to show me the tool he uses to remove those screws. He did not know what to use.

I would not use that mechanic.

[otatken]

I make a cut in those screws so a wide screwdriver can be used. It isn't the proper tool, but it works for me. I had a smart ass mechanic get all over me about that. I asked him to show me the tool he uses to remove those screws. He did not know what to use.

That dude wasn't a mechanic, he was a technician. Mechanics get things done by any means necessary, sometimes using a combination of creativity and the "wrong" tool, sometimes by asking a question in a forum. Technicians are by the book and will spend $300 on a tool to remove an obscure bolt that you will encounter a few times in your life. I have been wrenching for thirty years and have never come across bolts such as these in my life.

[bgreywolf]

A technician would know what tool to use and how to bill you for it.
A mechanic would know what tool could work, and what to do to make that happen.
Someone who doesn't have the tool or the solution is going to find a way to make the project bigger until they can do it, or believe they can't do it; either way is going to take more time and money.

[otatken]

A technician would know what tool to use and how to bill you for it.
A mechanic would know what tool could work, and what to do to make that happen.
Someone who doesn't have the tool or the solution is going to find a way to make the project bigger until they can do it, or believe they can't do it; either way is going to take more time and money.

I think we kinda just said the same thing there.

I will disagree in that I didn't have the tool or the solution yesterday morning and managed to not make the project any bigger. Today 'ol Bertha is back on the road.

Anywho, didn't mean to touch a nerve there, I was really just trying to make a funny. Sometimes my sarcasm doesn't translate well.

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[Mainemantom]

Technician or mechanic is fine with me IF they fix the problem. If they throw parts at the car without any diagnosis, they are worthless pieces of S***.
I have no patience with someone who does not respect the owner's pocketbook. Owner has to pay for the parts at shop markup plus labor at hourly rate X whatever book says what the job takes. Got to pay for their time BS whether they fix it or not does not cut it with me. If the CA bureau of automotive repair existed in Maine, all that above stuff would come to halt. Shops would be fined out of existence or taken to court.

[bgreywolf]

A. We basically said the same thing. I think we're all in agreement here (and OP: by managing to not make the project bigger, figure out a solution, and make a plan, I'd say you took the mechanic's path here: consulting a manual or a knowledgeable forum or other information source is what a mechanic or a technician does when they don't have the answer already in their head). I get a bit on edge about the distinction between the three because I deal with number 3 on a regular basis for work, and I am usually a technician or a mechanic, depending on the subject. The 3rd group costs me a lot of time and aggravation...especially when they are the ones required to do a job I could otherwise perform.

B. Mainemantom: Parts throwers are in group 3. Be glad we don't live in VT, where they not only don't have to fix it, but they don't have to consult you before going over the written estimate. Visiting my dad a few years back, got in a minor fender-bender. Estimate was 700 bucks. Returned to over 2400 repair bill. Pay money or walk back to Texas (at the time). Paid the bill, had to redo most of the crap work they did, ended up selling the car. Didn't have time to walk away. FWIW, Handy's Service Station in Burlington VT: I wouldn't even get close enough to spit in their parking lot, let alone bring a car to them again.

Technician or mechanic is fine with me IF they fix the problem. If they throw parts at the car without any diagnosis, they are worthless pieces of S***.
I have no patience with someone who does not respect the owner's pocketbook. Owner has to pay for the parts at shop markup plus labor at hourly rate X whatever book says what the job takes. Got to pay for their time BS whether they fix it or not does not cut it with me. If the CA bureau of automotive repair existed in Maine, all that above stuff would come to halt. Shops would be fined out of existence or taken to court.