Key stuck in ignition

[cashville]

I've got the problem of key stuck in ignition, but not the usual one. If I move the shifter top a little, I can hear the ignition releasing and locking the key, so I just have to do that to take it out. I made a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=dSJc-tJ7boA

What should I do to fix this?

[jsbihn]

Did you take the bottom steering column cover off and push the button in the key cylinder that will allow the cylinder to release the key?

Kind of like the older chevy's that use to have this feature, you would have to turn the key then press a button underneathe to unlock the key and then you can turn it once more to release

[cashville]

I don't need to do that to release the key. I just need to move the shifter a little and I can hear the cylinder locking and unlocking, and I can remove the key. What I need, is the solution to fix the problem I'm having, which I think it will be under the shifter, probably some cable making bad contact...

[jsbihn]

Cashville
There is actually a connector (i think only one) that if not completing the circuit correctly it will cause the key solenoid to not unlock.
The bad thing about this is you will have to undo the certer console, and possibly the center dash to get to this.

(been a while since I have been in there, so excuse me if my info is a little faulty)

The connector is actually on the drivers side of the shifter
If i remember correctly it is just a two wire connector, but you will need to look to see if it is shorting or if it is broken and not making the right connection.

I would bet the connector part is the culprit since it does get hot in the shifter area and it could be crispy and cooked.
I wouldnt go out and spend all the money on a new connector.
The nice thing is these are GM products and though you can spend the money, alot of times the fixes are easy and cheap if you think about it

I fixed my shifter slipping off the link with a 35 cents clip (instead of spending 125 dollars on a new cable setup I didnt need) and if that 35 cent fix fails, I already have a back up that cost me a whole 12 bucks in new parts and will NEVER fail. Just takes a little thinking
(now my M3...... different story)

[cashville]

What I'm thinking of doing so I don't have to take the center dash apart, is just open under the steering wheel, and put a pin on the ignition, so the key is always removable. I did that to one of the h2's once..

[jsbihn]

If you do, please show me how
I have actually wanted to do this since I found out the button was there yet covered up.
To me, that was such a stupid idea

[SummitUp]

Sounds like the wire located under the center console which controls the ignition key removal when the gear selector is in the park position is making intermittent contact, and if the wire breaks (not as uncommon as you may think) you wont be able to get your truck out of "Park" either:

STUCK IGNITION KEY SOLUTIIONS

There are three ignition problems that appear to occur rather often with H2's. These are:
The key will not come out of the ignition and therefore not allow you to park the truck.
The Truck will not shift out of PARK resulting in your inability to move or even easily tow the truck. The truck either discharges its battery when the key is removed and/or the truck will not crank over and/or the truck will start and then just stall again.

There are some solutions to these problems to get you out of a bind. It is also pretty easy to fix the truck. Some can be done with no parts, the other needs a special part that cost about $40 at the dealership.

For emergencies all you need is a Phillips screw driver. KEEP THIS TOOL IN YOUR TRUCK AT ALL TIMES. I suggest you buy a uni-tool and keep it in the truck.
It is also suggested to keep a small drill bit - 1/8 inch

Here is the procedure: KEY PROBLEM ? emergency extraction

For the key problem, you have two options. The first is to remove the bottom part of the steering wheel column cover. The second is to drill a small hole in the cover in a specific place (don?t worry the hole is on the bottom and you cant see it). The steering wheel column cover is the gray-black thing that covers the steering column between the wheel and the dash. It tilts up and down with the steering wheel.

If you don?t have the drill bit here is how to get the cover off:

Put the steering wheel tilt to the highest position.
Remove the steering wheel tilt knob by pulling it straight out.
Press the seam of the top and bottom plastic pieces of the cover inwards. You need to press hard enough to cause them to deflect enough to release the locking tabs that are on the inside which hold the halves together. Use this procedure on all sides, one at a time. They WILL come apart. If you can?t get them apart this way then you can break the part but it will cost you about $100 to get replacement parts.

If you have a drill bit (preferred method):

Put the steering wheel to the full up position:
Look under the steering wheel on the right side and look for an oval blemish in the plastic. This blemish is the spot where a plug was put into the plastic mold resulting in an imperfect surface finish.

Use the drill bit to bore a hole into the exact dead center of the oval. You can be off center a bit but try to keep it close to center. Once the hole is drilled adjust the drill angle so that you can insert the drill bit straight up (rather than perpendicular to the plastic which is a curved surface).

