Hey guys. So last winter I broke my factory ignition switch and ignition lock cylinder. It still worked, I was just able to take the tumbler out at will lol. Anyways, fast forward to yesterday. Went to start my XJ last night to go to school and it would just click. Then the ignition lock tumbler would just spin, no resistance. I took the ignition lock cylinder out, and noticed a new break in there that wasn't there when I initially broke it last year. So today I got an Echlin KS6071 (ignition lock cylinder) and Echlin KS6557 (ignition switch) to fix it. All went well. From the time I went to parts store to the time I was putting tools back, took about 6 hours. Could've done it sooner, but I had distractions. Starts up, action is pretty good on the cylinder and everything, but one thing is bothering me. It takes a abnormal amount of force to put the cylinder to the off position so I can remove the key. It's no where near as bad as the factory one was that I couldn't get out though. I did lube up the "Column Lock Flag" and the "Shift Interlock Actuator" like the directions said, but I feel it could be smoother.

tl;dr Can I spray something into somewhere in the ignition lock cylinder or the like to smooth the action of it a little bit? If so, where are the key points to spray?

 

Anyone have an idea?

 

Give it some time, it will wear in and loosen up some.

 

Get some Lock Ease in there for the cylinder itself, and a dry lube of some kind for the other parts of the mechanism. This stuff is surprisingly good. So is this.

Be generous with both, and then take Bustedback's advice.

 

Yea BlueRidgeMark, some guys at a local repair shop I hang out at sometimes recommended graphite and it confused me. I was like you mean pencil lead? Now looking at the Lock Ease you linked, it says graphite lube and it makes sense. So spray the lock ease directly where I stick my key, and use some dry lube for other stuff?

 

Yes, if you get the spray kind, just spray it right into the lock. If you get the liquid kind that doesn't spray, put it on your key and run it in and out. Repeat a few times to get the stuff in there.

Use it a few times a year and your locks will be happy.