# Lucky, lucky me



## Cottonfarmer (Jul 11, 2005)

My much needed vacation begins tomorrow. That's the good news. The bad news is that yesterday afternoon, the wife, who takes the goat to work each day, got in the car to come home. She inserted the ignition key and tried to turn it to start the motor. No joy, the key would not turn. 

It was a few minutes till the local dealer closed and I made a cell call to them while leaving the farm to check on the car myself. The shop foreman said he would run by to take a look at it on his way home. We both arrived at the wife's place of work at the same time and he too had no luck turning the key. The front wheels were aligned straight and were not against a curb. Called a tow truck to take it to the dealer. 

Today I contacted the dealer and they had no success getting the ignition barrel to turn with either of our keys. The mechanic found that he could not remove the ignition key switch from the steering column unless he could first turn it to the on position. Since that was not possible (something about the security system) they would have to replace the ENTIRE steering column! Guess what? There is not a single GTO steering column to be found in the continental United States!

Now I face a possible wait of two to three weeks to get the car fixed and vacation day is tomorrow. The dealership was kind enough to provide us a loaner vehicle to take on the vacation. They gave me an '06 Z71 pickup which I guess is better than some ricer trade-in or an S-10.

Almost forgot. While taking my V-1 out of the goat, I dropped it on the concrete and now it won't power up. Ain't life lovely? -Jim


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## BV GTO (Jul 14, 2006)

Well, I hope your vacation turns out better than this! 
I also hope they have your goat ready for you on your return.
Be _*CAREFUL*_ but enjoy yourselves!


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## Red Bearded Goat (Mar 19, 2007)

Jim,
That sucks brother! You may want to take a drive to Cleveland pick a part with the Z-71 and bring back a few needed souvenirs.

http://www.clevelandpickapart.com/gtos.htm

Good luck,
Red.


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## AlaGreyGoat (Jul 6, 2006)

Hi, Jim,

Had the same problem with the key, today!!

Stopped to get gas and upon leaving, the key would not turn.
I tried for about 10 minutes, pulling and pushing the key and
steering wheel and finally it turned.
(While I was trying, I thought about this thread!!)

I drove straight home and tried both keys. They both would
work, but had a slight sticking feel before they would start to turn.
I had noticed this happening a few time over the past few months.
Sprayed the ignition cylinder with Areokroil Oil (similar to WD40,
but better).

Now both keys work smooth as silk!!

Larry


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## flyer469 (May 19, 2006)

Had sort of the same problem with my 06M6. I have 15K on it. Went to stick the key and it would not turn! I said screw it that is what the 3 year 36 mile bumper to bumper is for, if I break the key. I turned that thing to the point where I thought I would break the key. Then it turned over with no problem,never done it before or since....


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## TheEricHarris (Aug 25, 2005)

This is a huge issue right now with hundreds of GTOs accross the country. The other site has a bunch of members documenting their issue with this. GM says the part is back ordered for up to 6 weeks. Typical response with these cars (struts, pedal sensor, and now this). Pretty sad. 

Mostly happening to 04/05 guys. But my coworkers 06 today just had it happen, waiting for the tow truck as I type.


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## fiddler_red (May 9, 2007)

*key lube?*

what about a quick shot of wd-40 every few thousand miles or so as a preventative measure?


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

fiddler_red said:


> what about a quick shot of wd-40 every few thousand miles or so as a preventative measure?


*If you are having no problems I would not try and fix something that doesn't need fixing. 

If you are looking for a preventative, how about just a little graphite? It will bond to the internal workings, will lube without the wetness of WD-40 and reduce friction while remaining dry. 
*


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## Cottonfarmer (Jul 11, 2005)

Got the goat back yesterday from the dealer. It took two weeks and two days to get the ignition switch issue resolved. One reason it took so long was to get the steering column in from Elizabethtown. After it arrived, I discovered that they hadn't ordered the ignition switch (which is what failed in the first place) so an additional few days was needed to get it in. 

Anywho, I am back in the saddle again. -Jim


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Cottonfarmer said:


> Got the goat back yesterday from the dealer. It took two weeks and two days to get the ignition switch issue resolved. One reason it took so long was to get the steering column in from Elizabethtown. After it arrived, I discovered that they hadn't ordered the ignition switch (which is what failed in the first place) so an additional few days was needed to get it in.
> 
> Anywho, I am back in the saddle again. -Jim


arty: :cheers


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