Once you have the hole drilled or you have the cover off:
There is a gold /silver button at the bottom of the steering wheel assembly that is either in direct line with the hole you drill or can be seen just behind and under the key. This button needs to be pushed up. Once pushed they key will come out.

If you have the drill hole you can use a tooth pick, paper clip or the drill bit to push the button. The nice thing is that the button is in direct line with the hole so you don?t have to fish around very much. You can feel when you are pushing the button as it has about ?? of travel and has a weak spring trying to push back.

Now that the key is out, what next?
The problem will still exist next time you shut off the truck so keep the cover off or keep the drill bit handy.
To fix the cause of the problem you need to do the work described in the next section.


I can?t get the truck out of park! Park Problem ? Emergency procedure

This is a more serious problem as the truck is totally immobilized. You will have to do something if you want to get to where you are going. Fortunately, the solution is very easy. Note that The park problem can occur at the same time as the key problem so you may have to do both to get out of a bind . The repair of the shifter as described below will fix both problems.
Here is the procedure

Open the center console glove box and using the Phillips screw driver, remove the 4 screws that hold the center console "glove box" in place. The box is the tub right under the flip up door. Remove the tub then stick you hand into the hole toward the shifter. While jiggling the shifter feel where the bottom of the shifter goes. Somewhere near the bottom, you will feel a round mushroom shaped thing, with the round part facing the PASSENGER SIDE. If you press on this, the shifter can now be shifted out of park using the regular method. You need to hold the button down when you want to shift out of park. The lock is only for park so all other gears are ok from this point on. Remember- every time you go to park position, the shifter will lock and you need to access the ?button? each time to get out of park.

One frequent cause is a broken wire that goes to the shifter (the break is located in the center console). These wires control both the key removal and the parking lock. If you have either of these problems then have the cable checked or you can fix it your self as indicated below:

Shifter stuck or key stuck repair: Put the parking brake on, make sure the engine is off.
Put the shifter into 1 (farthest back position)
Remove the shifter handle. To do this you need to loosen the allan screw (it is actually a torx screw but an allan wrench will work fine) There is a screw on the front of the shifter that needs to be loosened, Pop the shifter console off the center console. There are 4 very hard to release metal clips that hold the shifter cover on. To release, you need to pull straight up on the shifter cover. Beware, you might break the plastic around the clips so be careful. The cover does come off perhaps with a lot of effort. If you are worried about breaking it go to a dealer for the repair.
Once the cover is off you will see a cable and connector near a mushroom shaped button. This button is the one you pressed to release the shifter from park. Either the connector is off or the wires to the connector are broken due to the flex back and forth that occurs during movement of the shift lever. Find which wire is broken and fix it. It is preferable to use a small gauge, highly flexible wire to extend the harness to connector cable length. It is also preferable to use butt splices rather then solder joints.

Problem: I start my truck and it stalls immediately OR The truck just turns over but will not start
OR I turn the key and truck wont turn over OR I took the key out last night and the truck batteries are dead in the morning but I did not leave a light on, nor was there anything plugged in the lighter or accessory jacks

The problem is most likely a defective ignition switch. You will need to get a new one. The part number is GM# 15242754. It is a common GM part and most dealers will carry it as a stock item. Cost is about $40.

Remove the negative connection to the truck battery.
Remove the bottom cover of the steering wheel column cover as described in the stuck key problem procedure.
The key switch assembly can be seen on the bottom right side of the steering column.
You need to unplug the switch and then press in the spring loaded tabs that hold the switch in place to slide it out. There are several cables that may have to be moved around a bit but DO NOT UNPLUG THE LITTLE WIRES THAT GO TO THE TOP OF THE COLUMN If you do so, the truck will think this is a theft attempt and set the security alarm.

Once the switch is out, get the new switch and make sure the gear of the new switch is in the same position as the one that was removed. Put the new switch into the proper position and plug in the connector

Hook up the battery

Test that the switch works. If the gear is in the wrong position, the key either won?t come out or the key will not move to the start position (the spring loaded start position). In either of these cases you need to remove the switch and re-position the gear. Put the bottom cover back on the steering wheel column. Be sure to have the pieces aligned properly as it you don?t, you can screw up the locking tabs.